How to Use a Transformer for 110V Appliances Overseas

So you've moved overseas and you've brought all of your appliances. Appliances in the U.S. are generally 110-120V. Europe runs on 220-240V. Your appliances won't work just by plugging them in using a plug converter. In fact, if you did that, you'd likely ruin all of your appliances. You can still use some of them. You just need to know a few things first.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Transformers
• Calculator

Using Your U.S. Appliances Overseas

1. Weed out all of your dual voltage appliances. These are the appliances that run on 110-240V. All you will need to run these is a plug converter so that you can plug them into the round European sockets. These can be purchased almost anywhere overseas.

2. Weed out all of your major appliances. Your dishwasher, dryer, refrigerator and freezer are considered major appliances. Even a microwave is fairly major. This is because they use a large amount of watts to be run. You will ruin these appliances over the long run if you run them on a transformer. Put them in storage. Generally, the military will supply a washer/dryer, fridge/freezer combo. You can find an inexpensive microwave at a local electronics store.

3. Now that you have the smaller appliances that you will be using, you can calculate the wattage that is needed to run the appliance. When you have calculated this, you will know which transformer to use. Look on the label of the appliance and find the volts and the amps. Science says that volts x amps = watts. Multiply the volts (usually 110) by the amps. For example, if you have an appliance that is 110V and 0.5 amps, you would need 55 watts to run it.

4. Get the correct transformer. They come in several sizes. The most common are 300W, 750W, 1,000W, 1,500W and 2,000W. If your appliance needs 200 watts, you'll need a 300W transformer. If your appliance needs 1,100 watts, you'll need either a 1,500W transformer or higher. Plug your transformer into the European outlet. Plug your appliance into the transformer and you're good to go!

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the max wattage on the transformer is 75 percent to 80 percent of the total wattage of the transformer for best results.
• You can plug more than one appliance into a transformer as long as the combined wattage does not exceed the wattage of the transformer.
• Do not overload a transformer. A 500W appliance will blow the fuse of a 300W transformer every time.
• Do not use an alarm clock on a transformer. You will "lose time." The alarm clock will run slow and will continue to lose minutes.