Electricity is inherently dangerous, which is why it’s important to be careful about what you’re plugging into any outlet. Checking to make sure any power cord and plug isn’t damaged is always the first step. Nonetheless, you also should make sure that whatever you’re plugging in is rated for the same voltage as the outlet. Here, we’ll provide a full overview of voltage differences, what impact they have and what you can and shouldn’t plug into different types of outlets.
An Overview of Different Voltages
In terms of whether you can plug a 120-volt power cord into a 110-volt outlet, the first thing to know is that all outlets in the US have a nominal voltage of 120V. You may hear some people refer to a 110-volt outlet, but 120 volts has been the official standard in the US since 1984 and was commonly used for many decades prior. Although the terms 110V and 120V are often used interchangeably, any standard outlet in an American home is 120 volts. You also have at least a few 240-volt circuits and outlets that are used for more powerful appliances and devices like clothes dryers, air conditioners, hot tubs and EV charging stations.
When the first electrical grids were installed in the US, they were only 100 volts. Interestingly enough, the main reason that the grid was then upped to 110 volts was to supply additional power so as to increase the brightness of street lights.
Even though 120 volts has been the standard for many years, you may still find much older appliances made before the grid was upped to 120V that are only 110 volts. If you were to buy an electronic device from Japan, it may only be rated at 100 volts since this is the primary voltage used there. Most of Europe and Africa instead primarily use 220 or 230 volts, but you occasionally find 110-volt outlets in bathrooms designed for things like electric razors and toothbrushes. This is why you need to be careful if you’re purchasing something online from a different country since its voltage may not be compatible with the outlets in your home.
Plugging something into an outlet that has a higher voltage than what the device is rated to handle can be extremely dangerous. Not only does it create a major risk of a fire, but there’s also a high chance that the higher voltage will end up frying the device. Luckily, many electronic devices are rated to handle a wide range of voltages. For instance, devices like laptops and mobile phone chargers are often rated between 110 and 240 volts or sometimes 100-240V. That means you could safely plug the device into any outlet in the world as long as you had an adapter so the plug would fit into the different type of outlet. However, you should always check the information label on any device before plugging it into a different voltage outlet since many electronics from North America are only rated for 120 volts.
If you were to plug a 220-volt device from Europe into a 120-volt outlet in the US, you’d also risk major issues like short-circuiting, overheating or the device malfunctioning. Even if you had an adapter for the plug, you should also never attempt to plug any foreign 220-volt device into any 240-volt outlet in your home.
Understanding Nominal Voltage and Voltage Fluctuations
While the US power grid supplies 120/240-volt power, this is merely the distribution voltage. That means it’s the voltage the grid is designed to run on. The only thing is that the voltage can fluctuate, which is why you’ll also hear 120V referred to as the nominal voltage. Nominal voltage means that the power flowing out of any outlet or fixture may not actually be 120V at all times and instead may fluctuate by around +/-6%. That means it could sometimes be as low as 114 volts or as high as 127 volts.
This fluctuation generally isn’t an issue since any decent 120-volt device is designed with a tolerance level so that no issues occur if there is a slight spike. The tolerance level also ensures that the device will still work properly if there is a drop in voltage as long as it doesn’t drop too far.
If you look at the information printed on most light bulbs, you’ll see that they are actually rated for 130 volts. This is so that the light bulb can handle a higher voltage without getting damaged, and it also allows the bulb to last quite a bit longer before burning out.
Going down in voltage, say from 120 to 110, usually isn’t an issue. Where you may run into problems is if you try to go up by more than 10 volts. Some devices may be fine, but there’s definitely a chance plugging certain appliances with heating elements like a 100-volt toaster or rice cooker into a 120-volt US outlet could result in a fire starting. Going up by more than 10 volts from what the device is rated for will also likely shorten its lifespan by quite a bit.
How to Safely Use Different Voltages
There is an option if you want to plug a device into an outlet that supplies a different voltage from what the device is rated to handle, and that is to use a transformer. For instance, you could use a step-up transformer to plug a 120-volt device into a 220-volt European or African outlet or a step-down transformer to plug a 220-volt appliance into a 120-volt outlet. There are also step-up/step-down transformers that allow you to go in either direction, such as 100V/120V step-up/step-down devices designed to allow you to safely use Japanese appliances in the US or US appliances in Japan.
One thing to note is that some devices are merely a converter and not an actual transformer. A converter isn’t nearly as safe as an actual transformers since it still has the potential to overheat and potentially catch fire if something is plugged into it and turned on for too long.
Another important consideration is that 120-volt power grids have a frequency of 60 hertz (Hz), while 220-volt power grids have a frequency of 50Hz. Without getting too technical, many appliances that have motors won’t work properly even with a transformer if the power isn’t at the frequency the appliance was designed to run on. What most commonly happens in this situation is that you’ll end up with the motor overheating after a short time and subsequently burning out or potentially catching fire.
Contact Us Today
If you have any questions about the electrical system in your home or business, you can trust the electricians at Beck Electric, Generators & Plumbing for expert advice and assistance. We offer an extensive range of electrical services and can help with anything from outlet repairs and rewiring to lighting, surge protection and backup generator installation and maintenance. We also have a team of licensed plumbers ready to handle your plumbing, drain, sewer, gas line, water heater and water quality needs.
We’ve been serving Canton and the surrounding areas since 2007, and we guarantee you’ll be 100% satisfied no matter what type of electrical or plumbing service you need. To schedule a service call or get answers to any questions you have, contact us today.
