9435 Electric plugs

Similar thread posted here recently -

[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/building-renovation/9217-electrical-plug-sizes.html[/url]

Yes and when you have read all that Sally suggests you read re pluds etc. remember this...when you hear thunder unplug your computer IMMEDIATELY and if there are any "gadgets" attched to it, unplug them too. To have such items struck by lightning is oh so easy. We have just lost 2 of our telephones..yes struck by lightning and in the past the washing machine was Kaput as a consequence of a thunder storm. No I did not believe it at the time. Now I have a very basic machine rather than an all whistles and bells model. Finally your tooth brush cord/shaver cord, may look similar to an Italian one but it isn't quite...we have replaced all of ours with Italian two pin cords.

Thanks for the info about storms. Especially in the mountains by Avellino where we will be living.
When you say you replaced the toothbrush cords...how? They seem to be moulded to the charger. Or did you mean just the plug?

Noble has made an interesting point. Computers and phones (also DVD players, VCRs, TVs, wireless routers etc.) are much the same the world over in their susceptibility to lightning strikes, but UK and Italian domestic appliances DO have differences, and the UK appliances are more vulnerable.

This information comes from a really quite fancy electrical engineer, who happened to be staying with us when the microwave got shot by a close lightning strike. He took it to pieces, and mended it, explaining that because it was a UK product the neutral side of the internal wiring was not as well shielded as the live side - whereas in an Italian product both sides would have had the same level of insulation because you might plug it in 'the wrong way up'.

(It is quite beyond my expertise to argue this with anyone who tells me I am wrong - but it makes sense to me and I trust the source!)

Yes! to all about lightning strikes and don't forget to disconnect from the telephone line otherwise 'goodbye' broadband modem dect phones etc. Oh and while you're at it does your hot water boiler have circuit boards? most modern ones have, then unplug that from the mains and if there is no plug then get someone to put one in.
My personal count has been 3 circuit boards, one modem, one laptop, one printer rendered u/s. I move very quickly at the first thunder these days.
As for plugs - my sockets have 3 pins in a row either small, larger or dual size. The middle one is the earth. I have re-wired most of UK appliances to Italian plugs.

I still have most of my British appliances & run my computer & phone through a surge protector which clicks like mad during storms but seems to do the trick. We were advised by an electrician that (daft as it sounds) larger electricals (washing machines, fridges etc) are better run through an adaptor than changing the plugs- with smaller items we have just changed the plugs. I must admit though that a number of smaller items have since given up and been replaced- don't know if that is a coincidence

Never thought of using a multiple socket for 4or 5 plugs in a row. But somebody suggested that.
Has anybody done that, and if so, did you use an Italian one or and English one with just one adaptor plug to put it into the Italian socket?
Helen, was your surge protector English or Italain for the computer?
Thanks again for all these replies. So good to have others to "talk" to.

I have a UK multi socket adaptor for all the computer bits and pieces. Must admit I do unplug everything when there is a storm about as one ADSL modem has already been blown out!!!!!!!!!!
You can get UK multi units with surge protectors built in, so just a case of changing the input plug to an Italian one

You changed the plug on the English multi socket to an Italian 2 pin plug I see. Would it have been just as easy to put the English plug into and adaptor to plug into the Italian socket?Or dont you thnk this would be a good idea?

it was an italian 3 pin plug, so you still have the earth terminal. Just wanted to make it easier than have to use loads of adaptors.

Thanks a lot. This looks the best way. I didnt know the Italians had 3 pin plugs!! Shows how new I am.

One thing you can do with laptops since they come with power adapters in the cord line is to go to an electronics store and buy a new 2 prong Italian cord that will plug into your adapter. This would hold true for printers and other items with a power adapter. Unplugging during storms is always a good idea, no matter what the item.

[quote=durobird;88595]You changed the plug on the English multi socket to an Italian 2 pin plug I see. Would it have been just as easy to put the English plug into and adaptor to plug into the Italian socket?Or dont you thnk this would be a good idea?[/quote]

If you put the English plug into an adapter to plug into the Italian mains, you will be limited by the capacity of the adapter - my travel adapters are rated at 7.5 Amps - whereas, if you change the UK plug for an Italian one you get the full 13 Amps capability of the extension lead.

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If it's not too late to help- I also used English surge protectors which are run through an adaptor, but after reading this I might get my husband to change the plug to an Italian 3 pin. I found the upside of using the English adaptor is that I've also been able to run my English phone through it (it doesn't work if plugged directly into the phone socket)