In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi Cardi,
with even only 3kw available, so long as your kid isnt running cookers,kettles,washers,toaster, fan heaters etc & expecting to run turbo-boosted straighteners & hairdryers (why do they need all this crap?) all at the same time then, with a little common sense (do the young have it) & making it a priority of finding out where all the breakers are (including the ENEL one) for when the circuits overload & cut out, then I think what you suggest is a pretty reasonable idea. A. because it saves her changing her plugs. B. because british plugs are far safer & more secure than Italian ones & C. cos thats what most of us appear to do anyway. Would suggest though, because there are an unusual diversity of types of sockets in Italian houses that said sprog makes a trip to a local Feramenta to avail herself of suitable adaptors for plug on 4 gang extension should the need arise. Would also advise, if taking UK electrical appliances, to take a small selection of UK plug cartridge fuses in the unlikely event that one blows cos she wont find them here. They rely here purely on the Salva Vita...earth breaker for overload protection.
Pilch
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Geotherm's advice makes sense, but taking that into account, yes - it would be a very good idea to bring English extension sockets, cut off the English plug and replace it with an Italian one. I say this because using 'individual' Italy to UK adaptors puts a big mechanical strain on the Italian socket (especially if phone chargers have the power supply attached to the English prongs). I suggest more than one English multiple extension socket since the laptop is probably not going to be in the same room as the haircurlers...I hope she enjoys her Italian stay!
It isn't accurate to say that Italan installations rely on the salvavita (which isn't an overload protection). Any Italian installation less than about 15years old will have overload protection 'magno-termici' as well. But the point about fuses for '13 amp' plugs is useful.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Thanks for the info.
As there seem to be several different plugs and sockets what do Italians do when they buy electrical appliances?
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Italians cut off the German plug and put on an Italian plug!!! (But only when they have established that the new appliance works, otherwise the guarantee is invalidated...!)
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Charles was quite right to correct me about the salva vita which is in fact an RCCB (a residual current circuit breaker) or earth breaker & is the device that will save your life should you elect to wire your nuts up to the mains and have a bath at the same time. The ENEL breaker just responds to overload. Generally, newer electrical installations will have a salva vita, yet, whilst a salva vita is an easily retro-fitted device which costs peanuts, many older properties do not have them &, considering earthing can be a very hit-&-miss affair in Italy it's a good idea to check to see if there is one.
As to Italian plugs...... they are a madness. All new appliances come with the very safe & secure German pattern plug. New installations continue to be equiped with Italian sockets. A 2 gang Italian socket costs about e3.50, whereas a German universal 2 gang (which will accept every idiotic plug existing in Italy) costs e7. They are approved, readily available & infinitely more practical. Why are they not universally installed in new electrical installations & even retro-installed in old buildings. Can someone tell me?
Pilch
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
You are right, Pilch. We should have a universal approach regarding electrical and other installations. That's what would be the civilized way of doing things; however,.......
Hopefully, some day it will be like that.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=pilchard;95000]All new appliances come with the very safe & secure German pattern plug. New installations continue to be equiped with Italian sockets. A 2 gang Italian socket costs about e3.50, whereas a German universal 2 gang (which will accept every idiotic plug existing in Italy) costs e7. They are approved, readily available & infinitely more practical. Why are they not universally installed in new electrical installations & even retro-installed in old buildings. Can someone tell me?[/quote]Simply because they are not the Italian standard plug/socket - much as the UK does not use the Schuko standard. Personally, I find the Italian 3 pin standard very neat and tidy - you can have a triple plug array in the same space as a single Schuko plug. Another plus point for the Italian 3 pin plugs is that you can get a very neat 90° plug that keeps everything neat and tidy and there is never all than business of having to force the (often badly) moulded Schuko into the recessed hole. At least, that's my own opinion. It is, I have to agree, bl***y annoying to have that ugly "German" plug on everything when you buy it - as you would feel if every appliance you bought in the UK was fitted with a plug that wouldn't fit in your sockets. Perhaps the better question would be why the Schuko plug is not replaced with standard Italian ones, after all, there are just as many Italian sockets in Italy as there are UK ones in the UK?
[url=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spina_elettrica]Spina elettrica - Wikipedia[/url]
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets]AC power plugs and sockets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/url]
Better just to buy the adaptor so she can plug it in as she needs. She will have to watch for the loading though. If the house has all the small sockets, then she could overload the system and trip it out. There are 2 pin sizes normally used and the larger one allows a higher amperage. Check the loading on what she is going to use, as if the house is only on 3Kw then she could have problems.