Electric

Got lots of electric appliances and entertainment devices?  Most of them can work here but you need to do a few things first.  The US electric standard is 110/120 volts and operating at a frequency of 60 Hz (hertz or cycles).  The Dutch standard is 220/230 volts operating at 50 Hz. The plugs and outlets are different as seen below:

Standard US three-prong, grounded outlet

Standard Dutch two-prong outlet

Standard ungrounded two-prong adapter plug

So the first thing you need are plug adapters.  The PX-tra at Schinnen sells two types; a grounded plug and an ungrounded plug.  The grounded plugs are much more expensive but necessary for adapting US three prong plugs.  Now here is an important warning. WARNING this is a plug adapter ONLY.  You cannot simply plug a 110 volt device into a 220 volt outlet.  Do this and sparks will fly and you will quickly smell the acrid odor of a burned out electrical device.  When we moved to The Netherlands this last time my son burned out his Xbox power supply and his stereo in a ten minute period by plugging them into a 220 outlet with just a plug adapter on them. What you need is a step-down voltage converter or transformer.  A converter is the type you will find at travel stores or airports and they are designed for short term use (a few minutes) and can only be used for electric heating appliances or some other simple devices (Cordless Phones, Battery charger,curling irons, hairdryers, irons, etc.).  These should be unplugged when not in use.  A transformer is a larger, much heavier device designed for continuous use.  This is basically a smaller version of the transformer out on the powerline pole near your house but this one is designed specifically to step-down voltage from 220 to 110 volts.

220 to 110 volt Transformer

You can buy brand new transformers at the PX or used ones at the thrift shop.  There are no moving parts so used ones are fine.  Transformers come in sizes based on how many Watts they can handle.  If a transformer is used it is a good idea to use the next size larger.  Typical wattage's are 100, 300, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, and 2000.  How do you know what size to use?  You will need to find the label on the device that shows its voltage, amps, and wattage. 

As you can see on the above label, this device is 120 volts, 60 Hz, and uses 1800 watts.  What do you do if the label does not show the wattage (pretty common)?  Well, you have to do a little math.

The label on my vacuum says it is 120 volts, 60 Hz, and 5.7 amps.  The equation to find watts is:

Volts x Amps = Watts

So in the case of my vacuum: 120v x 5.7A = 684w

Since this has a powerful motor and electric motors have a surge requirement when they first start, I would need at least a 750 watt transformer to run this device.

What happens if you use too low of a wattage transformer?  Best case scenario - it just blows the transformer's fuse.  Worst case scenario - you burn out the transformer.  That is an expensive mistake. Transformers are expensive, even the used ones at the thrift store.  The bigger they are (higher wattage) the more expensive they are.  A 2,000 watt transformer is a couple hundred dollars new.

Many electronic devices manufactured in Asia (aren't most of them built in China now?) are multi-voltage.  Check the label and you'll see something like 110-230v 50/60 Hz.  These can be used anywhere and just need a plug adapter BUT make sure it isn't switchable before you plug it in.  In the case of my son's stereo, it was multi-voltage but you had to flip a switch on the back from 110 to 220 before it could handle 220v.  He didn't and so it burned out the internal power supply.

The last consideration is the hertz or cycles of the device (50 or 60).  AC stands for Alternating Current.  When AC power is generated it switches positive to negative unlike Direct Current (DC) which only travels one way and allows you to reverse a motor by just switching the wires.  Anyway, AC cycles 60 times per second in the US but only 50 times in Europe (and most of the world for that matter).  This is not a problem for most devices but it is a problem if there is an internal analog clock, such as in a washing machine.  The clock motor will run slower on 50 Hz current because the clock is keyed to the cyclic switching of the current.

My advice.  Leave your 110/120 volt high wattage items in the states and buy a multi-voltage or 220/230 volt appliance here.  You will be able to sell it when you leave for about half the new price.  Then buy a bunch of 300-750 transformers here for the rest of your stuff.  It just makes life a little easier.