garyincary

I have received different messages about whether I need a voltage converter while 'm in Ireland. I've been told that laptops and Smart Phones automatically convert, so a converter isn't needed for them. The other two items about which I have questions are my camera with rechargeable battery, and a hair dryer.

Can anyone tell me definitively what, if any of these, will require a voltage converter? Is it best just to buy one in Ireland? Thanks for your patience in helping me understand this topic!!

Robert2533

If the hair dryer is duel power (most are), then you have no need for a converter. Everything else you have, if made in the last decade or more, is duel power. All you'll need is a plug adaptor.

michelhuebeli

Look at the devices in question. If it lists numbers like 110/220 V or close to those two, then it is built to be dual-voltage, and all you have to worry about it getting the prongs at the end of your power cord or adapter to fit the holes in the outlet sockets, and they are shaped differently overseas, and not the same in all countries. Look at them on www.ricksteves.com and others. These adapters are available on Amazon and at Target and everywhere else, just buy the right one.

Things like hairdryers etc. that create heat and therefore use a lot of current (high-wattage) may need an actual converter, not just a plug adapter, and not just any converter, either, it has to match that high wattage. You're better off buying a model that's dual-voltage already and made for travel (smaller, lighter).

Andrew

You don't have to guess.

Every electronic device should have a voltage/frequency specification written directly on it, perhaps in very small letters. Look carefully. (If too small to read, use my favorite trick: take a picture with your phone or camera and zoom in.) If it says 110-120 volts 60hz only, then it most likely WILL NOT work when you plug it into a 240 volt/50 hz outlet in Ireland.

MOST (not all) electronics will be rated for 100-240 volts, 50-60 hertz. That means, they'll convert the voltage and frequency automatically with just a plug converter.

I have burned out electronics before overseas when traveling and not looking carefully at these specs. (One was within the last ten years, Robert, so your assumption isn't quite safe.)

I have an old hair dryer, 20+ years old, and it is rated for 125 volts, 60 hz only, so I assume it would burn out if I tried to use it in Ireland with only a plug adapter. Maybe a newer one would be rated for 100 - 240 volts. Again - just check your own devices.

janisj

The camera battery charger is almost certainly dual voltage so you only need a plug adapter.

But re the hairdryer . . . 1) most accommodations have them so why take it? 2) even IF yours is dual voltage, it won't work as well over there. 3) and even being dual voltage won't ensure it won't blow all the circuits in your B&B/cottage/hotel

If your accommodations don't provide hairdryers - then buy an inexpensive one after you are IN Ireland. It will work better and be safer.

Andrew

Janis raises a good point. Hair dryers use a deceptively large amount of power for small devices. Your camera charger probably uses about 1/2 watt and so would be insignificant in terms of power draw. A 1000 watt hair dryer draws (obviously) 1000 watts which is a lot of power - that could easily blow a fuse in an old building. And 1000 watts is 1000 watts whether you buy a brand new one in Ireland or use an old one from the USA. A hair dryer isn't the kind of device that has gotten more efficient in the last few years. The whole point is to generate heat which takes a lot of power.

Still, if you have any doubt, ask the hotel or B&B owner at each place. I'd guess a hotel would be fine. A B&B? Maybe not - but you would certainly not be the first person to plug a hair dryer into a power outlet, so they'd know if it's a good idea by now.

In my experience, many hotels and even some B&Bs provide free hair dryers, especially if you ask them. Sometimes one is already in the room.

spaarne

<i>Voltage Converter
Posted by: garyincary on Aug 20, 13 at 8:00pm
I have received different messages about whether I need a voltage converter while 'm in Ireland. I've been told that laptops and Smart Phones automatically convert, so a converter isn't needed for them. The other two items about which I have questions are my camera with rechargeable battery, and a hair dryer.
Can anyone tell me definitively what, if any of these, will require a voltage converter?</i>

See http://tinyurl.com/2y9zvv for an introduction to electricity in Europe.