iloveflapjacks23

High, does anyone know if UK site tools which work at 110 - 120v work in Canada by just changing there plug? I know Canada uses 110 120 volts as standard but don't know if it will work. Thanks very much!

ultrarunner

They are dirt cheap here, just give em away to your mates or sell them

rivingtonpike

They're not cheap here. I have a pretty standard collection of garage power tools - 2 drills, electric sanders, Jig saw, cordless drill, etc. I think to replace them with similar quality kit would cost me well over $2000.

I know I keep saying this, but if you have room to bring it - bring it. So many people have been pleasantly surprised at what will work in Canada - even with the voltage/hertz difference.

Piff Poff

No they are not. Anything decent costs mega money for the quality, even second hand ones can fetch $$$ depending on brand.

JonboyE

I agree with both ultrarunner and Piff Poff. You can buy really cheap power tools but "professional grade" tools are expensive.

It depends on what you want to use them for. I bought a Ryobi cordless drill for just over $30 a few years ago. When I used to work in a woodworking shop the joiners would spend around $400 for a cordless drill. They both drill holes into wood. The difference is that mine is perfectly adequate for the few times a year I get it out of its case, the $400 drills work happily all day, everyday.

dgagitw

If they're dual frequency (either doesn't say anything other than 110V or says something like 110V 50/60Hz on them somewhere) then they'll definitely work. If they're single frequency 50hz then they'll probably still work.

JonboyE

If you will be using power tools on site then it is best to buy them out here. Most health and safety regulations (certainly in BC but I believe also in other provinces) say that power tools used on a job site or in a workplace must be certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or equivalent. By equivalent they mean UL - the American certification body.

You and I know that UK power tools are also certified to an equivalent standard but it is an unproductive argument to have with your supervisor, an H&S jobsworth or, even worse, with a wrokers compensation representative.

feelbritish

would power tools work the other way as well? my husband has a garage load of?

ultrarunner

Unless the OP is a contractor, or does some serious DIY, then I don't see the point of lumping all that stuff here. What next...bring the TV because you can't get SCART connection here?

Piff Poff

It does depend on the amount and the uses of, but to say they are cheap to buy here when they are not is just wrong.

rivingtonpike

Why would you not bring your TV? Same with power tools. Our UK tv plays all the kids' DVDs in the playroom just as well as it did in the UK. Seems crazy to me to replace things unnecessarily.

iloveflapjacks23

Thanks very much, i thought all this about power tools being dirt cheap was nonsense. Im on about high end professional stuff. In the uk you can buy top end, good condition second hand 110v tools very cheaply on ebay, so I'm thinking of buying some key second hand bits here in the uk and bringing that over.

The information about the hz frequency is really helpful I'll check it out. What does "single frequency" and how is it written on tools, is there a symbol etc?

I totally see the point about site certification, but it would be good to bring some stuff over just to use at home straight away or in a private workshop.

Thanks again for all your help!!.

dgagitw

Alternating current alternates (swaps from +ve to -ve) at different rates in different countries/regions. In the UK, it does it 50 times per second (50Hz) and in North America, it does it 60 times per second. Some appliances convert AC to DC (direct current doesn't swap at all) before doing anything with it. These mostly don't care about the frequency but will probably care about the voltage (the big exception being computer kit which is mostly dual voltage and dual frequency). Some appliances use AC directly to drive motors or heating elements. These may well care about frequency as the extra cycles mean that they will run at higher power than they would otherwise (look here if you're into maths - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alterna...of_AC_voltages).

There is no standard that I'm aware of for labelling appliances with frequency requirements. The various combinations I've seen are:

110v/230v 50/60hz - works just about anywhere
110v 60hz - may have a problem with 50Hz supplies
230v 50hz - may have a problem with 60Hz supplies
110v or 230v with no hz mentioned - try it and see

MillieF

Rivingtonpike...I don't know if you have shares in most of the moving companies, but it is YOU who have personally shaped my Canadian moving philosophy... I am bringing everything! OP I asked something similar a while back and after the responses on here we are taking most of our power tools. We discovered our arc welder is dual voltage, as is the bench press and other things that I'm not sure what they do, and we are planning to get an electrician to put a 240v supply in our garage as well as the 110, which is, I discovered on here, possible.

rivingtonpike

I'm glad it has been of use as advice. I have quite a lot of sensitive music equipment and even that works fine with a transformer. Having a 20 or 30 amp 240v supply put into your garage is easy - and not too pricey either. Chances are you'll have 240v already for your washer and dryer.

It seems to me there's no cost involved in bringing "stuff" - be it electrical or not - if you have the room. Containers aren't done on weight after all. We also found that our Canadian house is quite a bit larger than our UK one was, so it's not as if we don't have room for it.

Unfortunately I don't have shares in moving companies. Perhaps I should!