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European Power Cables

Many of my friends and colleagues in North American have asked about how best to use their electrical equipment in Europe. This page has information on how to use laptop computers and other devices in Europe.

Some of this information applies to other parts of the world, but I'll stick to talking about continental Europe, the part I know best.

Most of Europe, namely the Continent, uses plugs with two round pins, like this:

There are also plugs with a ground connection, consisting of two contacts as shown below:

In general the ungrounded plugs will fit in the grounded sockets, but not the other way around - the reason is that the pins on the grounded plugs are slightly thicker, and newer sockets and plugs have different shapes, the gounded ones still being round, but the ungrounded plugs are rectangular and fit into rectangular slots. There is as yet no definitive standardisation.

Plugs in the UK are completely different - they have three pins and a fuse.

None of these are compatible with N. American plugs, which have two parallel flat blades, although some adapters have a D-shaped slot which takes both. However the big difference is not the plug, but the voltage, and to a lesser extent the frequency. All European sockets are 220 v., twice what is found in N. America, and if you plug in your equipment you are likely to burn it out - check below for information on exceptions to the rule. But as a general policy, do NOT plug your N. American device into ANY European socket unless you are able to find a clear indication that it can function on 220 v., 50 Hz., current.

This page deals mainly with appliances that us AC power from a wall socket. Many smaller appliances use DC power and can be plugged into a wall socket through an adapter. These are discussed separately.

Can I use my Electrical Device in Europe?

Almost certainly you can, although you will probably have to buy an adapter. The continental socket has two round pins, and you will not be able to plug the flat pins of your plug into it. Furthermore, there are voltage and frequency differences which can pose problems. Here is a rundown of the issues.

Voltage:

European sockets, like most electric sockets in the world, deliver voltage in the 220-240 volt range, twice that of N. American sockets which are 110-120 v. If you plug a 110 volt only appliance into a 220 volt socket you will destroy the device, generate smelly fumes, and possibly set the house on fire. There are three ways around this.

If your device only works on 110 volt power, then you cannot use it in Europe without a transformer or other voltage converter. Transformers are heavy and expensive and are almost never practical for travellers. Small voltage converters are very unreliable and seldom useful. I use them for recharging small appliances, like rechargeable shavers, but I have rarely been able to run anything off them, and the power output is very spiky. My suggestion is to leave it at home.

More useful devices are those that run on either 110 or 220 volt power. Many of these are auto-sensing, all you have to do is plug them into any socket in the world, and they work. Almost all current models of laptop computers have this feature, as do some camcorders and other high-end electronic devices. The only problem is plugging them into the wall socket, which is discussed below.

Some devices work on either 110 or 220 volts, but you have to set a manual switch before plugging them in. Desktop computers and monitors usually operate on either voltage, but you have to use a small switch (usually in back near the point where the power cord enters the back) before changing the voltage. If you forget to do this, your machine will fry and die. Many small appliances such as hair driers and travel irons operate on both voltages, but again you have to change the switch.

Remember: If you plug something that is expecting 110 volts into a 220 volt socket, it will fry. Your chances of being able to fix it are extremely small.

Frequency:

I have not run into problems with frequency, but it is good to remember that N. American alternating current operates at a frequency of 60 cycles per second (60 Hz), while in Europe and most other countries the frequency is 50 Hz. I think that might affect some clocks and audio equipment, but in practice I have found that my stereo systems work fine, and the clocks keep accurate time.

Sockets:

You will almost certainly need an adapter to plug your N. American plug into a European socket. The only common exception is very small bathroom appliances such as shavers, since many European bathroom plugs include an American socket, and often they even run at 110 volts.

There are three types of 110 volt plugs in common use in N. America (heavy appliances like ovens and washing machines have a special kind of 220 v. plug that is different from the normal European plug, but if you are taking a washing machine on your trip you may need better help and advice than I can provide). One is the standard two-prong plug found on small items like lamps, shown here. There is also a polarised two-prong plug on which one prong is wider than the other so that you can only insert it in the socket in one way. More heavy-duty appliances have a grounded three-prong plug, with the third (grounding) prong a round one that goes into a hole in the socket. All three plugs have two flat prongs that provide the power.

In Europe there are two types of sockets in common use, although there can be odd differences between countries. The grounded sockets are most common (fortunately). These are round indented sockets with two holes, and the grounding connection is a contact on the edge of the socket. These are the best to use, because you can plug any continental plug into them. There are also some non-grounded sockets which are round with smaller holes, and you cannot get a grounded plug into them.

All new sockets, at least in Portugal, are recessed, and some older plugs will not fit into them.

If you travel around Europe you may run into some annoying surprises. In Italy, especially in older buildings, they use a plug with three pins in a line - fortunately you can buy adapters in any supermarket. There is another odd plug with three pins that are not in a straight line which according to the reference books is used only in Switzerland and Rwanda, but which I have found in Galicia (NW Spain). Generally you encounter these oddities only when you check into a hotel late at night and urgently need to charge your cell phone or laptop!

Wow! This is a real mess. Now let's see how we can get around this massive incompatibility.

Adapters:

If you have a plain two-prong plug, you can just get a small adapter that accepts your plug and fits into a European socket.

But if you have a polarised two-prong plug, you may not be able to find an adapter - I certainly haven't. You can either file down the wide prong to fit an adapter, or cut away at the adapter to take the wide prong. Another option is to make a small extension cord, as described  below.

Three-prong adapters supposedly exist, but I have never seen one. You can buy small adapters in N. America that let you connect a three-prong plug to a two-prong socket (you are supposed to connect a wire to a ground connection, although this is often not done). You may also be able to find a small adapter to connect the plug to a European socket with the grounding prong on the outside, or you might remove the grounding plug (I don't recommend this, but it is a possibility).

Another possibility is to use either a European power cord, or an "international" extension cord, as discussed in the next section.

Cords:

The simplest and most elegant way to connect an appliance to a European socket is with a European power cord. If your device has a removable power cord, you may be able to find one with a European rather than American plug at the end, and then you basically have a European appliance. This is very common with laptop computers - they often have a two-part power cable, one part contains the power supply (which converts AC from the wall socket into low-voltage DC for the computer), and a separate cable from the power supply to the wall socket. Usually you can find a European cable that connects to the power supply.

This is particularly useful if your computer or other appliance has the standard three-prong connector that is often used for computers and heavy equipment - this is a common connector that can be found almost anywhere in the world.

If you have appliances with non-removable cords you may just want to change the plug. For example, if you move from North America to Portugal and bring lamps with you, you will be pleased to know that the lamp sockets are the same and you can simply change the bulbs (you have to change them from 110 v. to 220 v.!). You can just cut off the North American plugs and fasten on European plugs.

The real problem arises when the plug is an integral part of an AC converter. Many portable electronic devices are made this way, and if the AC converter is dual voltage you can just plug this into an adapter. But if the plug is one of those nasty polarised plugs from North America you will have trouble. My solution is to make an international extension cord by buying an extension cord in North America which has one or more polarised sockets at one end, and replacing the plug at the other end with a European one. Then you plug it into the wall socket and plug your AC converter into the other end. But be sure to check the next section!

Power Bars

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