How to connect household appliances to a 220 V network to 110 V sockets. What will work and what will burn out

Imagine a situation: you came to the USA or Japan and took a hair dryer and an electric razor with you, but the voltage in the power grid there is different from the Russian one. Can you get by with a cheap adapter or is there a risk of burning down the entire hotel?

Now let’s deal with this repair.

What voltage standards in electrical networks exist in the world

Provides two AC power supply voltage standards:

⚡ European — 220-240 Vdistribution in Europe, Asia, Australia, some countries of South America;

⚡ American — 100-127 Vdistributed in North America, many countries of South America, Japan and Madagascar.

There are several countries where networks and wires are found, as well as standard voltage standards. The voltage in the network does not depend on the standard of the socket and plug used in the country. It is a parallel story.

If you are planning to travel to one of the countries where the American standard is common 100-127 VYou may be considered a challenger.

Which device works in networks with any voltage

Some devices don’t care what network you plug them into. They are designed to operate under voltage conditions. from 110 to 240 V.

For example, a charger for an iPhone or MacBook. Usually, such devices have a corresponding marking that shows their versatility. The main thing here is that the plug fits the socket. In extreme cases, use an adapter.

There are less universal options when the device can operate at 110 V or 220 V, but its power needs to be changed.

For example, power supplies for desktop PCs. When switching to another network, you need to switch the corresponding toggle switch on the back of the power supply.

The situation is more complicated with electrical appliances that are defined to operate on a specific voltage standard.

How to connect a 110V device to a 220V network

If you find a gadget made for the US or Japan, it will only work on 110-127 V. This could be a hair dryer, iron, toaster or vacuum cleaner. In this case, a regular wall adapter will not work. It is strictly forbidden to connect the device to a 220 V network! The device will fail and may even catch fire.

A special step-down transformer is needed. This device converts the 220 V mains voltage to the main device 110 V. Adapters for different sockets are not used, usually all the necessary connectors are already in the device.

The transformer has an input for an American or Japanese plug and an output for a European one. When choosing, it is important to consider the power of the connected electrical appliance.

Here are some additional options:

🔌 Step-down transformer 220/110V. Power up to 100W. – 1 595 rub.

🔌 Step-down transformer 220/110V. Power up to 500W. – RUB 3,806.

🔌 Step-down transformer 220/110V. Power up to 1000W. – 6 553 rub.

How to connect a 220V device to a 110V network

Here the situation is the opposite, it also cannot be solved with a regular adapter. A step-up transformer is needed. It holds 110 V voltage to the socket, and produces 220 V at the output.

We rarely see such things here; they are common in the US among home appliance enthusiasts.

Here are some additional options:

🔌 Voltage converter 110/220V. Power up to 500W. – 27 dollars

🔌 Voltage converter 110/220V. Power up to 1000W. – 54 dollars

If you do connect a 220 V electrical appliance to a 110 V network via an adapter, it will most likely not be damaged. The appliance will receive approximately 1/4 of its capacity. The lamp will shine very dimly, the electric motor will not start or will not operate at very low speeds, the heating element will not heat up to the set temperature. In any case, it is not recommended to connect the device in this way.

This is how things work with devices in networks with different voltages. Keep this in mind when traveling to some countries. Fortunately, this does not apply to our beloved iPhones and MacBooks with universal power supplies.