frankieforehead

Sounds daft I know...But what and where is the best place to sell All your electrical goods....Most of ours are around the three year old mark, we've looked on Ebay for guidance and don't fancy selling them off for 10p......Any Ideas Guys?

Souvenir

Ask a local estate agent if they've got any first time buyers who might be interested in getting kitted out on the cheap.

MikeUK

why sell them all.....

some will work over here....

as a for instance.. a cordless electric kettle in the UK is rated 3000watts.. at 240v the nearest equivalent we can find over here is rated 1500watts at 120v… bits of a clue when checking the element details they look identical… yep change the plug and you running..

anything that uses an element will be half power here… that goes for lamps… put in a UK bulb rated 120watt and it’s effectively a 60watt when used here on 120v …

so you could if you wanted bring kettles, toasters, lamps etc and just change plugs…

HiFi’s etc often only need a $70 transformer to run.. some TV’s are a little more awkward and anyway don’t receive the NTSC channels the right way so often not worth the effort unless its a bit special..

Even power tools will run by just changing the plug… but a transformer is better…

I’ve run a Dyson vacuum cleaner on 120v 60hz with no issues and currently run it on the house 240v feed again no issues…
I have changed numerous lamps, first the plugs and then the light fittings when we ran out of bulbs
I have and use all my UK HiFi.. all my computers were multi voltage anyway

But remember you do all this at your own risk…

Souvenir

Aren't step-up transformers a bit bulky though? I've only ever seen one and it was the size (and weight) of a breeze block. It was the thought of having those things cluttering up the house that prompted me to sling out my hi-fi's and (beloved) trouser press.

daisydoo

I typed up a list of items for sale and put my price and handed them out to all and sundry. Most of my neighbours and work colleagues snapped them all up in a week, got more than 10p too!!! All the best

daisydoo

Shhhhhhhh if my husband reads this i'm not going to get my LONG awiaited shopping spree at Zellers

Judy in Calgary

In case you have a clothes dryer that runs on 240 volts, and in case you're not aware of this fact, Canadian clothes dryers run on 240 volts too. For that reason each house has a 240 volt line as well as 120 volt lines for the rest of the appliances.

I don't know if you have a publication like this where you live, but here in Calgary we have the Bargain Finder, which comes out every Thursday. People still use it, Ebay notwithstanding. We have bought and sold things through the Bargain Finder.

Souvenir

Cookers are also 240V (or is it 220?). UK models probably wouldn't fit very well into the space in the counter top, though.

How many British homes have separate washers and dryers? Not many, I'd wager.

dozzzzy

Is this 240V line standard accross Canada or only in Alberta? Is it possible to spur off this to other areas of the home?

Dozzzzy

Rich_007

Plenty: it's pretty much the norm as those combi things are usually complete pants. Don't really think they have taken off apart from in shed sized apartments in central London.

Rich.

dozzzzy

I do. North American style huge great things, I especially love the dryer as it is so big things actually get to tumble and come out with hardly any creases, I haven't used my iron in 6 years.



Dozzzzy

Judy in Calgary

No, not all transformers are big. A high wattage appliance, like a fridge for example, requires a big, heavy transformer. Much smaller transformers can be used for lower wattage appliances.

We took our North American appliances with us to Australia and used transformers to operate them. We did it because we were going on an expat assignment that we thought probably would be temporary (which indeed turned out to be the case). If we had been relocating permanently, it might have changed the equation. Anyway, be that as it may, we did not find it unduly onerous to use transformers for 2-1/2 years, especially for appliances that stayed in one place and were not moved around.

We did buy an Australian television set once we got there because of the incompatibility between the NTSC and PAL systems. However, before we moved to Australia we invested in a dual system (NTSC-PAL) VCR. We feel it was a good investment because we can use it as an NTSC VCR now that we're back in Canada, but we also can use it to make PAL videotapes for our family members in South Africa.

Judy in Calgary

It's standard across Canada and the USA.

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that question. My intuitive guess is that it's possible in theory, but I don't know if it would be worth the trouble.

iaink

The supply into all houses is 240V with a "floating ground", but once in the house its tapped with the ground line into two 120V circuits. Driers and stoves pull from dedicated 240V circuits, but Im not sure how the safety grounding is managed.

I suspect that running a bunch of 240V circuits around from the floating circuit is asking for trouble, and certainly wont meet the electrical code. Insurance might get a bit antsy about it too as UK appliances will not have CSA approval, and you might end up with them refusing to pay in the event of any mysteryous fires.

Calgal

I have a transformer for my sewing machine (was an expensive one, so didn't want to sell it in Europe). It is a step-up AND down, and is quite small - about a 4/5 inch 'cube'

One small point to consider though - safety. Laws vary between countries, and some things may not meet Candian regulations, so say for example you had a house fire proven to be caused by your 'European' appliance, your insurance just may refuse to pay up. Likely?, who can say for sure, but worth considering. My experience of insurance companies, is they will look for ANY reason to get out of coughing up! I do my best not to give them any

I was so surprised at how much cheaper things were here, that I would have to question the logic of the expense of packing and shipping every day items. Just yesterday, for example, I saw a 27" flat screen TV for $299 (no - not the skinny ones - flat tube)