SchnookoLoly

They aren't small units.

, for example.

The unit basically has to generate MORE power than what's coming through the wall. There's only 110V coming through the wall, and your unit needs 220V coming through. Hence the units are quite large, it's not just as easy as having a power strip.

This is why we decided to just buy new here instead.

the blairs

Haha thats the one I was just looking at!
That would be fine for the tv's yes???? No rewiring involved :-O

I agree that this may not look beautiful sitting next to my Nespresso lol

SchnookoLoly

The TV will turn on and all that, but again, it's something tha'ts not worth shipping. A lot of the actual connections with other devices to the television change quite a lot here, plus I know people have had issues with gaming systems. Again, something that's worth buying new, particularly when you consider that electronics are generally way cheaper here. Here's an older thread on the subject: http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad...canada-629088/

the blairs

This was on the Wiki.....

TVs
There are a few things to think about when considering to bring your UK TV with you. The most important thing is power (see section below) then it is TV reception and connection of other devices.
Power
Check the TV's power rating, if it covers 110 - 230/240 V 50/60 Hz then you will be able to plug them into the mains via a simple travel adapter (if the power cable is removable yoou will be able to buy a North American replacement).
If the device's power input does not cover 110 V then you could buy a step up voltage transformer which converts 110 V to 230 V....ensure the transformer has a higher wattage than the TV.

So would this not work for the tvs???....

the blairs

We have two 52inch tvs and a 42 inch tv all with scart/hdmi/ red,white, yellow cable connections so i'm thinking that would cost a fair bit to replace. If it is at all possible to plug them in to an adaptor/transformer and have them work then i'd much rather do that.

Pizzawheel

You can sell the UK ones to cover most of the cost.

Flatscreen TV's should have a multi-voltage power pack inside which may have a switch, or may be automatic (like a laptop/ phone charger).

The powerpack can't fix the frequency 50Hz/ 60Hz differential but as electronics just convert the ASC to DC internally it won't bother them. Anything with a motor (drill, blender etc) will just run 20% faster which probably isn't an issue.

I guess bringing some things over if you're on a 12 month assignment makes some sense but if you're moving for good I'm still scratching my chin.

SchnookoLoly

+1 for what PW said. You are way better off selling and repurchasing.

rivingtonpike

I'm in the completely opposite camp on this one. We brought most of our nicer electricals with us and bought a few converters of various sizes and wattages for different uses around the house and garage. We have a very nice, expensive music system that works just fine with a modest 500w up/down converter. While the unit is excellent quality, it is quite a few years old and its re-sale value wouldn't have been very much. To replace it, however, would have cost me a fortune. It also runs a UK DVD player for all the DVDs we brought with us.

I have another converter in my music room which runs a Marshall stack, a mixing desk and various effects racks without any problem. Again the second hand value would have been a heck of a lot less than the replacement costs had I had to buy everything new again.

I had a large converter in the garage until I realised there was already 220v power wired in (professionally as part of the house system with its own fused trip switch etc). No idea where the suggestion having 220v in your house is somehow dodgy and would invalidate your insurance. If it has been done professionally and signed off, what's the problem? Every house in the UK has 220/230v and they seem to do alright.

In the kitchen we have an up/down converter which we use for the more expensive specialist stuff that only comes out once in a while - like the breadmaker, big mixing thingy, blender, Raclette, and a few other bits and pieces. When they wear out, break, blow up, of course we'll replace them with 110v Canadian stuff. But until then, for the number of times a year each of them is used, to replace them all would cost a fortune and I doubt very much their second hand value would have come anywhere near their replacement cost. Even our old TV in the kids' playroom still chugs along with a game system attached.

As the years have passed, more and more stuff is bought here and the need for converters becomes less of an issue. But to have had to replace everything with new stuff on day 1 would have been yet another expense we could have done without.

the blairs

This is good to hear!

I have also got an electric piano which I have just checked and it is 220v 50Hz 100w

All in all we were thinking of doing the same as you...bringing it all and using it until it needed replaced and then buying new in Canada.

So just to clarify... your tv is 220v? and with a converter works just fine?

I find it weird that some people say it works and some say it doesn't???!!!?

I mean either yes it will work or no it will not. And if it will work then why sell it here and buy new when you get there as this only adds expense to an already expensive move!

dbd33

Generally, I'd say "take everything". You don't want to be in a new country schlepping around the shops looking for dishtowels and dog sofas when you had servicable ones and could have brought them for an extra few quid.
Exceptions might be electrical goods that heat up or spin but the House of 220 in Toronto can sell you the bits to make most anything work.

