Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Hi

All being well, I'm finally moving back to my home town (been away since a child, except for multiple visits)

There's just a few electric bits I would particularly like to take. Wondering if anyone can suggest a voltage converter - maybe one that would cover all the electrics I want to take, which are: sewing machine, good quality laser printer, food processor & don't laugh, my wii.

Ok, I'm eccentric I realise that, but I'm going to have to utilise a whole 20' container, so may as well throw these bits in which I would like to have provided I can get a safe voltage converter. Any ideas please? All these items are things I would not be leaving unattended, so figure it would be safe.

P.S. Have to say I am terrified of this move. God forbid I can't make it work

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

You moving from Canada to UK or vice versa?

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Ha - sorry. Uk - Ontario

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

if you are moving back to the UK - the recommended suggestion is to buy the adapter over in the UK, buy one of the smaller adapters for each of the items you are taking back, ready to go small compact plugs already on & any issues or hassles with the adapters, you can deal with it there

http://www.ryness.co.uk/110v-step-down-transformers

http://www.cordsncables.co.uk/acatal...rs_to_UK_.html[/QUOTE]

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

[/QUOTE]

He's moving the opposite way..

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

He's moving the opposite way..[/QUOTE]


time stamp on the post Mike - I was composing the post while the OP posted above me

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=737614

http://www.voltageconverters.ca/

http://www.shopbot.ca/step-down-tran.../canada/163703

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

we got ours from voltage converters, it runs a wii,tv,video and dvd. think it cost $150 :)

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

I'm a she. Moving back to 'bear country'...all being well. A UK tv won't work over there though will it????? surely.....? thanks for the info on the converter tho

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Most newer electronics now have self regulating 220/110 converters.

Laptop / cellphone / tablet. My computer even has a switch on the power supply. Just needs an adapter.

Your printer and wii may not need, but you have to check the power supply unit. Same with the tv.

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Flaming heck. Will do. Will be most happy if I can take my stuff cos its mostly high end and no more than a couple of years old. Will check it out - thank you Thought there was something with the 'hertz on tv '? tho thats different over there?

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Hz on modern HDMI fed TV is mainly BS...
Ignore coments on PAL and NTSC or 50/60hz

Both ATSC and DVB require comon MPEG2 and MPEG4 data formats

The aerial won't work, but the other inputs will likely work if fed from a HD source

Time to read the manual :D

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Read the manual. :rofl: Ya, that'll be a first! Thanks:thumbsup:

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

We bought a couple of good voltage convertors as soon as we got here from http://www.voltageconverters.ca/

You can choose the wattage you need. The higher the wattage the more the cost. Things with heat and motors require much higher wattage, like hair dryers or food mixers, so bare that in mind.

I eventually wired up a 220 supply in my basement to run all my UK PC's, moniters and Xbox's etc, and even a small heat press. It cost 30 dollars for the breaker switch and another 30 for some wire.

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Could you explain how a bit more please?

I am amazed by what does work here (the shipper arrived early, so lots that shouldn't have come, came) my husband's compressor, arc welder and all sorts work perfectly.

The only thing that we have that won't sem to work, is a really super looking CD player, it wasn't expensive, but is a really nice looking unit....and I have two of them, but even with the converter, it won't play:(

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Might be worth checking...but sure I read somewhere it will invalidate your insurance, ie if you have a fire in your house and the insurers find out you had converters they will not pay out.
Not sure how true this all is, but one of the reasons we did not bring electrical stuff over.

Anyone who can confirm if this info is true or not...?

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

There's been a lot of discussion in the past here about whether this is true or not and people had strong opinions. Basically nobody really knew for sure and I wouldn't want to be the first to find out, so my personal take is not to risk it.
To the OP - I would be wary of putting a laser printer on a voltage converter unless it can handle the high surge current when it's first powered on.

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

if the voltage converter devices are UL/CSA approved products then there should be no issue.

As far as 220V in Canada - most all household laundry dryers run off 220v.

Contact a licensed electrician about having 220v outlets - do not do it yourself ever.

