lenw

Hi all,
Still thinking of moving to Spain and all the prep it takes.
We currently have many electrical appliances in the UK and was wondering if they would still work in Spain; i have read somewhere that the TV needs to be set up for Spain and most newer models can, but what about fridges, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers and smaller appliances like kettles, coffee makers and computers etc. ?
Thanks
Len

marcbernard

Most small white goods etc will work in Spain, as the power usage was changed some while ago to agree with the Eurpean Norm. Given the three pin plugs on UK items, these are easily adapted by purchasing small add ons from the local ferreterias, or major bricolage stores at modest cost. Bayonet bulbs for UK lamps are becoming rarer here as the change to newer expensive bulbs is widespread, but the old style bulbs are quite expensive here anyway.

tony

We brought all our electrical stuff and it all worked ok

The only thing a bit different was our uk washing machine had hot and cold feed , where most in Spain just have a cold feed but it still worked with a adaptor piece

As mackbernard said, bayonet light fittings are not really used here , so not really worth bringing fittings from the UK

Tony

lenw

Thanks both, good info; we won't get rid of everything then....
Len

mikelincs

I would just buy Spanish plugs and use them, and just don't bring light fittings, they are cheap enough in Spain

missile

Everything is available in Spain. Please consider the cost of transport.

sunnymallorca5b

Our villa had an English washing machine, Tv's etc, they work fine. We bought a dishwasher in Spain & the only problem is the instruction manuals are in Spanish. Whilst I know you can usually download them from the net these days, with the model I bought recently there doesn't appear to be an English manual & that's Bosch. I've emailed them & not even had a reply!

mikelincs

but at least it does have a usable warranty, which would not be the case had you bought it from the UK. We bought several Spanish white goods etc, including washing machines, and most of them had the instruction book in several languages including English, others we did download from the 'net, never had any sort of problem finding them, perhaps yours is a very new one.

amideislas

There are a few around here that buy everything in the UK and have it shipped to Spain. General result: expensive with no tangible benefit. You can buy any appliances here, often for less than the cost of shipping it.

frigilianafreddy

If you hae a usual contracted potencia of 4kW you can forget bringing out a UK kettle which are 3kW - you only need to have one or two other devices on and you'll be tripping your fuses and plunged into darkness all the time, especially in winter when you may have a radiator and water heater on at the same time.

Neptuno

It's not cheap to upgrade legally either
There's the risk of your appliances getting damaged, too, especially freezers.
When we moved here 14 years ago , white goods were very expensive, much more than UK, and I did wish we had brought some over.
Now there is far more choice, shopping complexes have sprung up every where, and white goods are a lot cheaper.
Plus if you have a problem, something can be done .as someone else said your warranty from the UK is useless out here.
I feel that moving all your white stuff from UK is not worth the risk or cost

amideislas

You learn to be frugal with electricity here. It's expensive. And pay high minimum standing charges whether you use any electricity or not. They get money from you no matter what. It's legal extortion.

Gas. Solar. Wind. Electricity Cartel.

Neptuno

Good point- most properties come complete with white goods, which might not be exactly to your taste, but will last for a while. Sometimes they are new, or not been used much.
You shouldn't have any problem selling your appliances in the UK.
It also means less moving costs for you!

sunnymallorca5b

Yes, that is so true! We had a property in Mallorca 3 years ago prior to moving to mainland & since then it feels to me anyway that the price has gone up at least 20%??

sunnymallorca5b

Well we just replaced our inherited dishwasher as the programmes took at least 2 hours! I was worried we would go bankrupt the cost of electricity! We bought a AAA rated Bosch with a quick wash programme & it only took 30mins� ����� ����� ����� ����It cost just short of 500euros.