Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Hi,

What is the situation with taking electronic items from the UK to Canada?

I'm thinking kettle, toaster, slow cooker, washing machine, tv.

We have a full container booked with some space left so it won't increase our costs according to the shippers but don't want to take if they simply won't work/will be a fire risk/cost a fortune to convert.

Thanks again!

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I wouldn't do it, but check the labels on the device or the instruction book and see what the voltage / current / frequency / etc tolerances are.
Read this - it's for the US but should still apply:
Can you plug a 230V 50Hz appliance into a 240V 60Hz outlet
The part about the higher breaker current cut-off is interesting.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

TV is the only one on that list worth bringing. Even then, only just. The 'Freeview' functionality won't work (you won't be able to receive terrestrial TV in Canada), so it is effectively just a monitor for a tv box such as Telus Optik, Shaw, Rogers etc.

High powered equipment such as kettles and toasters will not work unless you get a high capacity voltage transformer (would need to be over 3KW per appliance).

No point at all in bringing a UK washing machine.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Nothing's daft on questions about moving....most of us were only 'semi-sane' when we got to the packers arriving bit of the adventure!

Someone on here told me not to bring any electrical item that has a motor. We did bring a few electrical bits and a converter and they all worked, and continue to work, like an electric slicing machine and a few seldom used kitchen things (that with hindsight I could have lived without;) ). My husband brought electric tools, but has replaced most of them now. A washing machine might be an item too far though:unsure:?

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Bear in mind you'll need to buy transformers, which should be capable of supporting 50% more power (watts) than the appliance you plug into it e.g. a 1500w transformer for a 1000w appliance, and you may find that you'll pay as much or more for transformers than replacement appliances would cost.

That said I brought an electric drill and a Vax vacuum when I moved 15 years ago. I never used them and they are still in a box somewhere in the basement.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Compatability of Goods-Canada : British Expat Wiki

HTH.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

why spend the money to bring over items that you will not be able to use over here unless you pay out more money to obtain transformers?

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I agree, having wasted money myself doing just that when I brought over two VCRs (and a few hundred tapes) completely forgetting that the TV would not recognise the format. :(

However, the OP did say it wasn't going to cost anything.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

When we came over, we brought over a pretty good Denon hifi system including record deck all of which presumably needs a voltage converter or four! The thing is, I've never bothered to think about setting it up- I just use Bose linked up to my PC where I do my work/ photo stuff and then portable Bose when cooking, chilling. I've never seen resurrecting records, way to much hassle- I just use Spotify or You for live music stuff or podcasts via phone iPad or PC. I doubt that I would have bothered to use it much in the suck had we stayed there. I'm not a hifi purist.

I can't quite get round to taking it to the recycling as it is in perfect nick... Anyhow...I digress ;)

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Bloody hell, that's some piece of equipment you've got there.

Plays music, cooks stuff and refrigerates. When did you get it, next century? :rofl:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Similar principle with my stuff.

I had researched what was needed to be able to play my VHS tapes - it wasn't cheap - and something always got in the way of doing something about it.

Then I found I could replace a lot by buying used 'over here' format tapes dirt cheap off Amazon - I got the entire series of I Clavdivs for about $12 for example - and then used DVDs. Then, in time, loads of stuff became available via streaming and youtube.

There might be very little on all my VHS tapes that I can't source replacements for. I'm pretty sure all the original Spitting Images are available and I've already downloaded the Beiderbecke Trilogy.

I even managed to get Tales Of Sherwood Forest (Pete Postlethwaite) if anyone remembers that.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

:rofl: I am the next Dr Who.......


Well, ok, they said that I could be K9.. I suppose it is more appropriate.. Oi you, I was trying to rerail this thread :sneaky:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Thanks guys. I will probably have even more daft questions over the next few weeks and months!

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

You couldn't have been any worse than the one they chose :thumbdown:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

We left the UK about ten days after we got married so we had hardly any household goods, and most of those were wedding presents .... one friend had given us a large Kenwood Mixer with all the gongs and whistles, English voltage.

We didn't use it for 2 years, then lent it to an Australian visitor when their twins were born .......... they had brought some Australian equipment with them and had set themselves up with a transformer. They left the transformer with us when they returned to Australia, along with the Kenwood.

We used that Kenwood for several years, but the transformer took up as much space on the kitchen counter as the mixer itself did.

I eventually tossed it, and bought one of equal quality for much cheaper than would have been paid ..... and much more convenient to use :lol:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

To be honest there's not much I've bought since being here that hasn't been cheaper than in the UK.

Chicken, Cheese and wine excepted of course. :rofl:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

What about a laptop? As the power source is essentially a charger do I just need to buy a compatible one and use the same laptop? Thanks!

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

The chargers for laptops, as well as for phones, invariably say 100v-250v (you should double check), so all you need is a new plug or simple plug adapter. :)

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Thanks :thumbup:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

A lot of UK TVs are also 110-240v plus they are multi standard - PALfor UK NTSC for Canada. ours also does SECAM if we ever go to French countries. We run the local cable box via HDMI with no problem and brought a 110/240v multi region/multi standard DVD player so we can play anything either brought with us or bought here. The problem arises if you use a locally bought TV as they are invariably NTSC only - as they are here. For household electrical goods, don't waste money. Sell off your UK ones and buy locally. We're lucky here in that our supply is 230V 60Hz so other than motors running a little faster everything works fine! Our UK American style fridge freezer has been running here non stop for 4 years without a hiccup.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I use my (Canadian) laptop and phone in the UK all the time. All you need is a travel adapter. They cost peanuts.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

with regard to laptops, be aware that UK and US keyboards are actually laid out slightly differently as well.
You get used to it , but it is always fun to freak out guests when they can't find the @

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

And of course US/Canadian keyboards don't have a "£" on Shift-3 (or indeed at all), that is where the "#" is.

