Using UK electrical appliances in France.

[demi]

My move to France is coming closer & I have been wondering about taking UK electrical appliances with me.

I am NOT taking fridge/freezer/dishwasher/washing machine as they are all so old it's not worth moving them.

I would like to take microwave, kettle, various lamps & desktop computer, monitor & printer.

Will I be OK using adaptors or should I re-wire everything with French plugs?

Thanks in advance for any info/thoughts.

[niemeyjt]

I think that many travel adapters are only 5 amp - so 1200 watts approx.

OK for computers etc - not for a kettle (toaster etc).

Maybe for your computer setup use a UK 4 way extension lead and just put one UK->France adapter on that.

And rewire the kettle (or buy a new lead if possible)

[Bayleaf]

You can buy UK to French plugs I believe, not just travel plugs. I've seen many instances where a UK item is used like that - ourselves included. Never been a problem.

Edit - obviously in the light of comments below, best to completely ignore what I've said here!

[hughnique]

Ok so the problem is that a lot of French UK adaptors, leave you with the UK plug upside down, and inspection will tell you that they are no longer earthed, far far better to get a pack of French plugs and swop them over, earth to the middle, live to the right and neutral to the left, as you look at the plug from behind. Normally it doesn't make much difference on the live and neutral as to the functioning of the appliance, only if it is deemed polarity conscious, and the fact that a lot of these so called electricians never made an effort to ensure the live feed was on the right of the socket when they wired it up. I had a job where I rewired a house for some old Doris, she rung me up a couple of weeks later saying that her kettle kept tripping the main RCD, I told her to bin it and get a new one, then the microwave tripped it out, I found out that the kitchen fitter had taken the sockets of the wall to get his splash back on and one socket was wired with the earth and neutral transposed, air was blue when that came to light.

[elsie]

Replace all the UK plugs you can with replacement French plugs.

I have several UK plug multi-way blocks where I've changed the plug to a French plug so I can use phone charger and other low power transformer adapters which have a fixed UK plug. I also keep a spare block for visitors from the UK so they can charge thier phones/tablets/etc.

Do not use travel adapters unless you can't avoid it and then only for low power devices.

[exile]

Any adaptor - even the ones that are a "simple" F --> UK one are dangerous with high power items.

How do I know?

The smell of burnt plastic started to permeate the house. Following the odour down to the cellar and there was a a straight D --> UK adapter in the process of melting down and with 2 live poles (well one live and the other neutral) sticking out from the melting mass. The washing machine had worked for months with this set up but not that day.

As suggested the small extension lead with multiple outlets is fine for low power items like chargers and for use when visitors arrive, but for everything else, change the plug.


Just to add that I really should practice what I preach since I still have a few items with German plugs (rather than "universal" ones) which creates a few problems with making sure you have the right extension lead to connect to - says the logistics expert! one of the items is an old electric mower - about 200W so not a problem for the extension - which is temperamental. I know that the day I change the plug will be the day it decides to die. It is only used for one small but very steep bit of grass

[beejay]

Replace all the UK plugs you can with replacement French plugs.

I have several UK plug multi-way blocks where I've changed the plug to a French plug so I can use phone charger and other low power transformer adapters which have a fixed UK plug. I also keep a spare block for visitors from the UK so they can charge thier phones/tablets/etc.

Do not use travel adapters unless you can't avoid it and then only for low power devices.

There is no specified layout for wiring L & N in a French plug or socket
Unless you are certain about the live and neutral connections in ALL your French sockets there is a risk of the UK multi-sockets having live and neutral reversed.

[elsie]

Replace all the UK plugs you can with replacement French plugs.

I have several UK plug multi-way blocks where I've changed the plug to a French plug so I can use phone charger and other low power transformer adapters which have a fixed UK plug. I also keep a spare block for visitors from the UK so they can charge thier phones/tablets/etc.

Do not use travel adapters unless you can't avoid it and then only for low power devices.

There is no specified layout for wiring L & N in a French plug or socket
Unless you are certain about the live and neutral connections in ALL your French sockets there is a risk of the UK multi-sockets having live and neutral reversed.

So I can't remove a UK plug and put a French plug on as I don't know which way the socket it wired.

What do you suggest?

[niemeyjt]

So I can't remove a UK plug and put a French plug on as I don't know which way the socket it wired.

What do you suggest?

Do it - you do not need to know so long as the rest of your wiring is OK with suitable breakers - an appliance works either way with L & N. Earth, on the other hand . . .

[RobertArthur]

For probably fifty years or more there is a preferred wiring method for les prises de courant. Have a look at the backside of this socket made by Legrand, red, green and blue. Their website follows the same conventions.

Does a phase-neutral reversal harm to equipment? Magic smoke? No. There are only a few exceptions: some ignition/ionisation electrodes of gas fired boilers are phase sensitive, they simply refuse to work. Changing blue and red - in the plug or socket - is the solution.

In case of doubt: there are inexpensive instruments to check it out and also capable to check your 30 mA interrupteur différentiel (RCD) with preset leakage currents.