S_C_P

Hi all
For those who have made the move, what type of step up voltage converter/power adaptor has worked best for you? Just looking on Amazon to get one before we move and want to check if there's a type which works especially well or if there are any to avoid!
Not taking much electrical stuff but there are bound to be a few bits; cameras, ghd's, maybe a toothbrush...
Ta!

tonrob

Camera may charge from either voltage, as might toothbrush, although the latter would be cheaper than a voltage converter over here. I'm sure you don't want a hulking big black transformer sat on the bathroom countertop next to the sink though do you? Voltage converters are a pain in the bum for many applications due to their size, weight and ugliness.

S_C_P

Good point tonrob, I guess I was just thinking it might be better to get one while still in the UK. If it ends up unused in a cupboard then so be it but better to have one just in case.
I think we can put up with the ugliness just to have some proper power in our lives

What does everyone else use a converter for or are adaptors sufficient?

rpjs

Most small appliances that requirer a charger / power supply will work on either voltage and then all you need is a prong adapter. Check the charger / power supply - it will have its voltage range marked on it. If the charger doesn't go down to 110v, then you may be able to get a replacement charger in the US. It's easy to find universal chargers that have selectable DC output voltages and interchangable adapters for the plug into the appliance.

If the appliance has a fixed cable that plugs straight into the wall socket is much more likely to require a transformer, but even then it should have its input voltage marked on it somewhere.

Bob

Anything that's likely to be USB type based, or with a adapter won't need a converter in the likelyhood, unless you're talking first gen Ninty DS.

Anything that's heat based, so the hair stuff, chuck them and get new, they'll not work very well nor last very long over here.

Bluegrass Lass

Not to mention, aren't they considered fire hazards? If they overheat, and spark a fire, you could be held liable. Or at the minimum, an insurance company could say they won't cover the damage.

redglade

Like everybody else says - don't bother with a transformer. Just buy your kettle and hairdryer over here - you'll need them before your stuff arrives anyway. Not to mention the ones that can handle a higher voltage are probably as expensive as replacing an appliance and too big and ugly to want in your kitchen.

Bob

Depends, something with enough wattage won't really be a hazard, especially for occasional use items, but the cheap ones do tend to get hot and need a lot of space for ventilation and because of that, they can be excluded from insurance cover.

Wibblypig

MY GHD's work fine here with just an adaptor, but from what I read the early models aren't dual voltage so it's worth checking. For our camera's hubby bought new cables that go from the charger to the plug off ebay for a couple of $'s each, infact we have just received more in the post as the girls camera's always seem to need charging at the same time! Bought a new toothbrush here. Bought new chargers for the kids DS's (DS lites and XL). Also hubby bought a new lead for the PS3, it's not advertised as being dual voltage but hubby read somewhere that others had found it does work so we brought it over anyway and thankfully it works which is great as we use it to play all of our UK DVD's and Blu-rays (so far plays all the US blu-rays we have tried), the only thing is it's unlikely to play US games although we haven't tried any yet. Our scanner works too but then hubby made sure it was dual voltage before he bought it back in the UK as we knew we were coming over here by that point.

HTH

Vicki

jukes

What about power tools, is it worth getting converters for them? Husband has lots as he works in building and will need them in US too, he wants to take them.
Thanks.

Wibblypig

My hubby sold any tools that different power supply's couldn't be bought for, he bought a new battery charger off Amazon (US) for his drill at a fraction of the cost the original cost in the UK! He however only had ones for DIY albeit A LOT for the amount of DIY he did

TimFountain

The main problem with power tools and hairdryers (or anything that takes a lot of power) is that many of them do not work work at all over here. I have one high power 220V drill that refuses to work on a step-up transformer as the initial inrush current pops the circuit breaker on the 1500W transformer, even though the steady state power is OK. UK hairdryers can also take 2.0-2.2KW which is beyond the power available from a regular 15A wall socket in a US home (~1.7-1.8KW). A 1.6KW device hooked up to a transformer would also make the transformer very hot in a short space of time!
It's not just a problem of voltage but of the overall power the device can draw....

One thing we did in our last home (that had a gas range and consequently didn't use the 220V range supply in the kitchen) is to wire a UK 13A 220V 4-way block to that outlet via a heavy duty 4-way range connector with a dedicated in-line GFI. It worked fine and allowed us to use the UK kettle which took <50% of the time the 110V kettle used. I see absolutely no danger or problem in doing this; I say that as a chartered EE. It is very easy to get 220V supply anywhere in a US house, especially since almost every house is fed from a 2-phase 220V supply. My last garage also had a dedicated 220V outlet that was very useful for power tools, this was already in place when we moved in, quite a few newer houses have that option.


- Tim

md95065

I agree with you, given that you obviously know what you are doing.

That having been said, when people ask if they can use 240v UK appliances with a US 220v supply I usually advise them that if they need to ask then they probably shouldn't.

As you mention, US domestic 220v supplies are 2 phase and connecting them to a UK appliance that was designed for 240v single phase and which possibly only has a single pole power switch can leave the unwary open to a few hazards. Of course the fact that you included a GFI breaker pretty much eliminates any risk, but I suspect that most people would not be so careful.

Out of curiosity is it a US GFI breaker or one that you brought with you from the UK? 220V GFI breakers are really hard to find over here and if you can find one they are bloody expensive ...

Kar98

One thing you absolutely don't want to do is to bring your fancy electrical razor, even if it says 110~240V on it. It will turn on, but it won't shave right at all. You're way better off switching to double edged safety razors. Oh, and bring a supply of blades.

Bob

Technically the UK went 220v years ago.