Mixed Voltages – Watt to Do
As most of you know, or will find out when you visit the first time, the electricity in the Philippines is 220v instead of the 120v that we are familiar with here in the States. What does that mean to you and me? Well maybe not much if we are just there on a visit, as many electronic things like my laptop and cell phone have adapters that are universal/variable as long as the plugs work. In the case of my laptop, I can get an adapter kit with six AC plugs that work in North America, UK, Continental Europe, Japan, Korea, China and Hong Kong, so even that isn’t an issue.
More common on regular household appliances in the US, both small and large, is a fixed voltage of 110-120v. Things like blenders, toasters, coffee machines, etc. are best left at home. It is advised just to buy a new one when you’ve decided to live or stay long term in the Philippines. At least that is the consensus of those that have experienced the fried appliance that was mistakenly plugged into the higher voltage outlet in the Philippines. I can state with some certainty that electric hair clippers will be useless within seconds – but I’m not saying how I might have come by that knowledge 
So what do you do about those items that are simply not easily found or are no longer made? One of my prized possessions is a Fender Harvard amplifier that was made in 1958. It is not only a great sounding amp, it is considered highly collectable. Not many of them are still around, but they can be found if you know where to look and are willing to pay the price. If I decide to bring this with me to Samal Island, I will either need to use a step down transformer, or possibly not use the amp at all. Of course as many will attest to, things do get plugged in that never should, and the chance of ruining something like this is fairly high. Without going into the details, if this were fried it could be repaired but would never be the same.
Another option that I could consider would be to have our house wired with both 220v and 120v outlets. Since we plan to have our house built from scratch, that seems like a potential answer. I have heard of a few people doing this. I don’t know how well it has worked for them, nor do I know the cost involved but I would think it should be minimum. Would this be reasonable to do if I only have one or two items that require 120v? I don’t know but as I get closer to the day that we can retire there, I should have a better idea of my needs for 120v.
It could also be pretty expensive to replace my home theater system, if that is what we decide to do. So that might offset the extra expense to have the house wired dual. Then again there is cost to send that stuff over.
Maybe the simplest solution would be to get rid of it all my electronics and just start over. Get a newer home theater system with the latest advances or maybe none at all. Sell the amp to someone that would enjoy it as much I have.
After all in the end, we don’t really own anything, do we?
Yup, all are not compatible. I found the same when coming to Europe from Canada. Pick what you want to keep, and give the rest away. Buy new when you arrive. Hard to do at times, but that’s life!
Hi John – I agree most things will be best left behind and buying new. There are just a few items that I’m not sure whether it would be best to give up or try to hold on to. It’s not a decision I have to make any time soon, so it may not end up being a decision at all. Funny how that works sometimes
Thanks for visiting and your comment. Good to hear from you.
Hi Randy,
As someone who had a house built in the Philippines, I can attest that adding a 110 volt line isn’t expensive at all. My 220 and 110 lines are side by side in the walls.
Regardless of voltage, you really need to have a few automatic voltage regulators (AVR) around. This is dirty power, with lots of spikes and sags. The 220 is worse, obviously, because it’s the most widely used but the 110 isn’t safe either.
Things like kitchen appliances are okay to use without an AVR, but I wouldn’t trust things like computers and televisions to be safe from the effects. Basically, if it’s expensive, it needs an AVR – most AVRs have a couple of 220 outlets but only one 110 outlet. I have an old one that has two 220, one 110, and one 100 (for what I don’t know, I use it as 110).
You see autovolt transformers for a lot of electrical devices, with a range of 110 – 240 volts. Most of those are sufficient without AVRs, but I would still worry for something irreplaceable.
Hi RT – I thought I remembered you having your house done that way. If the cost isn’t much more, it might be a good idea for me in the beginning at least. Any issues that you’ve experienced because of the dual wiring?
Haven’t really had to deal with AVRs before and can’t say I’ve seen them much when I’ve been there. Sounds like I better get used to them though. I’m not much of an electrician but I wonder if an AVR couldn’t be applied before all the power to the outlets, or is that just too much for them to handle?
AVRs aren’t made to handle the incoming voltage. I’m sure the fuse would blow immediately.
The AVR I use for my PC, my monitor and everything else on the desktop only cost me 600 pesos, which is like $13.00. 3 or 4 of them should be sufficient for everything you own that might need them.
I’ve had no problems with dual wiring at all. There are two outlets side-by-side in most areas of the house (not all) with one being 110 and one being 220. We have some kitchen appliances which are 110 and one TV (19 inch LCD) which is 110, but we really don’t need all the outlets we have in place. It’s just better to be safe than sorry.
definitely buy the small stuff here. that’s how i’d do it.
i actually stayed over a relative’s house (longtime sf resident since the 60’s) last week and was impressed with the optional 110v-220v outlets. i would definitely include that if i built a house in davao.
another low-cost way of saving your fender amplifier (and other 110v items) is to tape a large tab (with “110v” labelled) at the end of the plug. it should at best minimize the risk, avoid confusion and make anyone think twice before plugging your unit.
like everywhere, you may end up with a few wires hanging around the outlets (especially behind the tv) and it’s best to have labelled plugs back there.
That seems to be the way to go with both outlets. I wasn’t sure how much that would add to the cost and whether it would be difficult, but it sound like it’s not the big of a deal. Probably more common than I had thought.