Help! what do I do with my UK appliances

[noodles3]

Our container will be delivered to our new home on Monday and obviously all our electrical items will have UK plugs on them. Can you please suggest the best way to get round this issue? We've brought a couple of travel adapters with us but obviously that will leave us a bit short when all our stuff needs plugging in! Does anyone know if we can swap them with NZ plugs and if so can you please recommend where to get nz plugs from?
Many thanks for your help.

[Duncan74]

FIrst off remember to pack several 4 bars, so then you jsut need to change one plug out of 4 not every one. Oh, too late...

IIRC someone suggested New World was cheaper for the same item (NZ plug) than Mitre10.

[Kanga]

Or you can use UK extension leads and plug NZ adapters into those. We set my fil to the task of replacing them all within hours of him arriving for his first visit. He was way too jet lagged really (but insisted) and it sent him into a right grump about inferior NZ plugs, hahaha! It takes ages and is a bit boring but best to just get it done. Look for side entry rather than bottom entry (snigger) because the sockets are often one on top of the other here rather than side by side as in the UK.

[Georgebulldog]

Just be careful if you have a tumble drier, may need to do a search on here if Ian the Mod doesn't come along, all I know is we had an electrician in ti re fit a plug in the garage
Also anything else that has higher voltage (is that the right term?)
& don't plug your washing machine in to a travel adapter, OH did this & made it live

[noodles3]

Thanks for the replies. Duncan we've already got some extention leads but just want to know if we can swap some plugs over for single items?
All the best

[Duncan74]

It's the current (Amp rating) that's the issue, the voltage is the same. UK can be rated up to 13amps, but NZ is normally 10 amps.

Yep, plug can be swapped.

[doreysc]

Amps times volts gives the power rating.
10 amps @ 240 volts give max rating of 2.4KW in NZ.
In UK it is 240 @ 13 amps so you get just over 3KW hence the problem with some UK appliances in NZ.


Simon

[themilkybarkid]

I've bought a couple of 6 gang separate switch UK extension leads - does that mean I'd be better removing the 13am fuse in the socket with a 10amp fuse?

I hadn't realised there would be a problem with certain appliances ... help!

[JandM]

Do a search - there have been excellent old threads where people have gone into all the detail about what UK-bought electricals will safely work, and what won't.

[IanW99]

I've bought a couple of 6 gang separate switch UK extension leads - does that mean I'd be better removing the 13am fuse in the socket with a 10amp fuse?

I hadn't realised there would be a problem with certain appliances ... help!

For the extension lead, yes it wouldn't do any harm to change the fuse to a lower rating of 10amps just in case you do end up plugging in too many high power devices.

For the appliances you need to check their power or current rating, it should be clearly labelled on each appliance.

If it says 2400W (2.4kW) or less, or 10A or less then it will be fine, any thing over that is potentially a problem and depending on what it is, may be better off selling in the UK.

You will actually find that most appliances are fine, it is generally those things that heat up e.g. kettles, clothes dryers, heaters etc that use lots of power and need to be checked.

For those items that remain plugged into one socket e.g. clothes dryers then it is possible to have the wiring upgraded to cope with the additional power requirements (often this is just a new socket).

Ian