Dean74 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 We are considering taking 3 flat screen TV's to OZ, however would we have to plug them into a travel adapter permanently or is their some long term solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boganbear Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 put an Australian plug on them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Just cut the UK plug off and put an Aussie one on - easy peasy (but probably illegal in some states ;-) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean74 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 put an Australian plug on them Sorry to sound ignorant (not an electrician) the plugs are molded on, if it's just a case of cutting plug off and re-wiring to new plug will I not be left with a spare wire? (two prongs on OZ plug three on Uk plug), like I say not hot on my wiring my wife will testify to that!!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Sorry to sound ignorant (not an electrician) the plugs are molded on, if it's just a case of cutting plug off and re-wiring to new plug will I not be left with a spare wire? (two prongs on OZ plug three on Uk plug), like I say not hot on my wiring my wife will testify to that!!. Aussie plugs are three pin too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Aussie plugs come with live, neutral and earth same as UK ones Some appliances don't need to be connected to your house earth as they are double insulated - no chance of anything you can touch on the outside becoming live (usually means all exposed parts are made of an insulator, eg plastic). In these cases the flex only has two wires - live and neutral. Same in Aus as the UK But if you're not confident about changing plugs and have never done it (as it sounds) then get an electrician to do it. Having the proper plug on an appliance is safer than operating it for years via wobbly adaptors BTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chellywell Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Just cut the UK plug off and put an Aussie one on - easy peasy (but probably illegal in some states ;-) ) Are you really not supposed to change a plug??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean74 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Many thanks for all your reply's, Don't know where I got the idea they were 2 pronged plugs. :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Many thanks for all your reply's, Don't know where I got the idea they were 2 pronged plugs. :wacko: Some are.....where fitted to appliances that don't need an earth. In the UK we just use 3 pronged plugs for everything, even where not necessary and inside the plug there'll be no earth wire attached to that prong Look at any of your table lamps or most of your audiovisual stuff for an example Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Are you really not supposed to change a plug??? Didn't know that - but I'll probably carry on doing it anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindor Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Aussie plugs are three pin too. [ATTACH=CONFIG]18790[/ATTACH] Some are 2 pin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy B Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 We came over 9 years ago with UK equipment with moulded plugs and brought with us some UK power boards and simply changed the plugs on them to aussie ones which are all still working ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scrumpy Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Or get a really really long extension lead!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Yep, illegal in some states! http://news.domain.com.au/domain/diy/what-not-to-diy-with-plumbing-and-electrical-20120619-20ld9.html Legal in WA though http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/energysafety/Content/Consumers/Safe_use_of_electricity/index.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Are you really not supposed to change a plug??? Regs vary from state to state http://news.domain.com.au/domain/diy/what-not-to-diy-with-plumbing-and-electrical-20120619-20ld9.html QLD tends to be the strictest - but they are all fairly restrictive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrh2802 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 We are considering taking 3 flat screen TV's to OZ, however would we have to plug them into a travel adapter permanently or is their some long term solution? Hi there..i have a family member in OZ, and they suggest not taking a TV, due to problems with the sound conversion over there. I may be wrong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Hi there..i have a family member in OZ, and they suggest not taking a TV, due to problems with the sound conversion over there. I may be wrong though. Sound conversion? Nah The digital (Freeview) tuner probably won't work for Aus digital TV. But it will work fine as a TV with a set top box (or if you get Foxtel it will output to the TV just fine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Are you really not supposed to change a plug??? We found it to be really frowned upon.....making any decision gets pretty much the same reaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Your not supposed to do a lot of things in both countries. Mostly for safety reasons and if you have a fire after you've changed a plug, or done some dodgy house wiring yourself and the insurance company find it's because of what you did and you're not a licensed electrician they have good grounds not to pay out. Could cost you everything. Very unlikely it would happen but if, like the original poster, you really don't have a clue about changing a plug then it's probably a good idea to get an electrician to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Having said all that though the average do it yourselfer that has changed plugs in the UK should be able to do it here with no problems. Like most things DIY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 As has been said, up here in Queensland (and in several other states) it's illegal to do ANY electrical work (including changing plugs) unless you're a licensed electrician. Having said that, every DIY shop I know sells the plugs you need so I suspect it's pretty commonly done including by me. For those old enough to remember the days when any electrical goods you bought in the UK came plugless and you had to install your own, putting on an Aussie one will be no more difficult. Nobody is going door to door inspecting plugs or demanding certificates. The one thing to watch for is that, in the slight chance of the plug causing a fire, should it be noticed you may void your insurance. However, so long as you know what you're doing and are careful, I think the possibility of a fire is so slight as to be negligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winneth Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I suggest NOT changing the plugs but getting an adaptor. If a fire starts from this, your home and content insurances become void. No one likes being homeless and having no options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I suggest NOT changing the plugs but getting an adaptor. If a fire starts from this, your home and content insurances become void. No one likes being homeless and having no options. MAY become void For this to be a problem, a fire would actually have to start as a result of you wiring the plug wrongly (this isn't actually very likely even if you make a right hash of it), AND this would have to be proved to be the cause......there are electrical safety issues with using adaptors long term as well, as they're not designed for that sort of use As far as the OP is concerned, as someone else has said, it sounds like they have no idea when it comes to wiring a plug, in which case get an electrician to do it. Safest from all points of view Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 I suggest NOT changing the plugs but getting an adaptor. If a fire starts from this, your home and content insurances become void. No one likes being homeless and having no options. That's a valid--and legal--choice. However, if you'd rather not take the risk of changing plugs, I strongly suggest you do NOT rely on adaptors but, rather, spend the money to get a licensed electrician in for half an hour to change all your plugs. The vast majority of adaptors are cheaply made and, frequently, do not provide continuity for the earth pin--they're designed for temporary use on appliances that draw a low current. As such, they are far more dangerous than a properly changed plug. It may be legal to use them--but your fire risk goes up a fair bit if you put something like a Plasma TV or washing machine via an unsuitable adaptor. As I said earlier, I was only giving the facts and not encouraging anyone to break the law--at least not without knowin the facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Shoes Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 (edited) Just cut the UK plug off and put an Aussie one on - easy peasy (but probably illegal in some states ;-) ) When we bought Oz plugs Dick Smith told us to get a professional to change them for us, I agree with others if you know what you are doing then it should be ok, I don't so I won't ... Edited April 4, 2013 by Love Shoes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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