Swiss plug adapters

"Universal plug adapter"?

You need to be more specific. Perhaps you could link to a webpage that shows what your UPD looks like.

If you are talking about the ungrounded, two round pin, type C (CEE 7/16), Europlug adapter, it should work in Switzerland. Some earlier type C adapters had large rounded ends that prevented the plug from going into the straight angled ends of the recessed Swiss socket, but I think more recent adapters will fit.

You should note that the type C adapter is not grounded, so it should not be used with a US plug with a grounding pin. The type C plug is limited by codes to applications of less than 2½ amps (575W). It should not be used with hair dryers. The Swiss receptacle is unique on the continent in that it IS polarized, but since the type C plug can go in two ways, the polarization can not be assured, making it unsafe to leave an appliance with a polarized plug (one blade wider) plugged in.

The type E/F French/German Schuko plug will fit in sockets all over the continent except in Switzerland and older Italian sockets, and it IS grounding. It will also accept a polarized US plug, but only Swiss power is polarized. In Switzerland, if your US plug is grounding, you will need a type J, grounding (3 pin) Swiss plug adapter.
Again, don't leave an appliance with a US polarizing plug, plugged in.

I highly recommend you purchase a Swiss specific adapter. Type C does not always work.

Go to Amazon and specifically look for adapters for Switzerland. And then if need be, buy some at your friendly local airport or train station.

Type C does not always work.

Years ago (like more than 20 years ago), I had a type C adapter that would not have worked in Switzerland.) The plug had kind of a dog bone shape, with large, rounded ends that would not fit in the straight, pointed ends of a Swiss socket. It also did not have a grounding pin. I think that it would not fit a Swiss socket was deliberate. They didn't want it to fit in a Swiss socket. It also only had two narrow blade slots, so it wouldn't fit a US polarized plug. I think that that was also deliberate.

Today, adapters like this one will fit in Swiss sockets. Note, it accepts a grounding US plug and has a pin that fits in the grounded socket of a Swiss receptacle. It also has a wider slot to accept the neutral blade of a US polarizing plug. I think to be safe you should only use grounding adapters in Europe. Except if you have a grounding plug end Swiss adapter you should not use polarized plugs on the continent in Europe, since only Swiss power is polarized.

However, if you are only using USB "chargers", a type C adapter would be adequate.

Thank you all for your input..
I have several type C adapters that I use for Europe trip...
It appears that type is "iffy" whether it will work or not.. - so I just ordered a type J adapter for Swiss travel..it will arrive a day before my flight..

I have so many travel accessories lying around my house, I didn't want to contribute to another item that will become obsolete once my Swiss travel is complete.. then again, ordering from Amazon is so simple.. problem solved..

I'm so glad this question was asked. I have several plug adapters, but didn't realize Switzerland is different needing a J. Just ordered an adapter for my September trip. I would have traveled with my C and been so disappointed, and also hunting a shop to buy one. This happened to us in England, didn't even think about the plug configuration being different... we found a shop in the train station in Edinburgh and bought what we needed. not expensive, but inconvenient to have to shop for this.

You guys do not need a J for Switzerland. I’m here now. On this trip and all my others a C is all I have needed. Just make sure it has the points at the end. Look at the one Rick sells. That’s what I’ve always used. I’m just charging my phone watch and iPad.

Barkinpark would love to hear where you were and what you used that needed a J.

I hope I copied this link correctly. From the Swiss tourism site. They state C is fine. Do not need J.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/planning/about-switzerland/general-facts/general-information/electricity/#:~:text=Switzerland%20uses%20type%20C%20(2,may%20be%20used%20without%20problem.

Hi Carrie..

Looking at the thread, I'm 90% sure, my type C plug will work... but do I really need to stress for that 10% time when it doesn't?? Especially when I can order from Amazon for $15...

Gene the Swiss tourism board is not going to mislead tourists. But it’s your money. Adapters are small. Bring a bunch of different ones if you like.

Why spend $15....you can get it a lot cheaper on Amazon:

Swiss Type J Adapter

I guess it depends on the age of your building. If it's old, like my family's chalet, then getting one type J is the safest thing to do.

Why spend $15....you can get it a lot cheaper on Amazon:

@Frank. Maybe because the cheaper one you linked to appears to be incorrectly polarized! Unless the connection between the Swiss pins and the US slots cross in the middle of the adapter (which I doubt; why would they?), the neutral pin of the plug is connected to the short, Line, slot of the US female receptacle.

The adapter to which you linked shows the Line and Neutral pins of the Swiss plug in the correct positions.

The view of the American receptacle from this website shows the longer (neutral) slot on the left with the grounded socket (type B) on the bottom, which means with the grounded socket on the top, as shown in your linked page, the neutral slot should be on the right, but that's the same side as the L (line) pin on the Swiss plug side.

I believe this adapter is correctly polarized.

