Hairdryers blow up?

Hi, leaving for airport in hours, , lucky me, ,, but now on to the important question!

I was planning on using hairdryer in room at hotel, I know they aren%26#39;t very strong,, and had mentioned that to my friend who is coming with me.

Well, she went out and got another hairdryer, 1875 watts,, 120 V. ,, and some converter plugs. When I saw the monstorsity I said I didn%26#39;t think it would work,, first , it is not dual voltage, and second I think it is too strong. I convinced her to leave it at home and take mine, which is also not dual voltage, but , at least is only 1600 watts. I have a feeling it is not a good idea to use it either though!!!

Will it blow up, or blow a fuse at hotel???

Help, leaving for airport in two hours!

Thanks

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You%26#39;re right - if both hairdryers are 120V-rated, and have no 230V setting, they%26#39;re useless and dangerous in Paris. 1875 or %26quot;only%26quot; 1600 W doesnt make much difference. I%26#39;m not quite sure what will happen exactly - you will certainly blow a fuse, but will the hairdryer survive..?

(yes, there are voltage converters, but they%26#39;re very hard to find and more expensive than a hairdryer, so...) Just buy an inexpensive dryer in Paris - you should be able to find one for as little as 15€, for example at Darty.

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A friend of mine brought her hairdryer from home and blew a fuse in her room. I think she ended up getting one at Monoprix while she was there. That might be the best way to go.

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basically, what will happen is that the fan will run twice as fast as it should - this could cause the fuse to blow in the hotel - or the dryer to just stop working. Or it could mean the hardryer catching on fire in your hand.

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I tried to use my hairdryer. It got really hot and blew a fuse in the hotel. I think that if the one provided by the hotel is not adequate you should go to monoprix and buy one.

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If your hairdryer is not dual voltage, I would not use it there. You would need to use a voltage convertor and I have found they do not work well at all for hair appliances. I traveled with a friend to London and she blew out all the electricity on one side of the hotel we were staying in by trying that.

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I did a little calculation - please correct me if I%26#39;m wrong - and concluded that a 1600W-120V hairdryer will have a power of 5878W when you try to use it at 230V. But that would mean a current of about 26 Amps which is way too much for normal sockets and fuses; also, the heat would probably melt the dryer.

I%26#39;m not sure about the speed of the fan - depending on the type of motor, it could also be slightly slower (US frequency is 60 Hz, Europe has 50 Hz).

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the calculation is not quite right, but the main thing is the heating element will run twice as HOT, melting/catching fire and/or trips the fuse. fan running twice as fast is the least of your concerns.

I once had a dual voltage dryer and the 220V setting is actually the half-speed and heat setting for 120V use. You get the idea.

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I%26#39;ve been waiting for somebody to say: %26quot;Oh ~ grow up! A la little gnome on travelocity who plugs in an appliance and is promptly electrocuted. LOL.

Joan ~ you%26#39;ve long since gone ~ hope you have a great time!

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