# Electrical items and voltage



## Lemontree1 (Dec 4, 2010)

Hi, my apologies to everyone for asking a lot of questions and if they've been asked and answered before please send me to that link!

UK electrical items, I'm thinking here TV, DVD, Wii console, I understand none of them will work because they are the wrong voltage. So do I need to buy them all again, or is there some converter I could use?

Thanks


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Since the introduction of digital TV, I'm no longer certain if the old transmission standards apply - but traditionally a UK TV won't work in the US because the transmission standard is NTSC and not PAL, like in the UK.

DVD's also have the issue of "regional code" - UK is region 2, the US is region 1. 

Net, net, it is probably easier to buy new when you get to the US. (Though it seems to be slightly harder to find a region-free DVD player in the US than over on this side of the pond. You'll need one if you plan on bringing your European DVDs with you to watch.)
Cheers,
Bev


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## Lemontree1 (Dec 4, 2010)

Thanks again Bev! Actually our TV is a multi region one so I'm certain it will work. The issue is more about voltage since I understand the US is on a different elec voltage meaning, even with a UK-US plug adapter, it won't be safe to operate. My guess is I can simply buy a US power lead and job done, especially as it's multi region that must be possible? We could then bring the DVD player to play our UK DVD's (it's mainly my kids who can't do without things like Thomas the Tank Engine, etc!!). I could buy all this again but that's an expensive option considering I've room in the sea freight container.


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

Lemontree1 said:


> Thanks again Bev! Actually our TV is a multi region one so I'm certain it will work. The issue is more about voltage since I understand the US is on a different elec voltage meaning, even with a UK-US plug adapter, it won't be safe to operate. My guess is I can simply buy a US power lead and job done, especially as it's multi region that must be possible? We could then bring the DVD player to play our UK DVD's (it's mainly my kids who can't do without things like Thomas the Tank Engine, etc!!). I could buy all this again but that's an expensive option considering I've room in the sea freight container.


You can buy a voltage converter.. Make sure though that it is powerful enough. Not only the voltage but how many watts is important. If you are in NYC, there are several shops. Also, if you have a house you can have outlets with UK voltage (not sure how much that will cost you though).
Thomas the Tank Engine is global so the kids wont have to worry about it. There are lot's of other shows on Nickolodeon Noggin that they will probably become hooked on too.


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## dimaqq (Aug 26, 2010)

*Voltage*

Look at the back of your appliance, there should be a label with brand name, some garbage and section titled "input". If the tag says 110~240 volts, you can use it anywhere in the world. Most modern equipment, especially computer-based (as in TV, wii, computers, laptop power bricks, mobile phone power adapters) is of this sort. The most common exceptions are low voltage chargers, e.g. electric toothbrushes and shavers, and equipment with heating elements, e.g. hair straighteners, griddles, kettles.

Make inventory of items that need 240V and note their wattage, most of these will be cheap items that you can buy here rather than use up luggage space to take them here.

Small appliances (under 50W) can easily be powered with a small voltage converter, you can get such for 7 bucks at dealextreme or 40 bucks at radioshack.

Larger voltage converters exist but they get prohibitively heavy and expensive.

*Plugs*

Many appliances come equipped with detachable cords, you can get local cords for a few bucks a pop. Even apple chargers come with these, and despite the looks, accept other, non-apple cords.

Some cords are not detachable and you'd need a plug adapter. You can get these for 1~2 bucks on dealextreme, I recommend to buy only those with excellent reviews, as others are often shoddy; or for 10 bucks at radioshack.


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## Gourockian (Nov 26, 2009)

*Electrical Items and Voltage*

If you are planning on buying your own home in the US, you might want to consider bringing your British kettle if you intend drinking a lot of tea. The US ones take forever to boil as they are limited to 1500 Watts. However, you can't just change the cord and plug it into a regular power socket. You will also need to bring out a 13 amp socket and back box (suitable for placing in a Gyprock wall). 