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

This is a common thread, but we have in the 10yrs I’ve been on this site never had anyone confirm it as true, but many suggestions its false and a few comments from people in the insurance industry comment that they believe it to be false

What is worth considering that the closest I’ve come is a statement that suggested that any electronic items need to be approved by a recognised industry standards body, the biggest two bodies are UL and CE, UL being the states and CE being Europe, it would be hard to buy anything that in the UK that isn’t CE covered!

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Beware of things that are CE marked that come from China.

Those cunning chaps over there have started marking cheap dangerous crap with CE.

They can of course do this, because they have decided that it stands for Chinese Export...

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

For those items which are to often too cheap to be true, they'll add UL on it too if you ask nicely

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

OMG, here we go again... new electrical thread, same old insurance chestnut.

Look, it's nonsense. Nobody who thinks this is a real thing has ever been able to quote one shred of evidence to support their assertion. Conversely, several individuals who work in the insurance industry (a broker or two, a loss adjuster) have said that they know of no such provision anywhere in Canada from a single underwriter providing domestic insurance.

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Sewing machine: the motor will turn 20% faster (60Hz vs 50Hz electricity) but that will mean you just have to be a bit lighter with the presser foot. If it were running flat-out constantly, the motor might run a bit hotter and/or wear more quickly, but that's not how most people operate sewing machines!

Laser printer: check the power supply - it may already be 110-240V capable, either auto-detecting or through a switch on the power supply unit. Sometimes this switch may not be visible without taking a cover panel off the back of the machine. What is the make and model? We can probably find out for you, between us.

Food processor: pretty much the same comments as for sewing machine. Food processors tend to have quite meaty ('scuse the pun) motors, though, so check the rating panel on the back or underneath to see what power rating (watts) you need in the transformer. Transformers upwards of 1kw get quite big & heavy, so become a consideration if you're having to lug it out of a cupboard every time you want to shred a lettuce.

Wii: the bigger issue is whether you can get a picture on your Canadian TV. I imagine UK wii's output via a SCART connection? Those are not used in North America, so you'd need to have a different A/V cable: and if that's a composite video cable there may be signal synchronization issues. If you're now contemplating bringing your UK TV as well, plug the wii into that, use the HDMI inputs for other sources (DVD/cable etc), and you're all set. Again, depending on the TV it may not even need a voltage converter as the power supply might already be rated for 110-240V - look carefully at the panel on the back!

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

As some of you will already know, this is a subject that really bugs me!
Most things electrical will work! Even hairdryers. Using a voltage converter, they may run a bit faster/slower, hotter/cooler. But to say a hairdryer is a fire risk just because it's being run through a voltage converter is just nuts! Who plugs in a hairdryer then places it on a towel and walks away and leaves it for an hour?

I've actually checked with our insurers and using a voltage converter does not invalidate our insurance. Nor does using a drill that came from the UK. Bosch is a pretty common make over here and I'm pretty sure they're safe to use.

It seems to be a minority of people who perhaps feel slightly miffed they left a load of electrical stuff in the UK when they moved that perpetuate these myths that stuff won't work or it will blow up in your hand! Unless you absolutely know it won't work, or it has a huge UK resale value, what's the harm in bringing it with you? I'm still running UK bought monitors, UK printers, UK stereo, UK mixing desks/music stuff, kitchen stuff, bedroom lights etc etc etc!!!

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

This is super helpful. We have been investigating our various electronics... our printer is definitely dual voltage, so we had that shipped. We have two kitchen appliances, though, a Nespresso coffee maker, and a Cuisinart hand blender, that were gifts. We have left them with my in-laws in the UK for now, but found a voltage converter that someone linked to on this thread (thanks!) that looks like it will enable us to use both. It looks like the only thing we can't sort out is the kettle, as the wattage is simply too high. But everything else should be fair game!! :)

This thread has been very helpful. Thanks to those who have chipped in on the insurance debate as well, as I'd also heard it invalidates the insurance but then didn't find anything to back it up... so I'm glad to hear it's hogwash! :)

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

We are shipping everything electrical apart from white goods (including my beloved American-style Fridge Freezer with ice and water), the Sky box (useless), Flymo and strimmer (as they are on their last legs) and anything that is faulty or crap (eg 4 slice toaster that has blown one half, worlds loudest kettle).

