Voltage question... US -> China

[t.s.k.]

The wife will be in China for a week for business - specifically Shanghai and Beijing. It's her first time and will be staying in a hotel.

Any recommendations for voltage converters? She's rather not bring "a few" of them but instead relying on one, maybe two high-quality, dependable units. Also, is it prudent/unnecessary to plug electronics in them in spite of being rated for for higher voltage? Any other insight we may have overlooked would be appreciated.

 

[Rob-F]

Depending on what equipment she is using, she may not even need a converter. All the gear I brought on a recent trip to France was rated for 115/230V. All I had to do was to plug in my chargers, and they adapted automatically to the local voltage. The main thing to worry about was to have adapters to go from the European style wall outlets (round pins and recessed sockets) to USA style plugs. So finding out what kind of outlets they use in China will be just as important as the voltage.

 

[ChrisN]

http://electricaloutlet.org/

 

[Avotius]

It seems most electronics such and phones, battery chargers, laptops and such these days have dual voltage abilities so you wont need a converter. However if she is bringing a hair dryer or something like that she will need one. There are a few different types of plugs here but for the most part the common two pronged American plug can be used anywhere.

Here is a pic I just took in my condo here in China, as you can see it can take a wide variety of plugs including American two and three prong types, the HK/England type and just about everything else you throw at it. These are typically in newer houses and hotels that expect foreign guests (as not every hotel in China is allowed to take foreigners).

There is an older style plug that looks like this:

These are typically in places that are about 10 years old, they can take the common American two prong but not the three. Also they tend to have looser connections.


Oh, also something to know, most electrical connections here are not grounded so when you plug something in you will get sparks flying, typical here.


Also I travel around a lot and know there is no need to use a voltage converter on things already rated for dual voltage.

 

[Rayt]

Electronics meant to travel such as laptops, iPods and mobile phones will have chargers rated for 100-240v. Some shavers are domestic only so again just read the label. Just take a look at the label on the charger. Your wife can buy a universal outlet adapter (not voltage adapter) on the plane for about $25. Also a good hotel will have outlet adapters (again not voltage adapters) on loan. I travel quite a bit around the US, Europe and Asia.

 

[t.s.k.]

Sparks, eh? Wife's gonna love that 🙂
Looks like she won't have to worry about acquiring anything uber-exotic.
Thanks for the info everyone !

 

[David Hughes]

Most hotels around the world have sockets for electric shavers and most of them are dual voltage still. Low power things like battery chargers with the usual USA plugs on them will therefore fit and work but people often overlook this.

(A lot will happily plug in a shaver and use it but are frightened to do that with anything else, which I find even stranger; I guess they don't teach physics any more.)

Regards, David

PS And in England electric razor adaptor plugs are available for a pound or so. I use one for my USA style battery chargers and laugh at the prices charged for "travel" ones. The razor adaptors are usually fused for 500W or 750W, btw.

PPS Often, with printers etc, you get a Continental European and a British electric lead with the correct plugs on both ends. I find these very useful in France etc, but, again, people prefer the expensive travel things. Sometimes I wonder if they ever read the instruction manuals...

 

[sevo]

(A lot will happily plug in a shaver and use it but are frightened to do that with anything else, which I find even stranger; I guess they don't teach physics any more.)

Not really a matter of physics. The old two-voltage wet-room razor sockets installed in most hotels had a razor-capacity (i.e. very small) transformer protected by correspondingly tiny internal fuse, and corresponding warnings not to use if for hair dryers etc. Later versions put the fuse behind tamper-proof screws, so that you could not fix it with aluminium foil any more, but had to make an embarrassing call to the facility manager whenever you blew the fuse (which even pro camera battery chargers often managed to do). Or, if a previous guest had been fixing the thing with foil, you might set the bathroom afire and have a even more embarrassing call to make...

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Tony,

The big question is, what electrical devices are you taking with you? Some will be dual voltage (and clearly marked as such). What won't be dual voltage?

Cheers,

R.

 

[David Hughes]

Not really a matter of physics. The old two-voltage wet-room razor sockets installed in most hotels had a razor-capacity (i.e. very small) transformer protected by correspondingly tiny internal fuse, and corresponding warnings not to use if for hair dryers etc. Later versions put the fuse behind tamper-proof screws, so that you could not fix it with aluminium foil any more, but had to make an embarrassing call to the facility manager whenever you blew the fuse (which even pro camera battery chargers often managed to do). Or, if a previous guest had been fixing the thing with foil, you might set the bathroom afire and have a even more embarrassing call to make...

Hi,

Yes, you're quite right but I was thinking of battery chargers, which are the usual photographic thing people use. And physics is where things like power, Watts, Amps etc is/was taught

Regards, David

 

[t.s.k.]

We inventoried the electronics and it looks like are dual voltage, even the hair dryer. It appears she'll only need plug adapters for different environments (hotel, office buildings, airport et al). Now I have to spend the next week convincing her not to purchase a converter...we'll see if she listens. It's part of my job description.

No worry about electric shavers either, unless there's something the wife isn't telling me 🙂 Good to know though. Will she encounter these in China?

Thanks again for the info.