Are you thinking of relocating or traveling to Australia? If you answered yes, you've probably done quite a bit of research on the subject. You might be relocating for business, or simply taking an extended vacation to experience the "Land of Oz". While Australia offers quite an amazing experience, there's a rather important factor you may be overlooking - traveling with electronics.
If you plan to relocate, stay for an extended period of time or even take a short vacation, chances are that you'll be traveling with some sort of electronic devices. From an electric razor or hair dryer to a laptop or digital camera, it's nearly impossible to leave home and travel with out bringing along items that require electricity. Herein lies the problem.
In Australia, the standard electrical voltage is different from North America. In Australia, electricity is delivered at 220 volts, meaning 220 volts is what comes out of a wall socket or outlet. In North America, electricity is delivered at 110 volts. This causes complications and unexpected inconveniences for travelers who bring electronics along and are not prepared for this change.
When you purchase electronics, voltage is never a concern. This is because electronics are manufactured to operate at the voltage of the country or region on which they are sold. For example, electronics sold in North America are designed to run on a 110 volt electrical standard, while electronics sold in Australia are designed to run on a 220 volt standard. The devices are only intended to function with that specific voltage. In other words, you cannot just take your US purchased laptop to Australia and plug it into an outlet to charge - the result could be anything from an immediately ruined laptop to electrical shock or fire.
If this is all news to you, don't worry there's no need for alarm. Thankfully, there are solutions to using electronics overseas, with one of the most convenient being voltage converters. Using a voltage converter for Australia will let you to travel with any and all the electronics you need to be comfortable and productive on your trip.
A voltage converter is a device that plugs into an electrical outlet and alters the voltage, allowing you power your electronics the same way you would at home. They are safe, relatively inexpensive and very easy to use. The converter itself plugs right into the wall like any other electronic. The required voltage converters for Australia are called a "step-down" converter. By design, it steps the voltage down from 220 volts to 110 volts. On the front of the converter there are outlets for your devices to plug into, which (thanks to the voltage converter) have an output of 110 volts - the same output required to use your electronics properly, safely and without the risk of damage. It's a very simple and convenient way to use your foreign electronics overseas.
However, there is another factor to using voltage converters and it depends what you're traveling with - wattage. All electrical devices and equipment draw electricity, which is measured in watts. A cell phone charger, clock radio or an electric razor all use a rather low wattage of less than 100 watts. On the other hand, a hair dryer, curling iron or electric blanket draw a much higher wattage - some up to 1,200 watts. If you fail to purchase a converter with a sufficient wattage, you revisit the risk of fire, electrical shock or damage to your devices. To prevent that scenario, it's important to identify the number of watts you'll be using.
Anything that's electric will have a tag on the cord or a label on itself that states the wattage. For example, a hair dryer purchased in North America may have a label reading 110V, 720 watts. The label is telling you that the product was manufactured to operate at 110 volts, and draws 720 watts. Since you'll be using a converter, the 110V mentioned is not important. The fact that is uses 720 watts is quite important however, because with anything less it will not operate.
When purchasing a voltage converter for Australia, it's also very important to use the general rule that the wattage of your converter should be 2 to 3 times higher than whatever you'll be using. Certain electronics require a surge of power to start up, or might use a higher wattage if they're on a higher setting. Because of this, it's important that you have a higher voltage than recommended on the label to ensure there is absolutely zero chance of damage or failure of your electronics. Additionally, the extra voltage allows some flexibility should you need to use a secondary device at the same time.
Ideally, you're going to want to check the electronics you plan to travel with and make a quick, short list of their wattage. If you're bringing a 1,100 watt hair dryer, a 80 watt electric razor, a 190 watt laptop and 650 watt curling iron, you have a total of 2,220 watts. If you planned to use them all in unison you'd need (at least) a 2,500 watt voltage converter - and although it's unlikely you'd use them all at the same time, 2,500 watts is just over double the number of watts used by the hair dryer alone. It's always better to be safe than sorry when determining the wattage of the converter you're going to purchase.
Please keep in mind that while the voltage is different in other countries, often times so are the outlets themselves. There's a whole slough of different types of electrical sockets around the world. If your voltage converter doesn't come with foreign plug adapters than you'll need to purchase one of those as well, which can be picked up relatively cheap; usually less than $5.
Now that you've learned about traveling to foreign countries with electronics all you need to do is figure out your wattage and buy a voltage converter for Australia. At 220-electronics, we sell a wide range of voltage converters for use in all foreign countries. We are specialists in international relocation and have over 30 years of experience. Visit our website at www.220-Electronics.com to browse and buy from our complete inventory of voltage converters.