You can buy heavy 3-core cable in the US and run it from the socket position to the 240 Volt terminal usually found behind where the cooker is located. Make sure to kill the circuit breaker at the main panel before opening it then connect the earth (ground) wire first. The other two wires go to either of the other two terminals.

If you are the DIY type you can install it yourself or have a qualified electrician do it for you. It's well worth having at least one 13=amp socket in your kitchen area as it could be used for a number of small UK appliances.


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

Gourockian said:


> If you are planning on buying your own home in the US, you might want to consider bringing your British kettle if you intend drinking a lot of tea. The US ones take forever to boil as they are limited to 1500 Watts. However, you can't just change the cord and plug it into a regular power socket. You will also need to bring out a 13 amp socket and back box (suitable for placing in a Gyprock wall).
> 
> You can buy heavy 3-core cable in the US and run it from the socket position to the 240 Volt terminal usually found behind where the cooker is located. Make sure to kill the circuit breaker at the main panel before opening it then connect the earth (ground) wire first. The other two wires go to either of the other two terminals.
> 
> If you are the DIY type you can install it yourself or have a qualified electrician do it for you. It's well worth having at least one 13=amp socket in your kitchen area as it could be used for a number of small UK appliances.


Wow! That's very impressive. 
I think you can get really good kettles nowadays in the US. A long time ago you couldn't, but I've had a Braun for years and it worked just fine even when I worked from home and was using it all day long. It worked so well that when I moved to Cyprus I bought the same one.:ranger:


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## Gourockian (Nov 26, 2009)

theresoon said:


> Wow! That's very impressive.
> I think you can get really good kettles nowadays in the US. A long time ago you couldn't, but I've had a Braun for years and it worked just fine even when I worked from home and was using it all day long. It worked so well that when I moved to Cyprus I bought the same one.:ranger:


I hope I did not give the wrong impression about US kettles. They are certainly capable of doing what they're supposed to do - boil water. The drawback is that they take about twice as long to do it, simply because they are limited to 1500 watts, compared to the normal 3000 watts of a UK kettle. This isn't too much of a problem for Americans but ex-pats find it frustrating having to wait so long, after being used to quick kettles back home.

Without getting into too much technical theory, if you *were* able to use a US cord in a typical socket, the current draw of the kettle (approx. 24 amps) would trip the breaker (fuse) as it would be rated for 15-20 Amps. Connecting it into the oven circuit doesn't cause this problem although it may trip the breaker if the oven was being used to the maximum at the same time.


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## simoneves (Nov 21, 2007)

Some more specific info for the OP...

Note that a British video source (DVD player, games console) will usually put out a "PAL" picture signal (specifically 576p25 or 576i50) and most US TVs will not accept this format. Even a "multi-region" DVD player will usually still put out PAL when playing a British disc, although some can be made to convert the picture (with varying degrees of quality) to true "NTSC" (480p30 or 480i60).

In other words, bringing a TV from the UK may well be the only way to continue to watch that media.

I have a UK-originated TV, multi-region DVD player, and PlayStation 2 in our games room, all running off a 1000W 110-240 step-up transformer, along with a US Wii, precisely because we have a bunch of precious media which won't play on the US system in the living room.

A British TV will almost certainly work fine with any US cable or satellite box (which is how the majority of TV over here is delivered) so there is no real need for the TV to be able to receive US broadcast (antenna or analog cable) signals directly.

If you are committed to bringing your UK gear over, the other posters' comments about transformers and checking the voltage and wattage labelling of the devices are correct. Just make sure you get one which is rated at least twice the watts of the total of whatever you want to connect to it, as a safety margin, but bear in mind that when you get to the 2000W or 3000W level, such transformers are big, heavy, and expensive... they contain lots of copper wire!

All that said, remember that you can watch UK "PAL" DVDs on any computer or laptop (as long as you don't mind committing the DVD drive in that computer to be Region 2, and therefore unable to play US discs). That may be an acceptable solution.

