European equipment and electricity

[belgiank]

my 2 pesos worth...

I have discovered that most European electrical appliances will run over here, but somehow do not survive a long time... for the 4 months over here our bill now totals 1 laptop, 1 harddrive, 2 cells...

may be coincidence... but then again.. all of them???

we sold all our appliances in Belgium, and got good prices for them... yes, they are more expensive over here (at least similar ones), but you do not really need those sophisticated machines over here (and where are you going to find maintenance if you would need it)

 

[holland1974]

Most tv's now work on PAL and NTSC

 

[J D Sauser]

Hi, what about appliances such as coffee makers, toasters and stereo systems which say 50hz, would they work?
I know most tv's say 50-60hz

Heating appliances will work. The lower voltage will kind'a compensate for the higher frequency. Actually, because of the low voltages, my US toaster only manages to s l o w l y DRY bread instead of toasting it... gre:
Yet again, keep in mind that you will seldom find a home which has 220Volt wiring THROUGHOUT the home... usually, IF homes have 220V available, it is only available at the switchboard and 2 or 3 outlets reserved for air conditioning units (which are preferably 220V, as 220V here is triphasic (like 380/400 in EU) and thus help the compressor motor start easier).

Electronic units or appliances using electronics (like a fancy washer with a digital board) may NOT take the higher frequency well and eventually malfunction or altogether last only a short time.
Also keep in mind that European appliances are not build to take the abuse from power going off and coming back on several times a day... which is quite a common situation here.

About the dryer issue. Yes, some people at some locations can get away drying their garments under the often hot sun. Some colored textiles however don't benefit much from UV and here on the Coast, we'd have a though time to get anything really dry due to the heightened humidity. Actually, we have to dry ("fluff") stuff stored in closets every now and then to limit damage by mold. I personally like the convenience of a dryer, while I agree that it wastes energy (gas, while cheaper, is energy too) and tends to fleece out garments.

... J-D.

 

[Mauricio]

Washer:

European appliances are designed for 240 Volts by now.
In the DR, form the promised 110V we get about 80 to 100V depending on locations. If it'd be 220, that would mathematically amount to about 160 to 200V.
European appliances are designed for 50Hz... Here it's 60Hz.

Enough discrepancy to do a number on a European washer's digital control panel.

After they have started to become available in the US in the mid 90's, European style front load wash machines are slowly becoming available here in the DR too... but yes, certainly not at prices which would compare to what's available at MediaMarkt in Europe (as low as Eur 200.oo).

What we most like from our european washer is the fact that it warms the water itself. The washer we used to have when we lived in Santo Domingo needed hot water from the plumbing and while our calentador didn't work well, we washed with lukewarm to cold water often. Besides the big stick in the middle of that machine damaged many of our clothes. I actually put our european model for sale now, it was an expensive one (about 1000 euros), and I know I will not get back half of that, but hopefully I can sell it before we take off.

Dryer:

As for the dryer, I would recommend you get a US-style GAS dryer here in the DR. Dryers use up a LOT of energy (for heating) and if it's off your grid power you will not like the print on your electricity bill at the end of the month when using an electric heating dryer. Using a GAS dryer is a LOT less expensive... actually, it can virtually pay for itself after a few months of use if it helps you stay under the 700KWH wack rate, which is what most strive for here.

... J-D.

Thanks for the advice. We have actually considered that, or start of with only a washer (to be paid with what we receive for both dryer and washer here). And if we buy a dryer, buy one on gas (and find ourselves a building with gas com?n...).

 

[Mauricio]

Most tv's now work on PAL and NTSC

That's another thing I have to check, our TV is not so old, I guess it should work, anyway, it's a small screen (26"), if it doesnt process NTSC in the end I can use it as a computer screen :glasses: or for the Wii......(please don't tell me they dont run on 60 hz either.......aranoid:.)

 

[Mauricio]

I have discovered that most European electrical appliances will run over here, but somehow do not survive a long time... for the 4 months over here our bill now totals 1 laptop, 1 harddrive, 2 cells...

may be coincidence... but then again.. all of them???

we sold all our appliances in Belgium, and got good prices for them... yes, they are more expensive over here (at least similar ones), but you do not really need those sophisticated machines over here (and where are you going to find maintenance if you would need it)

This might be due to the apagones? if I remember well, when the power comes back on the equipment receives a voltage spike for which reason it was recommended to place a surge protector between the power outlet and your (valuable) equipment