Electrical Appliances

[DavidIII]

Hi,

I would appreciate some guidance on what electrical items will work safely in Aus and which won’t due to the difference in Amps.  I’m planning on taking TV’s, Kettle, Food Mixers/ Blenders, Toasters, Hair Dryers, Dyson Hot/Cool along with Smart Speakers etc.  I know I’ll have to change plugs,  but just not sure whether any of these would cause trip outs on a 10 amp plug.

All comments would be most appreciated.

[DukeNinja]

We brought over:

Washer/drier, tv, smart speaker, pc, laptop, hair dryer, blender, and have had no trips.

[unzippy]

17 hours ago, DavidIII said:

Hi,

I would appreciate some guidance on what electrical items will work safely in Aus and which won’t due to the difference in Amps.  I’m planning on taking TV’s, Kettle, Food Mixers/ Blenders, Toasters, Hair Dryers, Dyson Hot/Cool along with Smart Speakers etc.  I know I’ll have to change plugs,  but just not sure whether any of these would cause trip outs on a 10 amp plug.

All comments would be most appreciated.

Be aware that in some states it is illegal to change plugs unless you are a qualified electrician.
I also brought a bunch of stuff over and have had no issues.  I haven't been arrested either 

[Dusty Plains]

21 minutes ago, unzippy said:

Be aware that in some states it is illegal to change plugs unless you are a qualified electrician.
I also brought a bunch of stuff over and have had no issues.  I haven't been arrested either 

Give it time.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Dusty Plains

[Dusty Plains]

Uk voltage is nominally 230 volts and Australia's power voltage grid is 240 as you would know. Its  not so much the variance between volts, but there may be differences on your appliances, in terms of the watts ( of power) consumed or demanded by the appliance.  Unlikely though but every appliance displays its nominal wattage "needs" . 

You can work it out. The easy equation is that Volts x Amps = Watts. So, 240 volts at 10 amps, for instance will provide 2400 watts on that particular fused circuit. Of course many houses have 20 Amp circuits which of course provide up to 4800 watts nominally.   Your appliances will draw only the Watts that they need to operate,.  The protection for the circuit and the appliance is the fuse within the circuit or the earth leakage detector. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by Dusty Plains

[Dusty Plains]

Just looked at my four-slice toaster. It will operate on a voltage scale of 110 to 250 volts, and so like many others it is a universal, made-in-china appliance. Its nominal wattage needs are 2100 watts. The amps will sort themselves out according to the capacity of the fuse or circuit breaker if necessary.   If there is a problem it won't be the amps, and will not be the appliance, necessarily, but is likely to the circuit in the dwelling, 

[HappyHeart]

21 hours ago, DavidIII said:

Hi,

I would appreciate some guidance on what electrical items will work safely in Aus and which won’t due to the difference in Amps.  I’m planning on taking TV’s, Kettle, Food Mixers/ Blenders, Toasters, Hair Dryers, Dyson Hot/Cool along with Smart Speakers etc.  I know I’ll have to change plugs,  but just not sure whether any of these would cause trip outs on a 10 amp plug.

All comments would be most appreciated.

It's probably simpler to sell and buy new here. Especially stuff like kettle/toaster etc, cheap to replace. We changed plugs on a few things or used an adapter on hairdryer, blender etc. 

[unzippy]

14 hours ago, HappyHeart said:

It's probably simpler to sell and buy new here. Especially stuff like kettle/toaster etc, cheap to replace. We changed plugs on a few things or used an adapter on hairdryer, blender etc. 

When we did the maths, it wasn't.

Especially when you factor in the time/hassle factor involved with selling - people not turning up when they said they would, the pitiful offers they make etc.  If you do manage to sell it all, what will you use up until you leave?  Or are you planning to sell everything the day you leave?

If you are migrating you will have better uses of your time than dealing with gumtree/ebay/facebook idiots

[HappyHeart]

12 minutes ago, unzippy said:

When we did the maths, it wasn't.

Especially when you factor in the time/hassle factor involved with selling - people not turning up when they said they would, the pitiful offers they make etc.  If you do manage to sell it all, what will you use up until you leave?  Or are you planning to sell everything the day you leave?