@Carrie, as long as you are only using a USB charger, you can use a type C adapter because USB chargers plugs are not polarized, UL doesn't require it, and they draw less than 2½ amp. A type C adapter should not be used with a polarizing plug or with an appliance, like a hair dryer, that draws more than 2½ amps.

Gene, you should be fine with the Type C.

If for sme reason you need a different one just for Switzerland, they will be easy to find once you are there. Every market, every pharmacy, every tourist shop, even your hotel will probably have them.

And just about every adapter will work without having a degree in engineering.

A type C plug has a flat hexagonal shape, and if it does not, it is not a Type C plug. Those will fit in Switzerland.
Regarding polarisation: The type C plug is not polarised, so there is no way for an adaptor to be incorrectly polarised. You will see that you can insert them both ways in a socket. In Europe we do not care about polarisation. The type F plug Germany uses is not polarised either.

You will see that you can insert them both ways in a socket.

Inserting them both ways (at the same time) would be a physically impossibility. I think you mean they can be inserted either way in a socket.

Regarding polarisation (sp?): European power is polarized, that is, one conductor (neutral) is at ground potential and the other (line) does carry a sinusoidally varying voltage (in Europe, 230V 50Hz); it's just not specifically so. Whereas, in the US, the longer slot (LH w/ the grnd down) should always be at ground potential (neutral), on the continent, except in Switzerland, the neutral conductor could be on either side. In the US, in order to save the cost of a 2-pole switch, the polarized plug assures that an internal short to ground will not cause the appliance to "come on".

"The type F plug Germany uses is not polarised either." No, it isn't. The type E French plug, because the off-center ground pin allows the plug to be inserted only one way, could be specifically polarized, but since the sockets themselves are not specifically polarized, the connection isn't either. In Switzerland outlets (receptacles or outlets) are specifically polarized.

"In the US, in order to save the cost of a 2-pole switch, the polarized plug assures that an internal short to ground will not cause the appliance to "come on"."

In Europe most appliances will have a 1-pole switch too. Which is one reason we were taught in primary school to unplug a table lamp before replacing a light bulb. You can't indeed now know if something is going to be live.

An internal short to ground will just trip the RCD...

An internal short to ground will just trip the RCD...

From what I read, RCDs are similar to what we call GFCIs, and are only required by some counties (Germany, France, Italy, & Denmark) but then only for circuits in damp locations. And the mandate might apply only to new construction. So there could be a lot of circuits on the European continent protected by overcurrent devices, but not by RCDs.

That is true IF the connection to power is properly polarized, that is, the single pole switch is on the line side of the load. In that case, a short to ground between the switch and the load will cause flow over a very low resistance path (the short) and trip an overcurrent device whenever the switch is closed.

However, if the connection is "reverse polarized", that is, the switch is on the neutral (ground potential) side, the load will always be connected to the line voltage. Without a short, the appliance will operate normally; closing the switch will just complete the circuit to the neutral conductor. However, if a short to ground occurs between the load and the switch, that short will, in essence, bypass the switch, causing the appliance to inadvertently come on. The current will still be normal - it won't trip the overcurrent device because the electricity will still be going through the load¹ - but if, for instance, the device is a hair curler or straightener, having it come on and get hot when unattended, might have unfortunate results.

This is why I tell people, if you do use a device with a polarizing plug on the continent, don't leave it plugged in unattended.

1. If the overcurrent device is an RCD, it will trip due to an imbalance of current between the line and neutral conductors, but, at least in the US, GFCIs are not mandated for all circuits.
   

this is another great option that has worked well for me on several Swiss trips. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZYWTJJR?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

BTW, for anyone still awake, overcurrent devices (breakers) limit the current through a device so that it doesn't overheat the wires and start a fire. In US homes these devices limit the current in 125V (nominal) circuits to, generally, 15 or 20 amps. Fifteen amp circuits use 14 ga. wires, which are consider big enough to carry 15 amps without overheating; twenty amp circuits require larger, 12 ga. wires to safely transmit the higher current.

More than 15 or 20 amps can cause fires, but it takes only a few milli-amps to kill you. An RCD or GFCI is designed, not to prevent fires, but to prevent death by electrocution. RCDs and GFCIs detect a very small difference between the current coming into a device and the current going out via the conductors of the supply system. If there is a difference, the current has to be going somewhere, possible through a person, so the RCD disconnects the power to the circuit in a few milliseconds. So, if you are using your hair straightener with wet hands in a bedroom, where there is no RCD protection, you could be at risk. In this case, a polarizing plug protects the house, not you.

I am taking just my C adapter on my trip. I've found that if I take only one that is grounded, should I encounter a wall plug that isn't grounded, I won't be able to use the J. This has happened to me in Italy, totally unable to use a grounded adapter...

Only using to charge my phone/watch/ipad. I don't travel with all that extra stuff like hair dryers, curling irons, etc.

It's a C for me...