Need help understanding a power converter in Tahiti

[Petoonya]

Tired of not having a blow dryer at Fare Suisse so bought a converter on Amazon and hope I got the right one. Was advised to get a Type E and use 110v with it. Is this right? TBK?

My travel hair dryer is 125v/250v. Can I use 125v with the converter or do I need it to be 110?

 

Now a friend from this board asked me if Fare Suisse had power converters and I told her what I was advised to get. Worry that maybe I gave her a bum steer.

 

Sorry, I'm useless when it comes to anything electric. I wouldn't plug the dryer into a standard socket but the little I understand a volt might as well be a watt! I'm even afraid to touch the electric meter when there's been a power outage 😉

 

Thanks for your help.

Edited January 7, 2020 by Petoonya

[Mercruiser]

Your advice sounds correct. Think of "Type E" as Europe and it makes sense.  I live in Europe (for now) and use my American electronics all the time. I buy the small and inexpensive power adapters from Amazon. These cost about $1 each (in a 6-pack), and work great.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ceptics-Europe-Asia-Plug-Adapter/dp/B0084OPT8C/

 

These adapters are also handy on cruise ships, allowing me to plug my USB chargers into the European outlets. You get double the outlets on many cruise ship cabins this way.

 

Many of my USA coworkers buy those ginormous universal power adapters (Europe, Australia, UK, S Africa, . . .). I don't like those because they take too much room.

 

The differences between 110/120/125V do not matter. (Same for 220/240/250V). (These differences have to do with countries using slightly different nominal voltages in the past.)

 

The key is to not plug a 110/120/125V hair dryer into a 220/240/250V outlet. The difference between 120 and 240V is significant and will burn out a 120V hair dryer if it is not a travel hair dryer designed to operate on both voltages.

 

The key to using a 125v/250v travel hair dryer is to switch it to 250V BEFORE you plug it into a 250V outlet (as in Europe and FP). As you can see in this example, there is a switch on the handle for this purpose.

 

[FlightMedic555]

Some further clarification.  It sounds like your hair dryer can accept either 110V or 220V.  This is also common for most cell phone and camera chargers.  To make sure look at the small print on the charging blocks for those devices and as long as they state 110-220 then either is fine.  Some devices, such as your hair dryer, may have a switch that you have to activate to change from 110 to 220.  With my phones and cameras they all accept 110 to 220 and there is no switch necessary.

 

A converter takes the 220V from the wall and "converts" it to 110V.  Therefore, if you have a converter you plug in the converter and then plug your device into the converter to use 110V.  What most of us use is not a converter, it is an adapter.  These are the inexpensive devices that plug into the 2 round pin wall outlets in most of Europe and Tahiti and then let you plug your US style plug into that adapter.  The adapter DOES NOT convert the 220V coming from the wall to 110V.  If you use and adapter and your device cannot accept 220V you will fry your device.  I am guessing that if you used your hair dryer and forgot to flip the switch on the hair dryer from 110V to 220V you may also fry that device.

[LeeW]

Yup - echo what FlightMedic555 is saying.  Most electronics these days can take either 110 or 220 and the internal electronics automatically converts this to the 5 volts (usually) the device actually runs on.  You just need an adapter plug to change the shape of the pins.  A hair dryer is a different story.  Heaters will always have some kind of a switch and if your hair dryer is set for 110 and you plug it into twice the voltage it will rapidly burn up.  The opposite isn't a problem - a hair dryer set for 220 will just not get very warm on 110.  And don't worry about the 110 vs 125 or 220 vs 250 - different areas of the world have slightly different voltages.

 

In the old days you needed a transformer to change the voltage from 220 to 110 when you traveled overseas.  Travel adapters still will do this but to handle a hair dryer they need to be big and heavy.  Cheap ones won't handle a hair dryer.  Your travel hair dryer has this built in so just bring the right plug adapter and use the switch on the dryer.

 

Most of the ships we travel on have an extra 220v European outlet and we use the tiny adapter with that to give us an extra outlet onboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by LeeW
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[Petoonya]

15 hours ago, FlightMedic555 said:

The adapter DOES NOT convert the 220V coming from the wall to 110V.  If you use and adapter and your device cannot accept 220V you will fry your device.  I am guessing that if you used your hair dryer and forgot to flip the switch on the hair dryer from 110V to 220V you may also fry that device.

 

8 hours ago, LeeW said:

Yup - echo what FlightMedic555 is saying.  Most electronics these days can take either 110 or 220 and the internal electronics automatically converts this to the 5 volts (usually) the device actually runs on.  You just need an adapter plug to change the shape of the pins.  A hair dryer is a different story.  Heaters will always have some kind of a switch and if your hair dryer is set for 110 and you plug it into twice the voltage it will rapidly burn up.  The opposite isn't a problem - a hair dryer set for 220 will just not get very warm on 110.  And don't worry about the 110 vs 125 or 220 vs 250 - different areas of the world have slightly different voltages.

 

In the old days you needed a transformer to change the voltage from 220 to 110 when you traveled overseas.  Travel adapters still will do this but to handle a hair dryer they need to be big and heavy.  Cheap ones won't handle a hair dryer.  Your travel hair dryer has this built in so just bring the right plug adapter and use the switch on the dryer.

 

Most of the ships we travel on have an extra 220v European outlet and we use the tiny adapter with that to give us an extra outlet onboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to you both for your help!! I REALLY appreciate the time taken to answer my questions so thoroughly. I meet nice people on CC, but to answer my questions as you did reflects a real generosity of spirit.

 

Sorry to be such a dunce about this. I recently stayed at a B&B in San Francisco and the proprietor told me we could not use sockets in the bathroom because a visiting European had "fried the electrical in that room "(?). Again I don't understand but guessing he used the wrong adaptor?

 

I just want to be sure that I don't do something similar to the B&B we're staying in in Papeete if that's possible. I asked the owner if he had a converter last time we stayed and his eyes opened wide- said he didn't have. Didn't say we couldn't use but my impression was that he didn't want us to. If I follow your instructions, there isn't a way I would damage his electrical is there?

 

Here's pictures of what I have. I can use either 125v or 250v without concern (the dryer might not be as warm on 125v) correct?

[FlightMedic555]

What you have is perfect.  Switch the hair dryer to 250 before you plug it in.  In the US most hair dryers has a device on the plug itself which automatically shuts off the device if it gets wet.  This is to protect the user from electrocution as well as to protect the wiring in the room.  The plug outlet, in the US, commonly has a ground fault interrupter (GFI) plug outlet (see below).  If you were to accidently drop an item connected to this outlet in the water the circuit automatically shuts down.  If the same thing happened with a non GFI? outlet you would short out the circuit and could cause damage.  Sounds like you are good to go.

 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Sorry  Petoonya  .... didn't view until now  ... looks like your in good hands 😉

[Petoonya]

On 1/9/2020 at 7:30 AM, FlightMedic555 said:

What you have is perfect.  Switch the hair dryer to 250 before you plug it in.  In the US most hair dryers has a device on the plug itself which automatically shuts off the device if it gets wet.  This is to protect the user from electrocution as well as to protect the wiring in the room.  The plug outlet, in the US, commonly has a ground fault interrupter (GFI) plug outlet (see below).  If you were to accidently drop an item connected to this outlet in the water the circuit automatically shuts down.  If the same thing happened with a non GFI? outlet you would short out the circuit and could cause damage.  Sounds like you are good to go.

 

 

 

Thanks once again Flight Medic. Now I can blow dry my hair to heart's content on land in FP.

You've given me confidence that I won't blow something up too!