If you are migrating you will have better uses of your time than dealing with gumtree/ebay/facebook idiots

You have to ship it before the day you leave anyway? Ours went 2 weeks before us. Most of what we shipped was unnecessary. If we did it again we'd come with even less. I suppose it depends on how much 'good stuff' you have. Ours was mostly cheaper and easily replaceable. Only things of value we bought were new fridge freezer and washer which lasted several years so were worth bringing. Oh and my beloved bed. The boxes of kitchen stuff were (mostly) completely unnecessary. My take is be ruthless and minimalist. New life, new stuff. All that faffing around with plugs is a pain too. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by HappyHeart

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, HappyHeart said:

You have to ship it before the day you leave anyway? Ours went 2 weeks before us. Most of what we shipped was unnecessary. If we did it again we'd come with even less. I suppose it depends on how much 'good stuff' you have. 

That is an important point, though not the only one.   If you're the kind of person who has a collection of pots, pans, kitchen gadgets, cushions, etc that have been lovingly collected over the years - take them, even if they are old. 

If you come with nothing, you don't have the luxury of picking and choosing just the right items for your home. You have to zip through the shops and settle for what's available on the day - and there's already less choice in Australia as it is.  Then you're either stuck with that stuff for years, or you're going to waste money throwing it all out as you gradually find the perfect pieces to replace it (it's true that's money you don't notice, but you'd be shocked how much it adds up to). 

If you're shipping a container or a Movecube, then small stuff like kitchen appliances may fit in the spaces, so it makes no sense to leave the small stuff behind - it's not going to cost you any extra to bring it, and it's not like you'll be able to sell it before you go.  Because you have to ship your stuff early, it does mean you have to manage without for a few weeks, but it's not that hard to "camp" in your old home, especially if you can borrow bits and pieces from family.

I always recommend doing a trial shop at Harveynorman.com.au and Ikea.com.au for everything you'll need if you leave your stuff behind - most people drastically underestimate how much their "old stuff' is going to cost to replace.

[unzippy]

3 hours ago, HappyHeart said:

You have to ship it before the day you leave anyway? Ours went 2 weeks before us. Most of what we shipped was unnecessary. If we did it again we'd come with even less. I suppose it depends on how much 'good stuff' you have. Ours was mostly cheaper and easily replaceable. Only things of value we bought were new fridge freezer and washer which lasted several years so were worth bringing. Oh and my beloved bed. The boxes of kitchen stuff were (mostly) completely unnecessary. My take is be ruthless and minimalist. New life, new stuff. All that faffing around with plugs is a pain too. 

 

It was more that you do decide to ship it, you can use it until you ship it - we stopped at my parents for a week after the house got packed up and then flew out.
If you have sold your kettle 2 weeks before you leave, it will be a struggle!

Another thing to think about, some people (given that we are all different) will find it easier to settle in a brand-new environment if they're are surrounded by their "own stuff".

Horses for courses

Edited October 14, 2020 by unzippy

[HappyHeart]

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

That is an important point, though not the only one.   If you're the kind of person who has a collection of pots, pans, kitchen gadgets, cushions, etc that have been lovingly collected over the years - take them, even if they are old. 

If you come with nothing, you don't have the luxury of picking and choosing just the right items for your home. You have to zip through the shops and settle for what's available on the day - and there's already less choice in Australia as it is.  Then you're either stuck with that stuff for years, or you're going to waste money throwing it all out as you gradually find the perfect pieces to replace it (it's true that's money you don't notice, but you'd be shocked how much it adds up to). 

If you're shipping a container or a Movecube, then small stuff like kitchen appliances may fit in the spaces, so it makes no sense to leave the small stuff behind - it's not going to cost you any extra to bring it, and it's not like you'll be able to sell it before you go.  Because you have to ship your stuff early, it does mean you have to manage without for a few weeks, but it's not that hard to "camp" in your old home, especially if you can borrow bits and pieces from family.

I always recommend doing a trial shop at Harveynorman.com.au and Ikea.com.au for everything you'll need if you leave your stuff behind - most people drastically underestimate how much their "old stuff' is going to cost to replace.

I found it difficult working out what to bring and what not to. Did my head in. I shipped a couple of pictures and the glass was broken on arrival. My overriding memory of unpacking the boxes though was 'why have I paid good money to ship all this crap halfway across the world!'

