Are your appliances ready to go overseas? Truth is, probably not. The United States uses 110-120v current, but the rest of the world uses 220-240v. There's also the matter of different plugs, different cycles, and let's not even talk about different telephone cords! (Picture the old VHS v. Beta debate, except on a wider scale.)
Luckily, with a bit of preparation, you can be up and running your appliances the moment they arrive in your new home. Get some paper and a pen or pencil, and get to work! Depending on your household, it won’t take more than an hour.
This is the type of label you'll be looking for. They're often near the location where the plug connects with the appliance, and have all sorts of pertinent information to the product itself.
On this label, look in the upper left hand corner. See it? "120V 350W max, 50-60Hz" That's the information you're looking for, and you'll want to write it down.
Now, on the label below, it's a bit different. On the lower right hand corner, you'll see for "Input" 100-240V 50/60Hz. That's because this appliances is dual voltage, which is a very cool thing.
Both of these appliances are 50/60Hz, which is really useful overseas - but not all appliances are like that. Make sure you write down the numbers exactly the way they're printed on the appliances.
Taking Your Survey
What do these numbers mean again? Well, to start with, voltage refers to the current that is coming out of your wall. In the United States, it's 110v. Most other countries, however, use 220v.
Wattage is a way of measuring how powerful a particular appliance is, and how much of that current it's going to use.
Hertz are a bit more complicated. Picture it this way: take that digital clock radio sitting by your bed. It uses the cycles present in the power supply to keep time. (Sixty cycles a second – sixty seconds in a minute. Makes sense, doesn’t it?) If you took that clock radio, plugged it into your transformer somewhere where 50Hz is the norm...and then waited an hour...you’d ten minutes behind schedule.
It might not surprise you, then, to learn that this is going to affect your other appliances in a similar way. For instance, I was told that my sewing machines – which are single voltage beasts that run only on 60Hz – will work if I plug them in here in Central Asia, but that after a while, I will burn out my motors because the machine will have to work much harder to keep up its regular pace.
So...how do I make all these things work? There are two types of connections on the market, and it's really important to keep them straight. The first and most basic type of connection is an adapter. An adapter is basically a device that changes the type of plug you're using. Inexpensive adapters are around US$1; more expensive ones (for three-pronged plugs) run about US$5 apiece. It's very important to remember that adapters can only be used with dual voltage items, because they don't change the electrical current. If you plugged a 110v iron into an adapter, and then plugged the entire contraption into your 220v wall socket, you will end up destroying your iron. (And yes, I speak from experience on this one.)
Transformers, or converters, are more expensive, but that's with good reason. These little suckers will actually change the electrical current to something you can use. They go by the same name - here I use the term "transformer", but a lot of times you'll see them refered to as "converters." Don't worry, you're still buying the same product. You must use a transformer with single voltage appliances. Luckily, transformers also work as adapters, and most of them are all-in-ones which have different plugs for different areas of the world.
To determine how many transformers and converters you need, grab another sheet of paper, and split it right down the middle. Using your first list (the one with all of your appliances), start sorting your items into the appropriate columns.
Remember, single voltage items need transformers. Period.
Because there are different types of transformers, you want to make sure you get a transformer appropriate for each item. Some transformers work on items with a maximum of 50W – which won’t work for most kitchen appliances, such as blenders or mixers. Others are rated up to 2000W (the transformers supplied by the State Dept are this kind). It’s important, when buying your transformers, that you know exactly how many of the low-wattage ones you can use, so you don’t waste money on transformers you can’t use.
Make sure you take this list with you when you go to the store, and keep track of what you’ve purchased. Don’t throw any of the packages or papers away, either – as you go through the different types of transformers and adapters, you’ll find that you like some styles better than others, and you’ll want to remember the exact names of each one if you end up having to order them online.
How many pins in a plug? I’m fairly certain that whoever came up with using different plugs in different countries was either an economic genius, or just deserves to be shot. There are five basic plug types (if you don’t count the two different types of plugs we have in the US).
As you can see, there's a little bit of difference between NW-1 and NW-10. The plug on the right is NW-10, and its prongs are just a little bit thicker than NW-1.
The best way of determining which pins you’ll need is to ask someone who’s already been where you’re going. I’ve got a list that can tell you which country uses which plug – but it’s not all inclusive.
Well, that's it! You've got all the information you need, plus a list of things you'll need if you want all those appliances to work. What are you waiting for? Get shopping!
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