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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

Compatability of Goods-Canada : British Expat Wiki

HTH.

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?

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.

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

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?

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.

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

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

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

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