Either that, or buy a cheap all-in-one portable DVD player in the UK before you leave, for your kids to play their British discs on, leave everything else behind, and get all new here. TVs are dirt-cheap these days.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Gourockian said:


> If you are planning on buying your own home in the US, you might want to consider bringing your British kettle if you intend drinking a lot of tea. The US ones take forever to boil as they are limited to 1500 Watts. However, you can't just change the cord and plug it into a regular power socket. You will also need to bring out a 13 amp socket and back box (suitable for placing in a Gyprock wall).
> 
> You can buy heavy 3-core cable in the US and run it from the socket position to the 240 Volt terminal usually found behind where the cooker is located. Make sure to kill the circuit breaker at the main panel before opening it then connect the earth (ground) wire first. The other two wires go to either of the other two terminals.
> 
> If you are the DIY type you can install it yourself or have a qualified electrician do it for you. It's well worth having at least one 13=amp socket in your kitchen area as it could be used for a number of small UK appliances.



??? We have had instant boiling water dispensers in all of our US houses. They run from 50-250$ and are non-DIY safe to install.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Electronics come in a wide range of prices. Google for department stores or PM me for links as I do not want to advertise here. It may be less expensive to leave your equipment behind - shipping, damages, set up ...


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## Lemontree1 (Dec 4, 2010)

Thanks for all the info and tips. Taking it all on board we've decided to buy in the US, the cost is pretty reasonable and there is plenty of other more important stuff to worry about - like actually making it to the US in the first place after being delayed by the snow storms!


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Makes sense! Good luck and please stay in touch!


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## coolbadger (Sep 17, 2008)

Lemontree1 said:


> Hi, my apologies to everyone for asking a lot of questions and if they've been asked and answered before please send me to that link!
> 
> UK electrical items, I'm thinking here TV, DVD, Wii console, I understand none of them will work because they are the wrong voltage. So do I need to buy them all again, or is there some converter I could use?
> 
> Thanks


Great question. We came here 12 months ago and brought our DVDR. With a power transformer it works fine and hooked up to our US TV easily. 

We bought the transformer through Amazon and it cost about $40. It does run a little warm so I keep it switched off until necessary. Also if you intend to record off US cable then the connectors are different. No UK Aerial type connections, just the connector that you would find on a Sky Box.

Also SCART connectors are not a US thing. Glad I have all those cables!

But you can pick up a multi-region DVD player here for about $40. The same price as a power transformer.

Another thing, if you have any old VHS cassettes that you want to play then bring a VCR with you. I have a stack of old ones I wish I could play.

Very interested at the Kettle Debate. We have a Black and Decker Kettle we bought from Kohls and it boils pretty quickly. I like the idea of having a 240 volt outlet in the kitchen though but wonder what sort of impact that would have on house insurance should anything go wrong?

And yes bring the Thomas the Tank Engine DVD's. You will weep when you see American Programming!


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Washer/dryer and stove should be on 220/240. Check with your local authorities (building code) about outlets before contacting your insurance. Out hot tub runs on 220 and it is a US model.


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## Gourockian (Nov 26, 2009)

twostep said:


> ??? We have had instant boiling water dispensers in all of our US houses. They run from 50-250$ and are non-DIY safe to install.


Sorry for the delay in posting this reply.

I'm not sure if you mean the plumbed-in type that are mounted at the sink or the counter-top models that are just plugged in to a regular socket. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. 

The first, as far as I'm aware, will only provide _almost_ boiling water which is great for coffee but not so ideal for a decent cup of tea. The second take time to reach boiling temperature (some versions don't even boil) and need to be left on to maintain instant hot water.

The big advantage of going the route of installing a 13-amp socket is that it is available for other appliances if needed. This has come in handy in the past when visitors from the UK have come here with non-dual voltage items.


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