

5 Volts to Watts Volts (V)Ĭonverting volts to watts is easy - you just need to know the current in amps. Here are some tables converting common AC and DC voltages to watts at various levels of current. To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon.

The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team If it’s higher, the device will draw too much current and potentially get fried. If the voltage is lower, the device will draw less current and not perform to its highest ability. The effects will depend on whether the voltage in the country you’re visiting is lower or higher than the voltage in your home country. What happens if you plug in a device without a converter? By the time Edison realized that a higher voltage was the better option, it was too costly to switch. In Europe, Tesla chose a higher voltage because it provided continuous electricity, but Edison believed a lower voltage was better because there was a smaller chance of getting electrocuted. The reason for this goes back to the 1800s when Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison were researching electrical generation. Why isn’t there a standard voltage around the world? Converters and adapters aren’t designed for continuous use, which is why it’s recommended that you unplug them once you’re done powering your devices.

Note: a small adapter won’t be able to power as many devices as a bigger adapter.įrequently Asked Questions Can I leave my adapter in the socket when no devices are plugged in? If you don’t have a lot of luggage space, look for a smaller adapter. If you’re traveling alone, one adapter will likely have enough plugs and ports to power all of your devices, but if you’re traveling with family, you may want to buy more than one adapter. Number of DevicesĮach adapter will have several wall plugs and USB ports, limiting the number of devices you can power at once. However, most converters only have a low wattage to support small electronic devices and hair tools while you’re overseas. If you want to run more than a single refrigerator, the wattage on your converter should be high enough to support all of the devices at their initial surge. This means that your converter should be able to support at least 2,200 watts. The converter you choose should be able to support the amount of energy required for each device you want to power.įor example, a refrigerator requires about 2,200 watts to start and 700 watts to continue running after that initial surge. Device WattageĮach appliance or device requires a different amount of energy to start and run. You can either buy the adapter separate from the converter or buy a two-in-one device that has both functions. If the socket is different from the one in your home country, you’ll need an adapter. Before traveling, you should be able to find both the voltage amount and socket type of the country you’re visiting online. There are 15 plug types around the world, starting with Type A and ending with Type O. Before leaving for your trip, research the country you’re traveling to so that you know its voltage and can purchase the correct converter. The products in this review convert 220 volts to 110 volts, but that won’t work for every country you’re visiting. If you’re traveling to a country with a different voltage than that in your home country, you’ll need a converter. The amount of electricity that a socket supplies varies by country. Consider these factors before traveling so that you can effectively power your devices overseas.