I'm a closet hoarder at the best of times and it just reinforced that. The idea of throwing out a perfectly good spatula when I could ship it....then unpacking it all and thinking...WTH...at the end of the day you can replace the basics for a good price. I was glad I bought a few prized personal effects/decorative items that I really loved but were valuless in terms of monetary value.. Ive never been one for expensive kitchen stuff though- always seems like an extravagance. My Ikea frying pan is the best! 

As Unzippy says, we are all different! 

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, HappyHeart said:

I found it difficult working out what to bring and what not to. Did my head in. I shipped a couple of pictures and the glass was broken on arrival. My overriding memory of unpacking the boxes though was 'why have I paid good money to ship all this crap halfway across the world!'

...bjut if you hadn't shipped those pictures, would you have saved money, or would you just have paid good money to ship fresh air instead?

Unless you are paying to ship by the box, it's not sensible to think in terms of "this wasn't worth shipping".   If you shipped a container or a Movecube, you've wasted money if you didn't fill every crevice.

The way I'd approach it is to separate boxes into "definitely ship" and "will squeeze in if there's room" - then make sure you send your consignment off a couple of weeks beforehand, so you have time to dispose of the thing that wouldn't fit.  That way you maximise your shipping and minimize waste.

I know it's more work to do the packing and unpacking, but that's a minor annoyance in the scheme of things.

[HappyHeart]

30 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

...bjut if you hadn't shipped those pictures, would you have saved money, or would you just have paid good money to ship fresh air instead?

Unless you are paying to ship by the box, it's not sensible to think in terms of "this wasn't worth shipping".   If you shipped a container or a Movecube, you've wasted money if you didn't fill every crevice.

The way I'd approach it is to separate boxes into "definitely ship" and "will squeeze in if there's room" - then make sure you send your consignment off a couple of weeks beforehand, so you have time to dispose of the thing that wouldn't fit.  That way you maximise your shipping and minimize waste.

I know it's more work to do the packing and unpacking, but that's a minor annoyance in the scheme of things.

I think we paid per box or 1/4:container from memory. We only had 3 large items plus our 8 or so boxes. 

[Marisawright]

10 minutes ago, HappyHeart said:

I think we paid per box or 1/4:container from memory. We only had 3 large items plus our 8 or so boxes. 

If you have more than 3 or 4 boxes, paying per box is not a cost effective choice

[Curly]

All electrical items from the UK will work in Australia as the Volts and Frequency is exactly the same. You will just need to change over the plugs. If the item is a large power load which requires more than 10A you would need to put a 15A plug on there instead but a lot of houses here do not have 15A as standard. For small appliances it is not worth bringing them out as you could get a cheap toaster, kettle, blender, etc from places like Target just to get you started. We brought a couple of TV’s, washing machine and dryer. We are glad we did as they are big ticket items and they are still working nearly 4 years on. The TV’s will need set top boxes to work here unless you can unlock them but again they are not expensive and will get you through times before you need to go out and buy more. You can get Foxtel or fetch TV if you wanted and will work fine through the HDMI cable. 
They are the biggest ones and I’m glad we brought them as it is expensive enough to get everything settled in place. If you do bring a fridge I would recommend leaving it a good few days after delivery to turn them on as they would have had a good journey with the gas so give it time to settle before you power it up again. 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Curly said:

All electrical items from the UK will work in Australia as the Volts and Frequency is exactly the same..... For small appliances it is not worth bringing them out as you could get a cheap toaster, kettle, blender, etc from places like Target just to get you started.

I don't agree.  Remember you are paying by volume, not value of the goods.  Those small things take up very little space so if you're filling a container or a Movecube, they will cost almost nothing to ship.   

Besides, though you can buy cheap (rubbish) replacements to get you started, that is still costing you money - and the cheap one looks awful in the kitchen.  Even if it doesn't break, you'll soon decide you want a decent one that looks nice in your kitchen/has better features - so although you might have saved a tiny amount on shipping, you end up paying twice over for your small appliances. Plus there's a possibility you won't be able to get as nice a kettle or blender or whatever as the one you had, because the range is more limited in Australia. 

