Which electricals work in US?

[MovingtoUSmum]

Hi all,

Moving to NY in next few months.
Can you give me an idea in terms of which UK electrical items will work in the USA so I know what can be shipped over.
I already know that we'll have to dump/sell the TVs before we leave as the voltage is different, but for everything else i.e. vacuum, DVD player,iron, Xbox one, lamps, hair dryers /straighteners/ toasters/digital radio/ blenders you name it... is it just a case of literally putting an American adaptor plug on top of the UK one or will they just not work??

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks xx

I'm pretty sure none of it will work. Sorry if that's not the answer you were hoping for.

US electric is 120V, we are on 240V so most things won't work (they'll probably run very, very slowly).

Have a look at the voltage the appliance can handle (usually written on the plug or on a label on the cord etc. We found that some newer stuff was dual voltage (sonos speakers, printer) but a lot of stuff wasn't. If it says 110-240 it'll work in both, you just need an adaptor. If it says 220-240 it won't get enough power to work.

American wiring can be really dodgy so you'll be glad of the lower voltage!

My laptop and desktop computers were OK. I can't think of anything else electrical that worked on US voltage.

Our dryer also uses 240V - we have one circuit in the basement wired specifically for it. But I'm not sure all of them do.

We got rid of pretty much everything electrical apart from computers and monitors. As Apple says you need to check if dual voltage but not much of ours was.

nothing really. We brought over nothing electrical except lamps which were wedding presents - we had them converted when we got here. otherwise, cheaper to buy stuff in the US than ship and adapt.

Anything that uses a fair bit of power will be problematic, and that includes some surprising things. So no to anything with a heating element (dryers, straighteners, iron etc) or with a powerful motor (vacuum). Electronics can also be picky, our CD player couldn't cope which I didn't expect, so you might find the X Box One is a no go. Your lamps should be fine with an adapter, but if they have bayonet fixings you probably won't be able to get new bulbs for them.

We got a step up transformer for my Kenwood mixer but if would probably have been more sensible to buy a new mixer there.

Your radio should be okay. You could try the Xbox, I'm not sure about that. Everything else will turn on but will be dim/not warm enough/feeble.

you can get a transformer if you really want something to work, but they are bulky, ugly, heavy and expensive.

Did this a few years ago and we got rid of most things. We held on to some lamps and just changed plugs or rewired them, as well as small electronics. We got rid of tvs and most everything else.

But my handheld chopper/ mixer works great - still have that with a new plug.

Lap tops will probably work ok, but not as they have in the UK. As for the rest, sell and buy again in the US.

We lived in the Middle East, our whole house was 120. We bought converters for the Xbox and my sewing machine. After a while the XBox one caught fire as DS was using it. We had bought one that was supposed to be able to cope with our higher voltage, but clearly couldn't. The sewing machine would take a few seconds to start and then run slower.

Thanks all for your advice - think first step is to check plugs and labels! At least I can try and sell stuff that won't work out there.

Different voltage and different frequency.

And if you return, don't bring anything that isn't dual voltage. It will work for about half a second.

As many others have already said, USA is not only on a different voltage (120v), but also on a different frequency ( UK = 50 Hz (Hertz), USA = 60Hz).

Also the TV/ Video recorders are on a totally different system (UK/Europe = PAL or DVB-T (digital), USA = NTSC2 or ATSC for digital) so even if it wasn't for the different voltage & frequency, the TV still wouldn't work.

Also, any DVD's or Blu-rays already purchased in UK may not work in USA unless it is a dual region player. USA DVD's are region 1, Europe is region 2, and UK is Blu-ray region B, whereas USA is Blu-ray Region A.

Nothing will work and you will risk damaging everything you try. Don't even think about it.

Plus it is far cheaper to buy stuff new in the US than to ship it over.

Worked fine (with straightforward plug adapter):

• radio
• phone charger
• Wii
• DVD player

Worked but below normal performance:

• lamps (a bit dim)
• TV (screen not very clear; sound a bit dim)
• toaster (had to be used multiple times to get bread actually toasted)
• kettle (no one has time to wait for that to boil)

Didn't even think about trying high power things like hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, microwave.

Checking the plugs was a great idea, thank you to the person who suggested that. I had no idea previously!
Discovered so far that my hairdryer definitely won't work but my straighteners will. So will try to sell or pass on the high voltage appliances before I leave.
Thanks!

I'd revise that to "straighteners should", OP - one of my Brit friends in the US found that every time she used her UK straighteners she blew the fuses in the apartment block, even though on paper they should have worked fine...

I've got ghds and it has dual voltage 110-240 so I am reasonably confident...!

You are not even going to be able to plug them in without an adapter...

Don't risk a fire, or risk leaving yourself without power when you really, really need the AC on, or your neighbours do.

Dump them all and buy new ones. There are perfectly good models available.

If you read the small print on plug converters, it'll say "Not for permanent use" or words to that effect. It's best to buy appliances over there.

You can buy adapters here (NY / US) which not only adapt the plug, also sort the voltage for you and have a surge blocker in them.

Be warned - the appliances you buy in the US may well depress you with their lack of voltage. Getting a half decent hairdryer has been a 5 year struggle!

My laptop works as do my GHDs. That's pretty much it.

GHDs work but blow the circuit most of the time. I bought a replacement at TK Maxx for $15 that works just as well and doesn't trip the circuit.

Take a look at Amazon for pricing.

I've used my GHDs here for years and they're fine! Same with laptop because of the voltage adaptor within the charger, although you might want to get a new outlet-to-battery wire just so you don't need a plug adapter all the time.