Electric appliance converter plug

[Athena13 10]

HI guys, not sure if you guys can answer this, but thought I'd try my luck here.

we know USA has 110V or watts power plugs, 2 flat prongs, different to the 3 flat prong Aus ones. I got several converters, some cheap some expensive (universal one i bought in UK). When I used a hair iron from UK in USA, i used a cheap USA converter, it worked but it doesn't get as hot. When I used an Australian hair epilator (rotating wheel to pluck out hair) in USA, i also used that cheap converter, it doesn't rotate as fast as it did in Aus.

I haven't tried the expensive converter. Someone told me the expensive one will make things the same.

Is it true? anyone has this experience? I wanna bring some appliances over to USA instead of buying them there.

Thanks~~

[Dave&Roza 748]

HI guys, not sure if you guys can answer this, but thought I'd try my luck here.

we know USA has 110V or watts power plugs, 2 flat prongs, different to the 3 flat prong Aus ones. I got several converters, some cheap some expensive (universal one i bought in UK). When I used a hair iron from UK in USA, i used a cheap USA converter, it worked but it doesn't get as hot. When I used an Australian hair epilator (rotating wheel to pluck out hair) in USA, i also used that cheap converter, it doesn't rotate as fast as it did in Aus.

I haven't tried the expensive converter. Someone told me the expensive one will make things the same.

Is it true? anyone has this experience? I wanna bring some appliances over to USA instead of buying them there.

Thanks~~

The voltage in the US is 120V and the voltage in Europe and FSU is 220V. What this means is that items made for 220V will work in the US on 120V but not as well. The power rating of the device is the voltage (220V) times the current, however that current is based on the the 220V voltage and the device's resistance. So by using a device made for 220V on the US' 120V system means it is using half the power it was designed for. The only way to get the device to work correctly is to purchase a transformer that will convert the 120V US voltage to 220V, but you have to make certain the power rating of the transformer is more than the device you are plugging into it. You could plug the device into your range or drier outlet as that is 220V. If you have a 220V window air conditioner you can use that plug as well.

One thing you do not want to do is use a US made device on the other voltage as it will be using twice the designed power and most likely burn up. Converters that are just a plug adapter allows the device to be plugged into the outlet and use the voltage of that outlet. Laptops, cell phone chargers, etc work well this way. Motors and heating elements do not. For those you will need to use a transformer to convert the voltage to what the device wants.

Hope this helps.

Dave

[lynJer 7]

OK....things like hair dryers, flat irons, ipod chargers, phone chargers, xbox, computers etc etc....I use an Oz to Yank adapter....its a round one....I think I brought them in David Jones brisbane??? They wearnt cheap....no idea if they are the expensive ones or not... but all the stuff works...

However, as Australian DVD's dont work over here, I brought over a cheap aussie DVD player....now to get this to work we had to obtain a special adapter and charger???? its a black box thing....looks like a box you sometimes see accompanying a lap top power cord. Apparently I will need one of these to operate my plasma when it comes over, and other appliances like mix master etc...

large electric motors items, like the washing machine dryer in one that I had to leave back home....are not recommended for use here in the USA if brought in Australia as the electric current here is not what the large electric motor was built for....so you are going to harm it if it works, or it just wont work properly....

This was all explained to me by an Australian electrician when I was deciding which items to leave or take....I also spoke with an electrician from the USA who knew about Australian electrics.....so dont bring over large noisy electrical motored items....large things like a plasma will need this other box thing - about 40 bucks...everything else is fine with just the socket adapter....

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Here's what worked for me:

Laptop: Most laptops (all I believe) have power cords that come in 2 sections. 1 section plugs into your laptop then ends in a little box thing. Then another plugs from the box and then into the wall. This last section is all you need to replace and it's super cheap.

Flat-iron/Straightener: If you don't want to buy another one you should get a voltage converter/transformer. They're not super expensive and I got one from best buy for less than $100 (can't remember exactly). I got it for my laptop before I knew about the power cord thing.

