Bringing American electrical appliances to Germany

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum. I'm moving to Munich (from New York) mid-June. I would appreciate if someone could tell me whether it is worthwhile to take with us our "big appliances" like stereo, fax machine, copier, etc., or not? Has anyone had experience using American electric appliances with appropriate transformers/adapters in Germany? Thanks...

You should read this page about electrical consumption concerns when bringing U.S. equipment to Germany. Leave behind anything critically dependant on a clock (AC cycle), as in Germany it's 50 hertz compared to 60 in the U.S. It simply will run too slow over here.

Radio Shack does not sell any transformers that will power anything greater than a lightbulb or low-wattage hairdryer for extended periods.

Get a (or a few, depending) step-down transformer at a local electronic shop before you come over, as it will be significantly cheaper to buy in the states. They can also be bought here, if you need more. Shucko adapters and two-pin adapters can be found cheaply here or in the states.

This page has instructions for determining your transformer requirements. It's a good reference, I used it for connecting several hi-fi components which has worked flawlessly for years now.

I'll second what randy sent -- a lot of your stuff won't work here fresh off the boat. We moved an entire US lab over here, and had to get expensive transformers for almost everything. You can buy transformers, but good ones are expensive. Many consumer electronics will have lots of play in what their power supplies accept, but it has to say so explicitly on the power box. If your device runs on German juice, you just have to get a plug adapter. Most modern computers will also have switches on the back that can let you flip them to Euro power nets without problems. If your monitor doesn't have a similar switch but draws power from your computer, you're golden. Just make sure you flip them before plugging them in. I managed to smoke one of our work computers because I plugged it in before flipping the power source toggle but didn't yet turn it on -- never before saw a computer literally go *bang* and trip the building's circuit breaker.

In general, if your appliance doesn't have a flip switch or an explicit statement of what it will accept, it won't be good here without a transformer. Ship an equivalent weight of bricks instead -- they'll be worth more. Read the tag in the back.

BTW, I've no idea what transformers cost or where to get them -- that was done by people at work. They're not cheap though -- you have to step both voltage and frequency...

Transformers aren't cheap, but they are definitely cheaper than buying new appliances. As long as someone else is paying the shipping for your stuff.

I think most stuff will work if you switch the voltage - it probably doesn't care too much about the frequency. That means that you should be able to use a transformer to flip the 240V 50Hz to 120V 50Hz.

There are obviously exceptions to the rule - some things depend on frequency because they have a synchronous motor in them e.g. clocks and washing machines. Trying to get this sort of thing to work is probably more trouble than it's worth - you'd need to go from AC to DC and back to AC again.

Incidentally, if you plug a monitor into the back of a PC here, it will be running off 240V 50Hz, so you need to make sure it can handle it. Most PC stuff seems to be designed to work on both systems though. Actually, all the stuff I have here seems to, apart from my monitor.

Thanks for replying, everyone! It was really helpful.

Remember, a vast majority of North American electronics are wired to work with dual voltage; it is simply a matter of getting a plug adapter. Both my computers and my projector are "US-spec" and run fine here.

Check the back of the appliace; they usually say 110-240V, 50-60Hz. If so, it will work here.

@SparkaHck: Yeah, I woke up that way after a five-day boozing spree. I've no recollection of what happened, but I'm certain I had unbelievalbe amounts of fun.


Actually, when I was talking about expensive transformers, I meant these. If you just want your voltage dropped without worrying about the frequency, that's easy, so devices that do that must be way cheaper.

Some general rules:

• Low current (power) devices that are not permanently on (hifi, etc) then use a transformer with the correct rating, so long as they can tolerate the 50 cycle supply here. Some people lay 110v power line across a room for imported devices, but keep it separate from the local 220v service.
• High current devices (washing machine, dryer, iron) then don't even think about bringing them - the transformers you need to run them are bulky and VERY expensive
• Permanently-on devices (clock, phone, answering machine) should really not be used with a transformer. Those with their own power supply can often get a european replacement
• High-end consumer items (PC, projectors) are often (but not always!) multi-voltage or voltage switchable)
• Don't confuse transformers (big, heavy, often expensive) with "clippers" (electronic voltage reducers - small, light tourist devices) - the latter are useless for general use
• TVs won't work here to receive local domestic or European satellite services unless they are multi-standard (PAL compatible)
• Other video devices such as VCR, DVD or games console will only work with a matching US TV. If you are coming as a family consider bringing TV, VC, games console etc., but understand you can only use them as a set, maybe in a cellar room, powered from a transformer, and then only with tapes, games, DVDs etc., you have brought with you, or get sent across)
• Before you plug ANYTHING in cross-check it will work and does not exceed any power ratings. Explosions or fire can result if you make mistakes!

YL6

I plan on bringing my laptop, drum machine, and other assorted gadgets into ol' deutseland, and i know the plugs are of a different configuration... Im sure adaptors exist... But do they cause damage to the devices? I was told that they "fry em out" in time... Any truth to this?

Topics merged by admin

In short, you will need either an adaptor or a converter. What you will need will depend on the what the item is. But there are many other threads that discuss this in detail, so try searching the site.