Comments on: I’m certainly hoping we don’t burn the place down

By: Phi

Phi — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:40:48 +0000

My guess is that the iPod charger will be fine and will only require a plug adapter and not a transformer. The other two seem likely to be fine as well, but the odds are a little less clear on them.

Don’t sweat the details – these problems of electrics are reasonably easy to handle and peculiarly modern in nature. Books and sweaters work just the same here as in Minnesota, so most of your stuff should be fine. (And given the weather recently I’d be more inclined towards sweaters than shorts! They do claim it’s supposed to be nice next week, though…)

By: CoryQ

CoryQ — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:03:50 +0000

I think all we have to plug in is a battery charger (AA size for the camera), the ipod charger, and maybe a cell phone charger (we’ll find out when we get our rental phone in the mail). I think we should be OK. The more I think about our trip the more these little details creep in on me.

By: Phi

Phi — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:05:49 +0000

Our house (in Morris) is nearly 140 years old, but almost all the electrics have been completely redone since 1950 so it’s not really a problem for us. I do know of some older houses, though, with electric wiring that is really scary. The odd thing here, though, is that people are incredibly nervous in house relatively new house (1960′s, say).

As for adapters, make sure you check your AC adapters and see if they can handle 220 volts. Most adapters related to modern consumer electronics (laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, iPods) handle 100-240 volts and 50-60 Hz, which means that all you need is a plug adapter (U.S. prongs in one end and UK prongs out the other). Many (most?) plug adapters, however, don’t accept grounded three pin U.S. plugs, so you’ll have to make adjustments if you have any of those.

If you have anything that can’t handle 220 volts, then you’ll need a transformer or two. Be careful there, because there are higher and lower wattage flavors, and you need to make sure you get the right kind for your device.

Oh, and you have a heavy AC adapter, be prepared to to prop up the chain of adapters and such coming out of the wall, and they often want to all fall out, or at least tilt and expose the prongs in ways that aren’t real safe.

Frankly, it’s a pain, and I vote for international standardization!

By: CoryQ

CoryQ — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 13:19:49 +0000

My wife’s house is over a hundred years old and there is a very real concern about the power usage in the house. Using a hair dryer dims the lights everywhere. They can’t use a window A/C unit (and there isn’t central heating so a household unit is out of the question). It is hard to feel comfortable with electrical fire in the walls a real possibility.

(Note to self: Remember to bring power and plug adpaters to UK…)