Installing a European plug in a room.

[KevinAr18]

I am looking into installing a European (German) plug into a bathroom in our basement. It would require converting from American 110V? 60Hz to 220V 50Hz.
Can this be done for a reasonable price? (aka, under $100)

 

[BrianG]

Are you talking about an electric shaver socket? Local electricity supply regulations normally prohibit any other kind of power socket in bathrooms for what should be obvious safety reasons!

 

[OperaHouse]

Those europeans! Don't you just love taking a shower with a 240V electric water heater in the shower with you.

 

[gaddon]

It depends on what you wish to power, as has been suggested if it is the outlet you want then a shaver socket is all that is safe, and that need a elb in circuit. As a european (british) I have found most major appliances are dual voltage, if it is a shower, well I suggest you get one locally, safer.

 

[KevinAr18]

It's just for an electric shaver/razor.

 

[busbar]

Understand that in "Euro" 220V 50Hz systems, one conductor is almost always solidly grounded. That is rarely the case for "US" 240V 60Hz circuits.

 

[BrianG]

Hi Kevin, if it's just for a shaver then I have a few points to make.
1) If it is a shaver you want to power, aren't these usually dual voltage?
2)If you must have 220V available, a shaver probably won't mind running on either 50Hz or 60Hz. This means that you don't need an exotic solution to convert frequencies, all you have to do is get the voltage up to 220V. This can be done with a transformer.
3)Purpose-built shaver sockets for bathrooms usually come with a built-in isolating transformer and RCD device. I believe the secondary is dual voltage selectable (110/220V) and centre-tapped. The centre tap is grounded so that shock hazard in minimised.

 

[etarhan]

I started to think,

how much does a shaver cost nowadays?

By the way,
* if the shaver works on AC (internally, that is), then it will need the 50Hz.
* Frequency conversion would far surpass the price of a new (110/60) shaver.
* However, depending on the design, it is possible to adjust some shavers for 60Hz.
* But it needs opening up the case, not recommended for non-trained personnel.
* If AC is used to recharge the battery, it would most probably accept 110/60 without too much complaint, except perhaps that the recharge time would be somewhat elongated.

Engin

 

[peebee]

While I myself use disposable Bics, I've seen high-end German electric shavers go for thousands and thousands of dollars. Frequency conversion might well be viewed as econonomical with such a razor.

Anyway, I'd suspect that a 60Hz supply would work just fine. A step-up transformer would do the trick, just make sure it's rated for the load of the razor. I'd suspect 300va or so would be fine, but that's just a guess. It should just run a bit faster on 60Hz, otherwise it should be fine. If you are looking for the ultimate in German shaving experience, well then a frequency converter might well make sense, there's certainly plenty of them for sale for traver purposes. While there might be some issue using them as permanent wiring, I'd think that worst case you should be able to install them in a metal enclosure or some such that would keep your local inspector happy

(you ARE planning on permitting your receptacle and having it inspected, aren't you? surely even the ultimate shave is not worth risking killing yourself or burning your house down for)

You should also install GFI on the secondary of the transoformer. GFI 220v receptacles are somewhat uncommon here in the US, but you can certainly find 220v GFI breakers. Make sure the GFI trip on your breaker is rated for 5mA (personnel protection) rather than 30mA (equipment protection).

The issue of center-tapped grounding is key, particularly if your razor has a metal case. You most definitely do not want to wire the metal case of your razor to 120vac. Make sure you figure out how the razor is meant to be wired.