Voltage Converters for Australia - Traveling with Electronics
- Mar 11, 2013
Are you thinking of relocating or traveling to Australia? If you answered yes, you've probably done quite a bit of research on the subject. You might be relocating for business, or simply taking an extended vacation to experience the "Land of Oz". While Australia offers quite an amazing experience, there's a rather important factor you may be overlooking - traveling with electronics.
If you plan to relocate, stay for an extended period of time or even take a short vacation, chances are that you'll be traveling with some sort of electronic devices. From an electric razor or hair dryer to a laptop or digital camera, it's nearly impossible to leave home and travel with out bringing along items that require electricity. Herein lies the problem.
In Australia, the standard electrical voltage is different from North America. In Australia, electricity is delivered at 220 volts, meaning 220 volts is what comes out of a wall socket or outlet. In North America, electricity is delivered at 110 volts. This causes complications and unexpected inconveniences for travelers who bring electronics along and are not prepared for this change.
When you purchase electronics, voltage is never a concern. This is because electronics are manufactured to operate at the voltage of the country or region on which they are sold. For example, electronics sold in North America are designed to run on a 110 volt electrical standard, while electronics sold in Australia are designed to run on a 220 volt standard. The devices are only intended to function with that specific voltage. In other words, you cannot just take your US purchased laptop to Australia and plug it into an outlet to charge - the result could be anything from an immediately ruined laptop to electrical shock or fire.
If this is all news to you, don't worry there's no need for alarm. Thankfully, there are solutions to using electronics overseas, with one of the most convenient being voltage converters. Using a voltage converter for Australia will let you to travel with any and all the electronics you need to be comfortable and productive on your trip.
A voltage converter is a device that plugs into an electrical outlet and alters the voltage, allowing you power your electronics the same way you would at home. They are safe, relatively inexpensive and very easy to use. The converter itself plugs right into the wall like any other electronic. The required voltage converters for Australia are called a "step-down" converter. By design, it steps the voltage down from 220 volts to 110 volts. On the front of the converter there are outlets for your devices to plug into, which (thanks to the voltage converter) have an output of 110 volts - the same output required to use your electronics properly, safely and without the risk of damage. It's a very simple and convenient way to use your foreign electronics overseas.
However, there is another factor to using voltage converters and it depends what you're traveling with - wattage. All electrical devices and equipment draw electricity, which is measured in watts. A cell phone charger, clock radio or an electric razor all use a rather low wattage of less than 100 watts. On the other hand, a hair dryer, curling iron or electric blanket draw a much higher wattage - some up to 1,200 watts. If you fail to purchase a converter with a sufficient wattage, you revisit the risk of fire, electrical shock or damage to your devices. To prevent that scenario, it's important to identify the number of watts you'll be using.
Anything that's electric will have a tag on the cord or a label on itself that states the wattage. For example, a hair dryer purchased in North America may have a label reading 110V, 720 watts. The label is telling you that the product was manufactured to operate at 110 volts, and draws 720 watts. Since you'll be using a converter, the 110V mentioned is not important. The fact that is uses 720 watts is quite important however, because with anything less it will not operate.
When purchasing a voltage converter for Australia, it's also very important to use the general rule that the wattage of your converter should be 2 to 3 times higher than whatever you'll be using. Certain electronics require a surge of power to start up, or might use a higher wattage if they're on a higher setting. Because of this, it's important that you have a higher voltage than recommended on the label to ensure there is absolutely zero chance of damage or failure of your electronics. Additionally, the extra voltage allows some flexibility should you need to use a secondary device at the same time.
Ideally, you're going to want to check the electronics you plan to travel with and make a quick, short list of their wattage. If you're bringing a 1,100 watt hair dryer, a 80 watt electric razor, a 190 watt laptop and 650 watt curling iron, you have a total of 2,220 watts. If you planned to use them all in unison you'd need (at least) a 2,500 watt voltage converter - and although it's unlikely you'd use them all at the same time, 2,500 watts is just over double the number of watts used by the hair dryer alone. It's always better to be safe than sorry when determining the wattage of the converter you're going to purchase.
Please keep in mind that while the voltage is different in other countries, often times so are the outlets themselves. There's a whole slough of different types of electrical sockets around the world. If your voltage converter doesn't come with foreign plug adapters than you'll need to purchase one of those as well, which can be picked up relatively cheap; usually less than $5.
Now that you've learned about traveling to foreign countries with electronics all you need to do is figure out your wattage and buy a voltage converter for Australia. At 220-electronics, we sell a wide range of voltage converters for use in all foreign countries. We are specialists in international relocation and have over 30 years of experience. Visit our website at www.220-Electronics.com to browse and buy from our complete inventory of voltage converters.