Televisions are iffy though, not because they won't work but because the broadcast television in Canada is excreable.

rivingtonpike

In fairness I should clarify with the TV we brought with us. It isn't actually hoked up to the Canadian Cable box. The kids use it for gaming and watching movies. We did buy a 110v TV when we moved here - but only because we hadn't got a big TV in London and now we had a far larger sitting room that could accommodate a much larger screen. As far as voltage goes, our UK TV works absolutely fine with a modest converter.

HGerchikov

You seem like you really want to bring them, and, as you likely won't get much for them if you sell them, why not put them in the container if you have room if they work, great, if they don't well get rid of them then. At least you will know you tried.

Pizzawheel

Rivington- I think you do know what you're doing, the Blairs said they didn't which is a very honest assessment.

One very very important thing. Canadian 220v (actually 240v) is NOT UK/ European/ International 220V/230/240V.

International has three pins; +240, neutral, and earth/ground for safety. Two of your pins are safe (ie you can stick your fingers in 2 of the holes in the socket safely. But don't do it).

Canadian can have three or four pins:

One is +120V
One is -120V*
One is the ground/ earth safety
There may be a fourth neutral- or there may not.

This is done because 120V is too puny to run a large tumble drier or oven. So the appliance actually sees 240v.

But basically you have TWO pins which are live and can give you a shock.

The neutral wiring in an international appliance is theoretically insulated and built to the same standard as the live (the ground can be exposed and is usually connected to a metal casing etc). However if the neutral wasn't insulated to the same standard you wouldn't get a problem because the neutral wiring is 0v. But in Canada you're going to put a voltage in there.... This is worth noting with all the cut throat competition in the world and a lot of products made in somewhat unregulated territories.

/rant. Just make sure you understand the ramifications- Rivington and myself have discussed this at some length and I'm pretty sure he does.

* as it's AC it's not actually +120 and -120 but it's the easiest way of explaining it without nasty maths.

Oakvillian

I fundamentally agree with what both Rivington and Pizzawheel say - which sounds like a contradiction, but I don't think really is.

Rewiring large appliances and plugging them into a Canadian 220v outlet is something to be undertaken only by those who know exactly what they are doing and are comfortable with the differences between single-phase 240v and two phase, floating-neutral, 220v which is what Canadian cookers and tumble dryers use. If that doesn't make sense, don't do it.

However, that's not the same as running UK stuff through a separate step-up transformer. So long as you rate the transformer adequately for the power consumption of the device, and are OK with the additional bulk of the transformer sitting somewhere between the wall outlet and the appliance, then go ahead.

Quite a lot of what is on the wiki about TVs is getting increasingly outdated - I might find a minute or two to do an edit later. Yes, there is a potential signal compatibility issue for analogue signals (stuff that you feed through the multicoloured RCA cables or, in Europe, the SCART connector). But that only matters when you're dealing with analogue signals. Anything with an HDMI connection doesn't care about that stuff - it's a digital signal that doesn't go through the TV's decoder, so the whole NTSC vs PAL conundrum is beside the point.

This used to be a big deal for DVD players, too, which struggled with both the region-coding of the discs and the signal format of the output. But it's now only about the region coding, so it's worth bringing a UK DVD player if you have a collection of DVDs you want to watch - that way you can wait to find a decent region-free player on sale here.

A fair few electronic devices, especially computer peripherals, have switchable voltage inputs, even if they don't say so on the rating plate on the back. Sometimes they auto-detect input voltage, sometimes there's a manual switch to flick. Bear in mind that you are very unlikely to damage a UK device by plugging it into a Canadian outlet, it just might not switch on properly. The converse is absolutely not the case - you will fry a non-switchable 110v device if you stick 240v up its backside.

And, of course, as has already been stated almost all portable electronics have multivoltage power supplies as standard.

the blairs

well I am utterly confused.

It's not about 'really wanting' to bring my stuff it is about bringing things that work completely fine rather than flogging them here for pittance and having to fork out thousands of dollars to replace what we had.

If I can plug my things in to a transformer that costs £50 and it works then why would I not do that????

It is not going to change the amount I have been quoted for my containers if I take a couple of tvs out.

I think I'm struggling to see how some people can say yes it will work when others say no it won't. Either it will or it won't??? or am i missing something?

**just to clarify - I will NOT be rewiring things. I will simply be looking to plug something in to a transformer. also I will NOT be relying on analogue. I use Sky here and would be looking for something similar when i get there.