What do I need in order to use my electronics from the US in the UK?

Question

I will be moving to the UK next year and have a few expensive items I would rather take with me. I know that I need some sort of gadget, but I am not sure what it does exactly, what it costs, and where to find it. I would appreciate any help on this matter.

Answer 1

Firstly there is the voltage difference to think about. The US uses circa 110 volts for electricity, the UK uses circa 240 volts, and many if not most US gadgets will only work at the lower voltage.

The first thing you need to do, therefore, is to check the electrical specs on the labels of your gadgets to see if they will work at 240V. Things like laptop PSUs and cell phone chargers are usually OK, but other items may not be.

The other difference between the US and UK is the type of electrical plug used. The UK uses a different (and larger) type of plug, and it's possible to convert between the two types of plug using cheaply and widely available plug adapters, often sold as "travel adapters". Note that these adapters do NOT convert the voltage so the gadget would still need to be able to work at 240V.

If you need to run a 110V-only device off a 240V supply, you need to use a transformer that converts the voltage. These aren't as widely available as the simple travel adapters. Maplin is one chain of stores in the UK that sells these transformers, prices start from around £15 ($30) and go up from there.

If you do buy one of these, you need to get a transformer with a power rating equal to, or better than, the power rating of the gadgets you want to use with it. Transformers with higher power ratings are of course more expensive, and they are physically larger too.

Answer 2

In the UK The mains supply is 230 volt  50 HZ.

So, as a minimum you will need a transformer to step down the voltage. Transformers for high wattage equipment are fairly large, heavy and not cheap. So don't bring electric heaters.

Radio Shack and similar stores have suitable transformers.

I would not bring large or heavy goods such as washing machines and fridges. The transport costs will out-way any savings. Better to have a garage sale and buy new.

The US is 60 Hz so if any of your devices are mains synchronous they wont work even with a transformer. This affect  some clocks and some Hi-Fi  turntables.

Ian M