tubeoflondon

Hi

First of all recently found out about this forum and I am so glad that I am here.

So many questions but wouldn't want you to get bored

we would like to move DC from London and thinking about getting all our tv washing machine etc. , but one of my friends said it wouldn't work our appliances in DC due to electric differences.

pls advice and wish you all happiness

Regards

Nutmegger

Welcome to BE! I will voice the question that is on everyone's minds -- on what visa will you be making your move to the US? Without a route to a visa, everything else is moot.

michaelr711

I'll do you a favor and actually answer your question without assuming anything. Your TV and other similar tech devices would likely be okay, although you would need a new power cord. The rest would not. It also may be worth selling your TV and buying a new one here. Prices are lower for the most part, and there is always great sales to be found.

zzrmark

Easy to check. Find information label on appliance ( you'll need to check every one that you would like to ship) firstly look at voltage rating, if it has 110-240v the voltage will be fine in any country with outputs between those ranges, USA 110v, UK 240v, although items such as ovens and a/c units run off 220v in the US.
Then look at the cycle rating, it will be either 50Hz, or 50/60Hz (UK uses 50Hz, US 60Hz). Your item may work if not rated for 60Hz but it could do one of several things or not - operate faster, have an annoying hum, catch fire - your choice as to whether you want to risk it.

In short, the label needs to have 110-240v and 50/60Hz stamped on it to work without worries and you will need to chop plugs or, in the case of items like laptops, just changing the cord saves hassle.

tubeoflondon

Dear All

thanks for your kind explanation and appreciated.

@nutmegger, we haven't finalised our route to DC. Therefore, we will get professional advice from attorney next week.
@michaelr711, I appreciated your response.
@zzmark, very efficient reaction, well done and thx a lot.

Regards

Rete

Wouldn't the cost of shipping them be prohibitive? Easier to buy new and know that the appliance is the proper one for the current involved. Just sell them in the UK and invest that money in US appliances.

penguinsix

As mentioned above, I think you'll be rather surprised at the prices of some items in the USA, especially electronics. Take a look at Bestbuy.com or Amazon.com and price out some of the kit you want to bring. It may be such a difference that selling up your used gear over there will give you enough cash to buy the same model new here in the USA.

BenK91

I'd just buy appliances here, they're relatively cheap. We always get appliances/electronics from Amazon or BestBuy and just wait for a public holiday as there are usually fairly decent deals to be had.

tubeoflondon

Guys thank you so much and having really good feelings about DC even now.

BenK91

You have a visa in hand or a potential path to a visa now..?

tubeoflondon

it looks like L1 for now than been told I can apply to a green card while I am there.

Nutmegger

Then you are apparently being transferred by your current employer. However, it is the employer who applies for the green card, not you -- make sure it is in your agreement that they will start the application within a specific amount of time.

tubeoflondon

Definitely correct and already in place.

Mall18

As others have said many large appliances won't work. Most TV's now are produced for an international market, we own a few types including Samsung, LG and Bush, they are all 110-240v 50-60hz so will work in the US.
You can get step up converters for things that need the higher voltage but then the issue is how many watts the appliance uses, we found anything that heats or cools is too many watts for these to work properly.
We had the same dilemma and our decision came down mainly to costs.
Just to give you an idea our 20ft full container load of belongings Manchester pick up, Orlando delivery is costing £4,100.
We went through a list of all our possessions and got a rough cost to replace them.
Yes tv's, games consoles etc. are relatively cheap in the US around the same price in dollars as they are in pounds but you would not get anywhere near enough money to replace them if you sold yours here. I looked at online selling sites such as Gumtree and you might get £100 for a tv that cost 7 or 8 times that.
For us in the end despite none of the larger electrical items like washing machines, dryers and my husbands beloved bean to cup coffee maker working in the US it still made economic sense to get the container rather than replace everything as sofas and other furniture are expensive too.
We have got rid of almost everything before when we moved to Germany years ago and it was incredibly expensive, things soon add up, if you have contents insurance then a quick look at your like for like replacement cover on that will give you some idea of how much you'll probably end up spending.
It may not be relevant to you but if you have children then the more familiar items they have around them the easier it may be for them to settle, honestly last time I missed a lot of my possessions that I didn't take even as an adult and it took quite a while to feel 'at home' so this time we're taking everything.
From what I've seen of pallet costs or part loads they can be a few thousand anyway and most people will have some things they want to ship so a full container might not cost that much more. We are renting unfurnished initially though so we would need furniture right away if we didn't take it.
It may well be different for you.
Will your employer cover any of the moving costs?

zzrmark

A point to note, certainly for Florida and possibly the rest of the US, buying, renting furnished or unfurnished you can almost certainly expect an oven, dishwasher and refrigerator to be part of the deal and more often than not, a microwave, washer and dryer too.