# Electrical appliances in canada



## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Do the English electrical appliances work in Calgary?Wondering if to keep everything or buy new.We have just bought an Apple iMac computer and hoping it'll work out there x 
We have a job offer do hoping to be out there very soon xx


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

You will need to buy adapters. We operate on 110/120 volts system, except for stoves. Don't think about bringing white goods. It'll be more trouble than its worth. Some electrical items such as TVs have dual voltage switches.
Electrical goods are cheaper here.


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Thanks for the response about electrical appliances.We were wondering if to bring over our TVs and Apple iMac xx we don't mind getting adapters but we were told they don't work.Mu husband also has work tools and was wondering if they'll b ok too xx


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

emma329 said:


> Thanks for the response about electrical appliances.We were wondering if to bring over our TVs and Apple iMac xx we don't mind getting adapters but we were told they don't work.Mu husband also has work tools and was wondering if they'll b ok too xx


Your TVs should work if they're relatively new..Some have a voltage switch. Your IMac will work, again look for voltage switch. Tools here are much cheaper than in UK. He should bring them but he may need to buy replacements here, depending on the tool type/brand.


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Thank u so much for your advice x Do u know where the best forum is to making friends before you get to Canada?Be nice to make friendships with people already living in Calgary x


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

The iMac will not need a voltage switch, it's power supply will handle that, you can just go to Canada Computers and buy a North American power cord.


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Thanks Liam that is very helpful x are u living out there?Did you make friends before you went out there or did you join groups when you moved?


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

emma329 said:


> Thanks Liam that is very helpful x are u living out there?Did you make friends before you went out there or did you join groups when you moved?


I'm from Toronto, born and raised. Have lived in Toronto, London, Paris, New York and presently Auckland, New Zealand.

When moving abroad, I have never made an effort to make friends before I went or join groups when I moved.


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Oh really?We thought it might have been a good odes to maybe go in a forum and chat to people.We are going to Calgary and I am pregnant too and obviously I will look for mother and toddler groups later on and antenatal classes etc.
I need to also find out if antenatal classes are free in Alberta as we won't have healthcare straight away I don't think.

Thanks Liam for your help x


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## mikejb (Mar 12, 2012)

Hi Emma

As someone has already said your computer will work fine out in Canada, you will simply need an adaptor for what Canadian call the recepticle what brits call a socket. Plugs here are ...well a joke.. they are generally a two pin affair which you will find constantly fall out of the socket.... Most of your other appliances will not work here with maybe the exception of TV's but frankly it would pay you to buy a TV here rather than bring yours

As for your husbands tools. Some will not work at all while others will work to a fashion. If your husband has any 240 volt tools then don't bother to bring them. If he has 110volt then in the main they will work to a fashion. The problem area with these tools is the Hertz they run at. 50Hz as opposed to 60HZ. If he is lucky he will find the tools he has will run at both but I should say this is most unlikely.

Good luck


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Thanks mike that is very helpful info xx
So much to think about before our move xx


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Thanks megastar,we r so confused. We are being told my husbands tools won't work then being told they do lol. He has one big Festool appliance from England which he wants to take and the others aren't as expensive but think we will bring them all and see what works xx thanks


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## mikejb (Mar 12, 2012)

Emma

There is no confusion when thinking about bringing UK tools over to Canada. Do Not do it!!!

I am a carpenter, have been for many years and as your other half will know, it is probably one of the most expensive trades to be in where tools are concerned. For this reason alone a good carpenter will rake care with his tools and use them only as they should be used.

Forget but 'up volters' for while they will work they will do nothing to alter the frequency the tool is best designed to run at. North America runs all their electrical appliances at a different frequency than we do in the UK so unless you have an appliance/tool which can ve "switched" over to the North American frequency you will damage the appliance.

You say your hubby has some Festool tools. Then there is no need for me to tell you these are an expensive but of kit compared to 99% of work tools. The reason for a Festool costing as much as they do is the electronics they now contain. It is these electronics which will be damaged if you go ahead and use on a frequency it WAS NOT manufactured for.

As I said before in my earlier reply, sure they will work BUT the life of the tool will be severely shortened and with the cost of Festool being what they are, your other half would be foolish to do so.

I would suggest your best bet would be for him to sell all his tools to colleagues in the UK or even place them on EBay then buy tools when you arrive in Canada.

Should your other half want any other info feel free to message me

Mike


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## Wexford_Ireland (Mar 6, 2012)

Just to add to the above most computers and consoles etc that use a brick type power adapter will probably work, but you can easily check.

For laptops and the like look at the power adapter like this one, i have zoomed in on the bit you need to check

100-240v so it will work in UK at 240V, Ireland at 220V and the US/Canada at 110V

50/60Hz is the frequency, so 50 Hz is UK/Ireland and 60Hz is US/Canada

Power adapters for Wii, Xbox etc will be similar. Wall plug adapters used for charging phones, Tablets also are the same. Even the wall plug adapter for the handheld games consoles should work, just check them, they will say something like the pics shown, 100-240v, 50/60Hz

Where it goes bad is anything that rotates like power drills, fridge compressors older washing machines, these all use the 50 Hz we use to govern their frequency, plug them into 60Hz and they either run fast and hot or just dont run at all. Strangely our hotpoint washing machine will run happily at 110v, the fill cycle, spin etc are all ok as the power supply is converted into 3-phase internally for the motor but the water heater takes ages to heat up the water as its just a heater element running at half power 

Desktop computers that dont have a power adapter, just plug into the wall will either be capabale of running on both tyeps of mains power or will have a little recessed slide switch that flicks between 110 and 240 pic below. In this case the switch will show 230 for UK/Ireland (happy medium between 220V and 240V) or 110V and will deal with the frequency difference itself.

Some TVs will have similar switches but not all but most will work ok with a voltage convertor due to the internal power supply being tolerant to frequency differences. Google Switch Mode PSU for the ins and outs of why.

Similarly you may get lucky with dvd players, kitchen radios etc but to be honest its not worth the cost and hassle of buying a voltage convertor for these, just buy new ones.

Audiophiles and anyone else using large transformers in their Amps or my CNC machine that uses a massive torroidal transformer, you're out of luck and should talk to a specialist to discuss what can be done to convert to the new power requirements.

Heaters, hoovers, ovens, hotplates, anything that uses big power, forget it, you'll be running it at half the voltage it was designed for so if it works at all, it'll run at half power. Even lightbulbs will be wrong.


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