Sorry to repeat, but didn't get an answer before.
If my dual voltage dryer says 1875 watts, (assuming that that means 1875 watts on high in U.S. 110 voltage operation) when I switch it to 220 in France and turn it to low, am I still getting 1875 watts since it seems to approximate the high setting on U.S. 110? If so, is that likely to cause a problem with European electricity?
Hope this makes sense. Basically, I just want to make sure I don't blow a fuse. Obviously I don't know much about voltage & wattage.
Voltage/ wattage question
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 Student Traveling 2 weeks in France, Italy etc
- 2 Schiphol to cruise port - luggage problem
- 3 1st, 6th or 7th in Paris
- 4 Rhine River Intinerary
- 5 Travel to Italy prior to study abroad in Spain, Study Visa
- 6 Rome to Amalfie Coast-10 year anniversary
- 7 portugal
- 8
6 Weeks Traveling Around: Italy, Austria, Budapest, Paris
- 9 Credit card CHIP in Europe
- 10 Can I Get a US Credit Card with a Chip like They Use in Europe?
- 11 France Cities for a 14 Day Winter Trip?
- 12 Rough Itinerary for Scotland, please more help
- 13 Help with Sept. itinerary going north from Dublin
- 14 How to get from Nice to Cinque Terre by train
- 15
A bit of Scotland, wing mirror casualty, 7 days in London, and a Fodors GTG
- 16 Italy-Locarno or Stresa
- 17 London on a sunny day
- 18 First Timer - Itinerary Help - Europe tour for 22 days
- 19 Train tickets
- 20 Sardinia, Italy
- 21 Odessa--7 km bazaar
- 22 Anyone heard of or used a hotel booking site called Olotels?
- 23 Carpe Diem Flights Booked! Need help w final itinerary France/Switzerland
- 24 Navigo Decouverte
- 25 Train from Amsterdam to Bruges
Hello Linda431, Your question was answered by a German physicist named George S. Ohm, now known as Ohm's law. Ohm's law states simply, that current varies directly and inversly with voltage. In other words when the voltage increases the current will decrease. Wattage is the term for power consumption. Fuses are rated in Amps (current). Now I will answer your question, you will be more likley to blow a fuse at the 120 volt setting than the 220 volt setting. Why do we use 120 volts in this country? Because we buy our electricy in amp hours, the lower the voltage the higher the amp rating. Hopes this helped.
William
Thus P (watts) = V (volts) x I (Amperes)
Watts = Amps X Volts
OR
Amps = Watts / Volts
So
1875 Watts / 110 Volts = 17 amps
1875 Watts / 220 Volts = 8.5 amps
Your hair dryer probably draws 17 amps. If the circuitry limits the output to 1875 watts then something reduces the amps to 7.5 amps when using 220 volts.
If any fuse blows, it will probably be the hair dryer. You shouldn't have to worry about burning down the hotel. Just send it back to the manufacturer and tell them it broke when used as directed.
Oh, and I never leave things like that plugged in unattended. And I always make sure the coffee pot is off before I leave the house.
Fuses limit the amount of power you can use. If your hairblower needs more than the wires can deliver the fuse will blow. That's what a fuse is for. I've blown a hotel fuse with much less than 1875 watts. If you see the lights dimming turn off your hairblower.
Most mid to upper range hotels these days have a hairblower wired in so you don't need to bring one. Call your hotel(s) on this. You can save yourself the worry, and the work of hauling yours around with you.