Some of it will require a voltage converter (Brother laser printer, Sharp 37" TV, corded and cordless power tools, my Bean-to-Cup coffee machine, hair dryers etc), however the rest of the stuff is all universal voltage including main telly, server, other printer/scanner etc).

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Don’t do this unless you know what you’re doing!!
But a kettle is a good “bring” as the higher wattage result in a faster boil
Set the kettle up to run on a 220v circuit, most NA kitchen have 220v available, if this mean nothing don’t bring it

FYI My Canadian wife has kept a UK kettle in the kitchen for the last ten yrs

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

How does the wattage work? Most UK kettles need 2300 watts... even off th 240v line... (admittedly my knowledge on this gets confused in about two seconds, Mr SchnookoLoly knows way more about this stuff, and he said not to bother with the kettle because you'd definitely have to run a 240v line, but the wattage still is a problem...)

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Good news....

We are waiting for residency to ship our things over.
We have 30 boxes at my Mum's ready to come over.
So now I know I can bring the sewing machine, kitchen aid etc.

We have already bought new TV, playstation etc so no worries there..

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

not sure where in Ontario you are headed, but there is a store in Mississauga called A1 electronic parts. a1parts.com.

A ridiculously messy store with crap everywhere, but if you ask the staff for something they run around find it for you.

I got the converter for an xbox from there (has very high wattage) so needed a pretty big converter. cost about $25 i think.

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

Forget that place, you need to head to Matheson & Dixie in mississauga just south of the 401

You'll find Sayal electrionics and AA electronics, two very good shops and neat and well priced too..

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

that's about 2 km from where i work - will check it out , cheers

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A 2300W kettle would draw approximately 20A on a 110~120V AC circuit, as most Canadian receptacles are on a 15A circuit breaker the breaker would trip every time you turn the kettle on (one would hope).

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yep... but we consider V=IR and wattage is W=Vi
given its resistve heating we know R is constant we'll cal it Rc (25 ohms)

So for 240V = i x Rc which is the same as 120v = i/2 x Rc

as W = Vi at 240v ~ i=9.6A and at 120v ~ i=4.8A giving you a power consumption of 552 Watts


So you fit the "don't do this" as you have no clue..... :blink:

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

I think the two of you are answering different questions.

Mike, in your scenario you're plugging a UK kettle rated at 2300W for a 240V circuit into a Canadian 120V outlet. Sure, 2300W at 240V draws around 10A, and has a resistance of around 24ohms. The same heating element on a domestic 120V circuit would draw around 5A and consume only 600W.

This is why some members have commented that hair tongs etc take forever to heat up here - they're using only about a quarter of the power they'd consume on a UK circuit.

What ArthurBrit is saying is that you can't get a 2300W kettle in a Canadian hardware store, because 2300W at 120V would draw nearly 20A, which would trip a breaker every time you switch it on. Kettles for sale in Canadian stores typically consume around 1500W and draw around 12A or so. Which is why it takes longer to make a cup of tea here.

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

It was my interpretation of the reply to the UK 2300watt kettle by SchnookoLoly, but I can see now how I could have got the wrong end of that.

FWIW A 2300Watt unit (if you could buy one) could still run on 120v but you’d need a 20A socket, which aren’t actually that uncommon and even come with GFI built in [20 amp GFCI (T-Slot), 20 amp breaker and 12 gauge cable would meet Ontario building code]

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

When I first went to post I did start to write out ohms law and all the theory behind it, then I went into each example of having A British kettle in Canada versus a Canadian kettle with the same rating.

After about 6 paragraphs and still not being finished I read back what I had written and realized that this was a bit overkill for BE so just stuck to the first paragraph!

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Has the http://www.voltageconverters.ca website disappeared?

Re: Voltage convertor for selected items
 

looks like it's down

http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.c...econverters.ca