220 Volt Plug

FORUMOSA • 220 volt extension cords?

I was wondering, do extension cords rated at 220 or 250 volts exist in Taiwan? I bought a 220 volt laminate trimmer (had to special order it, since I am moving to Europe and have no use for 110v laminate trimmers) and I can plug it into the A/C outlet with a plug adapter, however in the place I am at it's in the laundry room and the host would be angry if I started routing stuff in the laundry room, so I need an extension cord to take it outside... If the extension lead uses decent cable to begin with, it should really matter whether the voltage per se is 110 or 220. Decent cable is usually marked to 600V but your main concern will be current. Given that UK extension leads are designed to carry 220V x 13A = 2860W and Taiwan leads only need to worry about 110V x 10A = 1100W*, you'd need to check what sort of current your equipment is likely to draw. Your problem will likely be finding sockets for your plugs when it comes to making up your own extension lead. B&Q likely have Euro style sockets, but the hardware stores here carry them, and the geek shops behind the computer shops on Ba De between Jinshan and Xinsheng. *This is design spec. Normally all the socket outlets in the entire house are connected using Hello Kitty bellwire to a single 80A breaker so the design spec of 10A per circuit is meaningless. Current overload shutoff in practice is provided by the plastic cable sheathing melting under massive overload allowing Live and Neutral to short inside the extension lead causing the Big Black Breaker Under The Stairs to eventually open the circuit after several billion amps have passed through your entire family. These breakers can be very slow. I've tested a 15A breaker by shorting it to Earth. [Don't try this at home it is extremely dangerous - the breaker might explode: there were three electricians present at this test. One was qualified in five states in the US, and only one was drunk.] It allowed 93A to pass for eight seconds before tripping. As did the second one we tested. As the "electrician" explained it to me: they are there to protect the cables, not you. A properly installed RCD is essential in Taiwan, IMHO, if you wish to avoid electrocution. In fairness to Tai Power's voltage regulators, the voltage didn't drop below 100V for the duration nearly 10kW were allowed to pass through a 10mm wire! That's well within tolerances of +/- 1000%! On a similar topic, do they have converters so I can plug two 220-v plugs in one socket?

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