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Help with voltage USA>Scotland

Hi everyone! I've found great info on here so far, so thanks for that. Still confused about this next part. I'm from the USA and will be traveling in Scotland. I have severe insomnia so I need my sleep machines. I have reliable Dohm ones I've used for years. Luckily, I found that they make a EU model, so I bought those. I guess this plug is more of a France/Belgium/etc. plug vs. a UK one. I can't seem to post pictures on here, darn. What I have are both UK adapters as well as a converter. The bottom of the Dohm machine says "220-240" volts, so it's not dual voltage. Ostensibly/hypotheically, since both a EU plug and a UK plug both seem to be 230-240 volts, I can use my UK adapter on this Dohm machine EU plug, and be fine, right? No need for my converter in this situation?

I'm just always trying to avoid an electric burn out or fire or whatever the issue would be if I were to do this wrong. But my sleep machines are a necessity so I can't mess with that, and I want to do it correctly. Thanks for everyone's time!

Posted by
3371 posts

Correct.
I have a euro hair appliance that I use in the UK with just a plug adapter.

Posted by
19762 posts

Specs look a little bit out of date. There was a time when the British Isle was 240V and the continent was 220V, but the EU, when Britain was still in it, settled on a compromise of 230V. So, your EU unit should work.

You say you have a French/Belgium plug, Type E, a grounding plug, not a simple two pin, Type C, plug. These days, most European "Schuko" plugs, Type E/F, have both grounding clips on the side for German Schuko, and a metal socket for a protruding grounding pin in the French receptacles, and will work almost anywhere in Europe except for, possibly, Switzerland or Italy. Get the right grounding UK plug adapter and you should be good to go.

A proper UK adapter should have two metal conducting prongs, AND a longer metal (that's important) grounding prong to provide a grounding means and open the shutters on a UK receptacle.

@Carrie, if the OP's plug is really only a French Schuko, Type E plug. The adapter you show, which has only side clips, would not work with it. However, today, most plugs in the EU are Type E/F, i.e., they have both E and F grounding means, and will work in either type receptacle.

Posted by
19415 posts

What you need is an EU to UK adapter. If you can't find one before you leave, there will be plenty of places in Scotland to buy one. Even at the airport. Every gift shop, every pharrmacy, every supermarket will have them.

You will not need a converter.

The device calls it an EU plug, not a French/Belgium one. All UK plugs have three prongs which includes a grounding one. (Look at your device, it if has two round prongs you'll be fine. That's the standard EU plug.)

Don't worry about all the complicated talk, just buy yourself an EU to UK adapter.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you, everyone! I'm super grateful for your responses and the level of detail and info in them. I really, really appreciate all of them!

Posted by
7 posts

Hi there well the good news, your plan is correct. No converter needed, just the right adapter.

Your Dohm's 220-240V rating matches the UK's standard voltage (230V nominal). No converter required.
You need an EU to UK adapter, not a US to UK adapter. Your device has a European plug (likely a two round prong "Schuko" type), so it needs an adapter that converts from that EU plug shape to a UK socket.
Look for one with a proper grounding pin. A real UK adapter has two flat prongs plus a longer metal grounding prong. That grounding prong is what opens the safety shutters on UK outlets, so a cheap adapter without it won't work properly.
If you don't have one before you leave, they're easy to find in Scotland. Pharmacies, supermarkets, and airport shops all carry them. Just be clear with staff that you need one for a European device going into a UK outlet, since the reverse (UK to EU) is more common in stores.
Prices vary a lot by store. Expect somewhere in the £2 to £7 range.

Since your voltage already matches, this really is just a plug shape issue. Get the EU to UK adapter and you'll be set.

Safe travels and enjoy your stay!

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you both for your recent info and suggestions! I took my trip in June/July and actually did make a boneheaded move my first night. Granted, I'm an insomniac and I hadn't slept for about 36 hours due to the travel, so there's some (lack of) cognitive realness to my decision, but I did put a US voltage sleep/sound machine with an adapter into the wall, and the machine shut off in 30 seconds and I smelled burning! Luckily it turned out okay - I didn't ruin the outlet, only my sleep machine. Mostly I was scared of harming something in the hotel's wiring so I'm glad it didn't turn out that way. I had both my US + UK voltage sleep machines with me, I just picked the wrong one to plug in that first night. Luckily, things like that help you remember (hopefully) for next time. But thank you for everyone helping me on this forum...I really do appreciate it.

And yes, Eddie, your specificity is amazing. What you typed out is so helpful. That's exactly what I purchased before my trip were the EU to UK adapters with the grounding pin. Those are the ones I used the whole trip. Thank you, too, Ken - both you and Eddie were exactly on the same page. Very kind and helpful.