Power conversion question

cflame1 wrote:they have a variety of converters for different wattages

This sort of step down converter is not needed with an S7 or S8. A passive plug adapter is all that is required.

Cheers,

Bill

I bought my 220 volt extension cord in France. Even though I had packed a "normal" extension cord, I was uncertain whether it would work safely in a 220 volt environment.

Don't worry on the extension cord. It's not voltage but amperage that would be a concern and with your aplication woun't be. Duct tape is a must as you never know when the hose will fail. Just got back from Europe Tha tape water was extremly clorinated and mineral water gas or no gas was in the plastic .5l bottles for a euro.

Anonymous wrote:Don't worry on the extension cord. It's not voltage but amperage that would be a concern and with your aplication woun't be. Duct tape is a must as you never know when the hose will fail. Just got back from Europe Tha tape water was extremly clorinated and mineral water gas or no gas was in the plastic .5l bottles for a euro.

In this case that is correct. All cable is rated in voltage handling. For current you have to determine a few things like maximum amperage used and length of cable. Typically extension type cords are rated at 300 volts or 600 volts so you are not going to have a problem with that at all. The cord will have this information printed on it by regulation.

I have done several trips with my S8 now and I have never needed an extension cord, but I know my luck will run out sooner or later, so I plan to get one. It would seem to me that a 6' cord would be plenty, since up to now I've never needed one at all. I thought I would ask the group, though: Has anyone ever needed more than 6' in a hotel?

I'll just add the same thing that some other contributers have in a somewhat different way.

Look: You aren't trying to run a 12" industrial circular saw. You're running a tiny machine that has some integrated circuits and a little blower. You you've go a heated humidifier, you're also running a tiny heater.

Don't be scared by the 220 vs. 110 issue. People think "Oh, 220, that's way more powerful than 110. It must need much thicker wires." Nope.

What you should avoid just on general principles is a low-end "lamp" extension cord -- one of the flat two-conductor jobs. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a good three-conductor power cord (typically orange or black). Length doesn't matter since the power drain from your xPAP unit and heater is negligible. But why not get a 14 ga. while you're at it? You'll feel better. Then you can run your circular saw off that as well .

Grounding is an issue, and you may need to have either a 3->2 adaptor of some sort, or at least a US->whatever adaptor that can handle the 3-prong plug on the extension cable.

In general I have found that I can get away with just two US->Europe adaptors: one for the UK and one for anywhere else -- at least if you're not concerned about a grounded circuit.