The reason for this is though a regular plug adapter will work, it will eventually not work as well (as you've seen) and stands the chance to burn out. A girl I know visited with her hairdryer and straightener from home (not dual voltage appliances) and just used a regular plug adapter. They worked okay here but she was here long enough that when she got home and they needed to use more power again they fried. She since bought a GHD straightener with dual voltage to prevent it from happening again.

Personally I left everything electronic except my laptop at home. I bought a new hairdryer here and have a cheap straightener at the moment 'cause I don't use it enough to buy another more expensive one. This way my family can use them and I can use them when visiting home and I don't risk destroying it.

[Lainie B 465]

Every electrical appliance should have a voltage range written on the back somewhere. Some things such as laptops are will have a range such as 110-240v, these will work anywhere with the correct adaptor. The reason laptops etc will work anywhere is that they run off 12v, and the transformer (the box Vanessa mentioned) will convert anything from 110 to 240v down to 12v. However you will need a plug adaptor so the plug will fit the wall socket. They cost about $10 at any airport. Phone chargers are the same, they run off 12v so they have a transformer in the recharger. They will need an adaptor but not a transformer.

Some hairdryers etc have a switch that you can select 110 or 220v. You can select the right voltage and just use an adaptor.

If your applicance is only rated 220-240v or something similar, it won't work in the US without a transformer (unless you have a 220v circuit for air conditioners, driers etc in the house like Dave said, this will require a different plug adaptor again as it is not the same outlet as a normal 110v wall outlet). I would say most of these things are not going to be worth bringing.

Is your expensive converter a plug adaptor or is it an actual transformer?

[Athena13 10]

You guys are so great!

Im only taking small appliances, and yes I checked those small ones only has Aus voltage on them.

here is the pic of the expensive plug I got, maybe its a transformer.

[Lainie B 465]

Hmm, not sure, the input says 110 to 240 but what is the output? Does it feel heavy? A transformer will feel heavy

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

general info that may be useful, perhaps particularly useful to military spouses:

usa = 110-120 volts. may vary depending on where you live. the us does have 220 plugs, but every one of those i've seen are for clothes dryers and stoves (and a very different plug too).

also of importance is the cycles. usa has 60 cycles, europe has 50 cycles. if one were to plug a usa made clock into a transformer in europe, it would lose time due to the cycles being less.

any item having a motor or keeps time will run slower if it's designed for 60 cycles and is plugged into 50 cycles. if made for 50 and plugged into 60, clocks will run faster, as will motors - this will also probably be detrimental to the device over the long term. the microwave i had in the netherlands (it was hooked up to a 1600 watt transformer) lost 10 minutes every hour on the clock.

as to how many cycles australian electricity has, i have no idea, but something worth finding out. the wifey and i have stashed a few items like hair dryers and such as they are 220 volt at her mom's, we pick them up when we go back to brazil on vacation. might be worth considering doing the same for any 220 items for australia.

if going from 110 to 220 and you're using a transformer and the data plate does not list watts for the device, the data plate should list current used (in this case, we'll use 120 volts) and the amps the device uses (this case, we'll use 3.5 amps).

formula to get the ballpark figure for the size of transformer to use is amps X voltage = approximate watts, or 120 X 3.5 = 420 watts, so one will need at least a 500 watt transformer.

as for the item shown, it has a fuse, so i'm not sure if it's a transformer or if it's just a plug adapter with built in fuse protection.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

You guys are so great!

Im only taking small appliances, and yes I checked those small ones only has Aus voltage on them.

here is the pic of the expensive plug I got, maybe its a transformer.

I googled it. Here's one on amazon: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-SWA1-1-Travel-Wall-Charger-Converter-Adapter-/270789947115 (so you know the name of it).

Sorry but it's not a transformer. It's just multiple adapters in one. Quite handy really as I have 2 (one for US and one for UK) and it only converts Aussie to American. That one will convert any countries plug to any countries plug. Actually quite cheap when you add up how many you would need to do the same thing

Unfortunately you still need the transformer to run your devices. I personally plugged my (surge protected) powerboard into the transformer so I could use multiple devices at once (when I was visiting). It's presently sitting in the cupboard at my house 'cause I don't use it any more.

[Athena13 10]

OK thank you guys.