Buried in the set-up options for Windows, you can change the keyboard map, so the keys no longer necessarily match the symbols the produced on the screen. I think there are maps for many different countries - I know that the French layout has many more differences than there are between the US and UK layout.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

yep, at work I used to somehow keep accidentally hitting the key combination that would switch between the two.
Eventually I uninstalled the French one .

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Don't tell my keyboard that.

I just click on the keyboard icon and select UK extended and, voila, Shift/# becomes £. It didn't need any setting up, the option is just there and that's what I have it permanently set to.

Mind you, my finger occasionally touches another key by mistake and a few characters later an è comes up instead of ' so I have to click the icon again to bring UK back. :lol:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

It's funny, this whole electrical goods - bring it, leave it - thing is just like the Brexit debate. I'm very much in the "bring it" camp; especially if it isn't going to cost you any money to do so. My UK hammer drill alone would have cost significantly more to replace than a 3kw transformer (as it turns out I have 220v in my garage already anyway). Multiply that by - oh I don't know, paint stripper, Dyson, Orbital Sander, Electric Leaf Blower, Inspection Lamp, Jig Saw.....

That's just the garage.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I have the same problem with my wife. Her iPhone is franco and she likes to use predictive text when sending me texts in English.

I often have no idea what her texts mean. Then again, it's often like that when I talk with her face-to-face.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I wonder if it would be legal to install UK Sockets In Canada and either have a Transformer on the Whole House (Not good Idea a lot of products would need to be Imported) or Hidden on each UK Socket you have installed.
In some Expensive Hotels I have seen NA, UK and Euro Sockets built into the same Wall.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Very unlikely, insurance would be voided and, why would you? :confused:
I'm fairly widely travelled in good hotels and have to say that I have never seen multiple socket types

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

If the Canadian house has installed wiring for 110VAC then adding a transformer to the distribution-end and running 220VAC appliances out of 220VAC sockets would work....but you'd need to comply with code and insurance.
N. American house-wires are bigger than UK wiring....this is because at 110VAC they can carry more amps.
But there's a limit to 110VAC when using big-power items like stoves and washer dryers and they need 220VAC.

The N. American grid 220VAC is derived differently from UK 220VAC.
N. America has 4 wires (2 hot phase-wires (110VAC each), 1 neutral, 1 safety). UK has 3 wires (1 hot phase-wire (220VAC), 1 neutral, 1 safety).

Those multi-voltage outlets in hotels only power small amp appliances like an electric-razor or toothbrush, etc...I think less than 5 amps max.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I use ALT + 156 (numeric pad at right of my keyboard) to type £

simple and easy :thumbsup:

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I am a huge fan of Alt codes and have a fair number committed to memory - 130, 155, 156, 167, 171, 172, and 0128 are ones I use regularly. :)

And for anyone else, yes, it only works using the number pad to the right of the keyboard while you hold down the Alt key. :nod: For laptops there is usually a "virtual number pad" on the main keyboard, something like keys UIO, HJK, & BNM.

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

That's a good reference- it should go in our wiki. Apart from the difference in frequency, the fact that both pins are live to 120v (whereas uk is 240v and 0 on the neutral) means it's very different in practise.

What clinched it for me was the cost of a 240V s-pin dryer plug- at around $40 more than the replacement cost of the tool!

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

For anyone unfamiliar with north American 240v plugs, the modern ones have four pins - two live, a neutral, and an earth.

Not sure about Canada, but up to the early 90's in the US, 240v plugs had only three pins - two live and a neutral, with no earth - though the neutral served as an earth connection.

The unfortunate problem is that people buy new appliances for houses built before the code change, and that haven't been rewired, and so they then fit a three pin plug to their brand new dryer. It is also not uncommon for people to replace the four pin socket with a three pin socket if they move house and take a dryer with a three pin plug with them. So the continued existence of 240v three pin plugs and sockets is somewhat self-perpetuating. :(

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I use 156, 0188, 0189, 0190 all the time

In other words .......... £ ¼ ½ ¾

Now to check the others you show in case I can use them ........ so 171 and 172 are an alternate way for fractions. I could sometimes use 167 º, although I am now so used to typing, and reading temepratures without the degree sign :lol:

Thank you!!

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

I had never found 0190, so thanks for that too! :)

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

:)

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

It's all here ...not hard to find....Alt Codes List of Alt Key Codes Symbols

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Because I mostly post from my phone, which doesn't have an Alt key, I have a page like that bookmarked so I can copy and paste characters like ¢ and ½ which my phone doesn't have in its character set. :)

Re: Another, possibly daft, question about electrical goods
 

Ooh, this is a good answer, yes it is actually possible to do 220V in a Canadian or US house, I had a friend was who French and he managed to do it, but is it really worth all the effort.

The OP mentioned his stove and washing machine - for starters they're the wrong size so forget about voltage differences.

Any large electrical appliance of any type, forget it, the classic examples being an electric fire or portable AC unit. Or anything that heats up and uses a fair bit of electricity, like a kettle or a toaster.

Things like cellphones and laptops have adapters, so no problem.

The problem is things that are inbetween, say you've got some nice lamps for example. I had an electrician here rewire my lamps.