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Post by azraeil on May 16, 2012 10:39:21 GMT
My friend's house is in the Hills, maybe that's an okay area for the 220v installation? Then again, you really cannot predict what or how this thing is implemented here.
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Post by Overland on May 16, 2012 15:36:28 GMT
All houses should have two phases of 110v power. The problem might be frequency. US systems operate at 60hz, EU at 50hz. That will affect the performance of some appliances. If the camp is at 60hz and they install European receptacles at 220v (60hz), somebody could plug something sensitive in and have a serious problem! I am not sure how they would run a parallel 50/60hz system.
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Post by GroveWanderer on May 21, 2012 4:58:56 GMT
Seeing as it was a while since the last time I checked, I called again to ask about the possibility of getting additional 220V outlets installed.
They said that these are still not available but they would check and let me know. A little later, I got an email that stated (in part):
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Post by GroveWanderer on Jun 6, 2012 7:48:42 GMT
And indeed, a "program" has now been established for additional outlets. For those of you following this topic that are not with the company yet, you might be interested to know that in Dhahran at least, Community Services has now agreed to install a limited number of 220V outlets in houses, as follows:
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Post by lesyvro on Jun 7, 2012 11:06:26 GMT
Installation of one more extra 220 grid is very tough in hills area.
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Post by GroveWanderer on Jun 17, 2012 11:15:53 GMT
Just to update anyone who is following this topic, we got the additional 220V outlets installed in our kitchen last week.
Disappointingly though, they were not the UK-style outlets to match the plugs that most 220V appliances come with (and that some people mentioned have been installed in some new houses). They were the US NEMA 5-20 style with one vertical and one horizontal flat slot with a round pin slot underneath. So you would have to buy adapters for them to use with most of the 220V appliances sold here.
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Post by Hadia on Jun 17, 2012 11:33:10 GMT
GroveWanderer, thank you for that update. With an adaptor, would it be safe to plug in a 220V appliance? In your opinion, was it worth putting in the request and getting this oddball plug installed? Also, how long did it take your request to be processed?
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Post by gareth0127 on Jun 18, 2012 5:29:56 GMT
the use of adaptors is one of the most dangerous aspects of this whole topic. The ones you generally find here are awful quality and they often melt or burn up. My advice would be to cut off the UK style plug of your appliance and fit an american style 220V plug yourself (or an electrician). I have found some good quality plugs even in Rahima but Im sure SACO will have them
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Post by GroveWanderer on Jun 18, 2012 6:44:38 GMT
All I can tell you, is that I have used many adaptors over the years, due to the different styles of plugs and outlets found in different parts of the kingdom, and I have never had a safety problem with any of them. I did buy one in Lulu's last week that just didn't work - no matter what you plugged into it, the device did not receive any power, but it wasn't dangerous. I can't guarantee that you might not have a problem with an adaptor, but then again, any electrical component or appliance might have a problem if it is faulty or badly-designed.
In my experience of using them, a well-designed adaptor is no more inherently dangerous than any other electrical component or device - in our Aramco house we have had a wired plug that overheated and melted, and a light switch that started shorting out and had to be replaced, so even hard-wired components are not necessarily 100% safe.
In my opinion it is worth getting the 220V outlets, as there are so few 110V appliances available in stores these days. Admittedly, we have all 110V appliances right now but electric kettles for instance, never seem to last more than a year and at least next time we need to buy something for the kitchen we will be able to choose from a range of models, instead of settling for the only 110V model that we can find.
The request took less than a week when I did it, but our dept secretary called a couple of days later and was told that due to the number of requests, there was now a waiting list and they could not give her an appointment straight away.
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Post by gareth0127 on Jun 18, 2012 7:30:10 GMT
Hi grovewanderer,
Where do you get your adaptors from? We have had about 10 fail, through melting or burning in the 2 years we have been here. The ones we have had are normally rated at 10A and the max load on any of the appliances used on them is maybe 5A. I'd like to get some more reliable ones if possible.
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Post by GroveWanderer on Jun 20, 2012 11:57:45 GMT
I have bought plug adaptors in lots of different places, the last couple I got were in Lulu last week though as I mentioned, one of them did not work. They were for the 220V outlets Aramco installed, to enable them to take the UK style plugs. The one that did work has been fine so far although I have only tested it for a few minutes with a 220V coffee grinder. I have not noticed any rating on any of the adaptors, to be honest. Voltage transformers are a different matter - the few transformers I have bought (only 3, over the years I've been here) were from electrical goods stores in Khobar and Jeddah, bought many moons ago. They are step-up/step-down transformers, completely made of metal, extremely heavy and I suspect would not melt unless you put them into a furnace. They look very similar to the image on the following link: marketplaceadvisor.channeladviso ... =249971480 There used to be some voltage transformers with a plastic outer casing that were sold in certain shops (even the Aramco commissary used to have them at one time) but I have noticed recently that you don't see them any more, perhaps because that type of transformer was not safe (as you said). |
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Post by garciaos on Jun 23, 2012 6:07:23 GMT
About the 220V, all houses under renovation are being supplied with some 220V outlets, at least one in the kitchen, if you don't have it, just call maintenance and create a ticket to install it, they will do it, I requested mine (I'm talking about ABQ, and they installed it the same day), but shouldn't be any difference in Dhahran or other camps. If they refuse, insist, even talk to the supervisor. You can't actually find new 110V appliances in town any more, and they know that's true.
I heard that they are starting a project to build new homes in Dhahran and the plan is to wire them with 110 and 220 simultaneusly.
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