What Size Converter Do I Need?
What size converter do I need?
It depends on the appliance — and for a lot of them, the honest answer is "don't use a converter at all." A transformer changes voltage, but it can't change frequency (Hz). Motor and compressor appliances built for US 60Hz wear out on the world's 50Hz, so those are best bought as 220V/50Hz units. For small, occasional devices, a converter is the right call. Here's how to tell, and how to size it.
Start here: convert it, or buy 220V/50Hz?
Buy a 220V/50Hz appliance
Best for anything with a motor or compressor that runs continuously — refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners. A converter can't fix the 50Hz/60Hz mismatch, so these wear out early on a transformer. Buy them native.
A converter is fine
Best for small, occasional, non-motor gear — TVs, blenders, coffee makers, hair dryers, power tools, vacuums. Frequency barely matters, so a properly sized step-up/step-down transformer works well. Dual-voltage items (marked "100–240V") only need a plug adapter.
How to size a converter (for the things you can convert)
Motor devices: ×3
Motors surge to about 3× their running watts at start-up. Size the transformer to that surge — e.g. a 150W motor needs ~500W.
Heaters: ×3
Anything that makes heat needs about 3× its wattage in transformer — a 2,000W heater wants a 6,000W unit. That's why big heating appliances are usually better bought native.
Use a real transformer
For anything continuous, use a continuous-duty step-up/step-down transformer, not a small travel converter. Ours work both directions.
