2 prong or 3 prong outlets?
For anyone that has already completed the Classic Italy tour, do the hotels have 2 prong outets or 3 prong outlets. Have a converter that has 2 prongs and have used it perfectly with my blow brush (similar to a hair dryer). But not sure if any of the hotels only have three prongs. Does anyone know?
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Is your "blow brush" a 220 volt or 110 volt device? If it is 220 volt you don't need a converter, just an adapter. If it is 110 volt then you most definitely need a converter (and possibly an adapter). Be sure the converter will handle the wattage of the "blow brush."
Plugs in Italy do not have flat "prongs" like the US, they have two or three round pins. Those with three pins are for devices that have metal cases and/or require grounding. The two pin plugs will work with a 3 hole receptacle. Some of the hotels will have international power outlets near the desk that have various outlets that provide 110 v and 220v.
Type F: This socket also works with plug C and E
Type L: This socket also works with plug C
iPhone, iPads and recent laptops likely do not need a converter (a gizmo to "convert" the power of the electricity). All of the apple products can be used on U.S. (110volts) or Italian (220 volts) without the converter. This information is usually noted on the charger or in the instruction manual. All you will need for these items is the adapter. See the pictures from Alan's post above. I would suggest you carry a small cord which will allow you to use several chargers from one socket. That way you will only need one adapter. The alternative is to buy several adapters, one for each device.
The real reason hair dryers should not be used with a converter is the fan motor speed uses the 60Hz AC signal as a reference signal. In Europe, it's 50 Hz AC, so the fan motor will run slower, causing the heating coils in the hair dryer to overheat.
Do NOT bring a US hair dryer to Europe, unless it specifically says 110/220 VAC 50-60Hz. If you really need your own for the trip, buy it there.
Ummm, that's not quite correct. Though some hairdryers have DC motors, most have universal AC motors which is why they are typically noisy. The motors have brushes, a commutator, and permanent magnets like a DC motor and can actually run on DC. They do not have induction motors, so 50 hz or 60 hz makes no difference whatsoever. Even if it did have an induction motor, it would run fine on 50 hz in this application just slightly slower (other things will be affected like the service factor, hp, etc.
As I have posted previously, too many people don't know the difference between volts, amps and watts, so should leave their hair dryers, curlers, flat irons, etc. home, unless they know specifically that their appliance is designed to operate on European voltage- 220v (actually between 220 and 240v).
I totally agree, but this is Physics 101
We took the Classic Italy tour six years ago and used 2-prong adaptors in all the hotels at that time. We don't even own a 3-prong adapter.
Does your blow brush have a switch to change voltages, like the travel hair dryers? If not, I don't know if a voltage converter will work okay. Some of those hotels are quite old, so don't know if the hotel wiring can handle it, compared to more modern European hotels. (I'm not that knowledgeable about all things electrical.)
Normally, you should never need to worry about the wiring in a building or your house (if it was installed correctly.) The wiring should be protected by a circuit breaker or fuse- the sole purpose of which is to protect the wiring from being overloaded to the point where it can get hot and cause a fire. House/building fuses and circuit breakers are not installed to protect hard-wired devices (oven, AC/heater, lighting) nor devices that are plugged in. If a device needs protection, it will have its own internal fuse/breaker.
To help prevent users from popping breakers or blowing fuses US and Europeans use different outlets with different wiring. Except for special circuits, most US homes have 110v 15 amp outlets, wire rated for a minimum of 15 amps and a 15 amp fuse or circuit breaker for each group of outlet, lights, etc. But there are also such things as 110v 20 amp outlets and plugs. You can insert a 15 amp plug in a 20 amp outlet, but not visa versa. A typical homeowner will rarely see a 20 amp plug or outlet (one prong/slot is turned 90° to the other)
Many hotel rooms in Europe will have two different styles of outlet- one is rated for more amps than the other and the one with the higher rating is generally or vacuums, etc. steam cleaners, etc. So, if you take a high amperage device (iron, curling iron, etc. you should use it in the correct adapter in the correct outlet, but if you don't, you'll just pop the breaker/fuse.
A true 20A appliance will have one vertical prong and one horizontal one, so it can't be plugged into a 15A outlet, which will only accept 2 vertical prongs.
And just for completeness, if an electrical device runs continuously, the NEC (Nat'l Electrical Code) only allows you to use 80% of maximum current rating of the circuit. For example, my Tesla requires a 50A circuit, as it uses 40A to home charge.
Aren’t we talking about electrical outlets in Italy?