Ordering electric appliances from UK

kufi · Post by **kufi** » Wed Mar 13, 2013 7:42 pm

Hi!

I am about to order a deep fryer from Amazon UK, but before I do so I thought it would be wise to check here: Does anybody know if electric appliances that are sold in the UK are suitable for the Finnish sockets? I assume that they would require an adapter from UK --> EU but otherwise they are suitable. I'd appreciate your comments on that.
Thank you in advance!

T.

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riku2 · Post by **riku2** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:05 am

most of them are suitable but I would cut the plug off and fit a euro one. The main things you would have trouble with importing are things with TV tuners (digital tv system is slightly different and subtitles may not be handled correctly).

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:33 am

kufi wrote:I am about to order a deep fryer from Amazon UK, but before I do so I thought it would be wise to check here: Does anybody know if electric appliances that are sold in the UK are suitable for the Finnish sockets? I assume that they would require an adapter from UK --> EU but otherwise they are suitable. I'd appreciate your comments on that.

Both countries have the same nominal voltage and frequency in their electrical sockets: 230 V / 50 Hz. You can simply cut off the original UK plug and replace it with a local plug. (If the appliance has a ground contact in its original plug, make sure to wire that one correctly in the new plug as well!)

Local plugs — which come in the same CEE 7 standard types as used in Germany — are commonly available in stores which sell electrical appliances. You can also find them in many larger supermarkets in the aisle where they have light switches, wall sockets, etc. See here and here for more information.

You might also want to check out the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency safety guides on such work: click, click.

Or, if unsure about replacing plugs, just buy an adapter, then. (Here’s an example, but it’s certainly not the cheapest one you could get.)

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:36 am

I would cut the plug off and fit a euro one.

Seconded..You get annoyed in fitting with the hugh jazz UK plugs & adapters if you do a lot of plugging in & out... One option - if you have more than one appliance is to get a 3-4 gang UK extension cord, have that plugged in (with an adapter or a changed to schuko). I actually do the exact opposite in UK... but having a schuko adapter is easier as the UK extension is a flat plank...

Adrian42 · Post by **Adrian42** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:28 am

Jukka Aho wrote:You can simply cut off the original UK plug and replace it with a local plug. (If the appliance has a ground contact in its original plug, make sure to wire that one correctly in the new plug as well!)

It is far too easy to bring yourself or someone else into a grave when fiddling with electricity without knowing what you are doing.

You might know what you are doing, but please don't recommend to other people to do such stuff.

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 3:33 am

Adrian42 wrote:
Jukka Aho wrote:You can simply cut off the original UK plug and replace it with a local plug. (If the appliance has a ground contact in its original plug, make sure to wire that one correctly in the new plug as well!)
It is far too easy to bring yourself or someone else into a grave when fiddling with electricity without knowing what you are doing.

You might know what you are doing, but please don't recommend to other people to do such stuff.

The safety instructions for fitting a new plug — to which I already linked in the above post, and which is a common household task not fundamentally different from installing a ceiling light fixture in an older home [1] — are available on the website of the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency, which is the local authority [2] on these matters:

Liitäntäjohdon vaihto ja korjaus (“Replacing and repairing a power cord”)
Do-it-yourself electrical work

“Repair and installation tasks everyone is [legally] allowed to perform [include, among other things] ... replacing damaged single-phase connection cords and plugs of appliances”

_____
[1] Older homes typically feature a nondescript ceiling light fixture connection box with some plain wires and a screw terminal block inside it, covered with a round faceplate you need to remove first for access, instead of the more modern arrangement whereby the cover plate itself includes a small electrical socket accepting a specialized ceiling light fixture plug.

[2] No worries; the Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes by its abbreviated Finnish name, or Turvallisuus- ja kemikaalivirasto in full, or Turvatekniikan keskus by its older and original name, which is the actual origin of the otherwise somewhat puzzling abbreviation) also compiles annually published statistics and informative case studies [3] on accidents related to electrical safety — fatal or not — should you happen to auto-darwinize yourself. You’re well covered on all grounds!

[3] In light of reading some of those case studies, I might want to add the attempt of repelling voles by using two metallic prongs, both jutted deep into the moist lawn and the ground beneath it, one connected to the neutral terminal and the other one to the live wire of a single-phase 230 V electrical system, making the electrical current flow through the ground at various places, thereby annoying the pests, is reportedly an extremely bad idea, since a person with such brilliant thinking most likely grabs the wrong prong at the wrong time, leading to his untimely death. :(

kufi · Post by **kufi** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:24 am

Thank you all for your replies. I ordered the appliance I had in mind + an adapter for it, and the total cost was less than that of the same appliance alone in the outlet in Finland. I had fiddled with power cables and changed a couple of plugs in the past, but I am far from being a pro and don't REALLY know what I am doing, so I decided to swallow my pride and get the adapter. It is a new appliance after all...

Cheers!

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:10 am

Adrian42 wrote:It is far too easy to bring yourself or someone else into a grave when fiddling with electricity without knowing what you are doing.
You might know what you are doing, but please don't recommend to other people to do such stuff.

I recommend you do such stuff, we might get lucky.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:08 pm

I bought an Italian gelato machine from Amazon UK a few months ago and it came with a UK plug. I stuck an adaptor on it and it works perfectly.
What was weird though, were the customer reviews where all the Brits were complaining that their machines had been delivered with continental plugs!!!

NeelaKobeyya · Post by **NeelaKobeyya** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:14 pm

I have couple of these in my place: http://dx.com/p/universal-eu-travel-ac- ... plug-55707
They are working great. Free delivery and 1.32 usd per unit if you order 5 or more.

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:30 pm

NeelaKobeyya wrote:I have couple of these in my place: http://dx.com/p/universal-eu-travel-ac- ... plug-55707
They are working great. Free delivery and 1.32 usd per unit if you order 5 or more.

Hmm. There are no protective ground contacts on that one and you can’t fit it in most local sockets, as they’re recessed. (Only very old installations have sockets with a flat wall plate now.) Also, the construction looks flimsy.

If you want to buy your adapter from DX.com, you’re better off getting something like this:

Universal European AC Plug Travel Adapter

NeelaKobeyya · Post by **NeelaKobeyya** » Sun Mar 17, 2013 1:31 am

Jukka Aho wrote:
NeelaKobeyya wrote:I have couple of these in my place: http://dx.com/p/universal-eu-travel-ac- ... plug-55707
They are working great. Free delivery and 1.32 usd per unit if you order 5 or more.
Hmm. There are no protective ground contacts on that one and you can’t fit it in most local sockets, as they’re recessed. (Only very old installations have sockets with a flat wall plate now.) Also, the construction looks flimsy.

If you want to buy your adapter from DX.com, you’re better off getting something like this:

Universal European AC Plug Travel Adapter

Thanks Jukka for posting the correct item. Just checked and that's the adapter I have. Sorry for posting the wrong link

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