I would be far more likely to leave behind the fridge, which is vulnerable to damage in transit and take up a huge amount of volume. I would be inclined to take a washer and dryer if they were almost new, but I'd think carefully if they were older - it all depends what else you'll have to leave behind to fit them in.

[ali]

We brought all electrical kitchen appliances, microwave,  washer, dryer, TV's .. advised not to bring fridge/freezers but they were built in anyway.  We rented furnished for 3 months .. so didn't need to buy things immediately, moved into our own house at the end of the 3 months and were glad that we'd brought everything, gave us a bit of breathing space.  I think we still have one or two things still working

[ramot]

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I don't agree.  Remember you are paying by volume, not value of the goods.  Those small things take up very little space so if you're filling a container or a Movecube, they will cost almost nothing to ship.   

Besides, though you can buy cheap (rubbish) replacements to get you started, that is still costing you money - and the cheap one looks awful in the kitchen.  Even if it doesn't break, you'll soon decide you want a decent one that looks nice in your kitchen/has better features - so although you might have saved a tiny amount on shipping, you end up paying twice over for your small appliances. Plus there's a possibility you won't be able to get as nice a kettle or blender or whatever as the one you had, because the range is more limited in Australia. 

I would be far more likely to leave behind the fridge, which is vulnerable to damage in transit and take up a huge amount of volume. I would be inclined to take a washer and dryer if they were almost new, but I'd think carefully if they were older - it all depends what else you'll have to leave behind to fit them in.

We worked on the theory if it ain’t broke, bring it, that way you can replace things as required rather than the initial rather large outlay.  We were in rented holiday accommodation when we first came, So didn’t need anything to start with.

We bought our dryer with us when we came 17 years ago, we had bought it 2nd hand several years before we came, and it’s still going strong, owes us nothing. Hope I haven’t jinxed it by saying that!!! 

[HappyHeart]

9 hours ago, ramot said:

We worked on the theory if it ain’t broke, bring it, that way you can replace things as required rather than the initial rather large outlay.  We were in rented holiday accommodation when we first came, So didn’t need anything to start with.

We bought our dryer with us when we came 17 years ago, we had bought it 2nd hand several years before we came, and it’s still going strong, owes us nothing. Hope I haven’t jinxed it by saying that!!! 

We only replaced our hotpoint washer 2 years ago...after 9 years of service in Aus! It was 2 years old when we bought it over 

[Curly]

On 17/10/2020 at 09:37, Marisawright said:

I don't agree.  Remember you are paying by volume, not value of the goods.  Those small things take up very little space so if you're filling a container or a Movecube, they will cost almost nothing to ship.   

Just a matter of opinion. People can bring anything they want and stating that big ticket items are more valuable as much more expensive here than back in the UK. For things like kettles, toasters etc if you are attached to them bring them with you but even if you buy a cheap one it gets you through until you decide you do want something different. 
with things like fridges, freezers, washers and dryers don’t forget you can still store things inside to send across as long as they are packed in tight 

[Ausvisitor]

On 13/10/2020 at 05:35, unzippy said:

Be aware that in some states it is illegal to change plugs unless you are a qualified electrician.
I also brought a bunch of stuff over and have had no issues.  I haven't been arrested either 

It is illegal to change the plug in that state if you are not a qualified electrician, but it is not illegal to change a plug before you ship it to that state, so do the switch over before you leave.

You just need to get AUS plugs in the UK, which whilst not simple isn't rocket science

[Marisawright]

14 hours ago, Curly said:

Just a matter of opinion. People can bring anything they want and stating that big ticket items are more valuable as much more expensive here than back in the UK. 

Not a matter of opinion, it's a matter of each person having to work it out for themselves.  I was pointing out that if you are shipping a Movecube or container, it could cost you absolutely nothing to squeeze in your small appliances, so why would you leave them behind?   Whereas if you ship a Movecube and you have to choose between shipping your washing machine or shipping three boxes of other stuff, the washing machine is incurring a cost and you need to work that out.   

Ditto if you are thinking of a Movecube and then realise that means leaving behind your large appliances - before you jump in and upgrade to a shared container, do your sums, because you are incurring an extra shipping cost for them - are they going to be worth it?  It goes without saying that you've got to price those appliances in Australia in order to make that decision.