Electric goods

[stantheman]

Hi everyone. New forum member.
We hope to move Spain shortly, and intend bringing electric items--freezer,washing machine etc. I know that the supply voltage is the same,but was wondering about 3 pin to 2 pin safety. Any help will be appreciated.

[peteroldracer]

We brought a washing machine which works fine (just change the plug to a 2-pin, heavy-duty), but I would perhaps rethink the freezer. Refrigeration equipment seems to be categorised by the zone where it will be used, so maybe one designed to run in the relatively cool UK will be working its butt off during the Spanish summer!
There are also problems with British televisions, so if any of your household electricals are nearing the end of their lives, you may do better to put the saving on removal costs against the cost of buying new kit here - and for goodness sake leave any Brit-plated vehicles at home!!

[Beachcomber]

Do not use two pin unearthed plugs on white goods or any metal cased appliance.

This may help:

http://www.spanish-country-villa.com/electric/

[malagaman2005]

No problems with english tv's if you want to watch it through a satellite, but you may get a problem if you try and watch spanish tv through an aerial as some older tv's won't pick up the signal.

[Beachcomber]

You can overcome that problem by using a TDT receiver connected to the TV with a SCART lead.

[redsoxbrit]

Do you need to use an outside aerial though Beach or will an indoor one do ?

[alaninspain]

I found initially that when I brought out UK appliances they all worked OK by using a two pin/3 pin adapter, available over here in most electrical shops. By all means bring them with you. There are differences of course inasmuch as two pin systems are not earthed usually, but use your UK ones until they give up the ghost. Things like kettles do not seem to last as long in Spain but they are cheap so no problem.
TV's are a little different and other posters on here can give you a better update on power,adaptability etc.

[katy]

Electric is strange in Spain. I bought some hair curlers in the USA and when I plugged them in (with an adaptor) they overheated and melted very quickly.

[malagaman2005]

I may be wrong but I think the voltage in USA is even lower than Spain so they probably couldn't cope with it. My daughter bought a Gameboy console in Florida and she had to get a voltage reducer/adaptor in order to use it in the UK.

[JAWG]

In the UK and Spain the electricity is 220 volt. In the US it is 110. So you require more than adapter to run US stuff in Europe. You also need a step-down transformer.

[peteroldracer]

In...Spain the electricity is 220 volt.

At the weekends, in the campo, when all the city-dwellers have escaped to their cottages, it is normally more like 150 volts - if you are lucky!

[Beachcomber]

Do you need to use an outside aerial though Beach or will an indoor one do ?

You need an outdoor aerial for reception of TDT.

I would also advise the use of an uniterruptible power supply (not a surge protector) to protect delicate electronic equipment. My voltage varies from about 165 to 260.

In the UK and Spain the electricity is 220 volt. In the US it is 110. So you require more than adapter to run US stuff in Europe. You also need a step-down transformer.

The frequency is also different. 60Hz in the USA and 50Hz in Europe.

Also, just to reiterate, do not use white goods or metal cased electrical appliances without ensuring there is an earth connection. This is extremely dangerous and can lead to a fatal electric shock.

[Alan-LaCala]

Also, just to reiterate, do not use white goods or metal cased electrical appliances without ensuring there is an earth connection

Showing my ignorance, how do you earth a 2 pin plug?

Alan

[Laslomas]

Beachcomber - I couldn't open the link you posted referring to the 2-pin plug and earthing problems. I tried re-typing the first part of the link, but still no luck, my computer froze. More info would be good to have as I am sure some of us may be trying to get round things with plugs and adapters that are unsuitable.

[peteroldracer]

Showing my ignorance, how do you earth a 2 pin plug?

The what I call "heavy duty" plugs, round rather than the simple flat ones for lamps and light power equipment, have an earth connection inside, and this should contact the springy bits in the rim of the sockets - if these have been wired up by the installing electrician........any minute now someone far more knowledgable than me will no doubt post pictures of plugs and sockets....... Sockets for equipment rather than lights should be earthed, but with plastic plumbing rather than copper it is actually quite difficult to test the earth pins using a multimeter as I would in the UK, as there is frequently nothing nearby to test the continuity.

[Beachcomber]

I don't know why the link won't open. It works for me. Has anyone been able to open it successfully?

The problem with the round plugs with the springy bits either side is that they can also be plugged into an unearthed two pin socket and although the appliance will work it obviously will not be earthed.

[RichardCoeurdeLion]

Beach is right.

If the item has an earthed plug in uk it must have an earthed plug and go into an earthed socket wherever it is. Any thing else could be fatal. Petro is also right. The flat two pip plugs are not earthed, but the round ones with the two metal plates on the side are. But be careful, I recently changed the plastic front of what I thought was an earted socket because it was broken. Lo and behold there were only two wires leading to it. No earth cable whatsoever. Also we had a metal florecent light fitting in the bathroom. The earth wire had become detached. If the live wire had become detatched and touched the metal casing, anyone touching that would have been fried.

If in doubt get a qualified sparky in.

[spanish_lad]

many uk appliances, tvs, videos, dvd players etc, are actually 2 pin non earthed - the earth is a redundant plastic pin not connected to anything so a 2 pin flat plug can be used. things like kettles, washing machines, fridges etc SHOULD be earthed, so a "round" plug is needed.

of course this all becomes irrelevant if you are plugging the unit into an unearthed socket...

[olive]

A bit of electrical trivia

When the world was first playing with electricity the Americans had 60 Hz. In Europe 60 Hz was tried but was metricised by the Germans to 50 (purely because it was half of a hundred) - I think the company was AEG. The rest followed.

Now it is widely recognised that 60 Hz is more efficient than any other however it would cost a fortune to change so we are stuck with 50 Hz.

olive

[Beachcomber]

I wish someone would tell Sevillana/Endesa. Sometimes I have 49 Hz, somtimes 51 Hz but rarely an exact 50 Hz.