Plugging hell…
I’ve never really understood the science behind electricity. When I hear the word Resistance I think of French freedom fighters, Voltage is an Olympic event that requires a pole, Amps say “Marshall” on the front.
Huh?
Still, I don’t need a deep understanding of mains wiring systems to know that the system in Brazil is messed up. In recent times, Brazil has used as many as 10 different plug/socket types. At a guess I would say I have seen least 5 different types in the two places I have lived in Rio.
There are the parallel blade plugs (type A) commonly used in the US:
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| Type A |
There are the Europlugs with two round pins (Type C):
Type C
I have seen this strange plug on large appliances such as washing machines (Type B):
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| Type B |
And most products bought in the last few years will have three pins (Type N):
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| Type N is the standard that has been adopted since 2007. So now things will be simple right? Well… |
However, we got a shock surprise when we tried to plug in our new microwave. It turns out that there are 2 forms of the Type N plug. Higher amp appliances have a thicker earth pin (the one in the middle) which won’t fit into normal sockets. We actually had to get an electrician in to fit a new socket before we could use the microwave!
Then there are the voltages. Half of Brazil’s states use 127V, the other half use 220! Here’s a list (seriously, good luck if you live in Bahia!). And in theory the different voltages should use the same sockets, meaning a 127V appliance bought in one state could well fry when plugged into a 220V socket in another state. Nuts.
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| A fan in a hostel bedroom in north eastern state of Maranhão. What is wrong with this picture? |
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| Matchsticks to secure the bare wires? Pretty sure that isn’t in the electrician’s handbook! |
Sorry, I don’t suppose this is very interesting if you don’t live in Brazil (I guess you could just read this to feel smug about the consistent electrical standards of your own country). It’s just that it drives me crazy! Half of our Brazilian appliances need adapters. Then throw in the fact that I have quite a few UK plug appliances which also need adapters and you have a kind of fresh madness.
the matchsticks photo scares me!
i didn't know there were 2 forms of the Type N plug.
Ha ha, yeah, it scared me too – I think I flicked the switch with a flip-flop whilst attempting to be mid air! (would that have saved me?)
RE the other type of Type N plug, it was only through the microwave incident that I found out – it was *really* annoying!
Hey Tommy, Type B plug is actually really normal in NA- it's for appliances and things that require grounding. Our sockets in the wall have three holes to accomodate for this :)
"Our sockets in the wall have three holes to accomodate for this" – I wish ours did!! We have little rats' nests of wires and converter plugs surrounding all the sockets in our house. Muito feio! x
"Plugging Hell". Lol. Awesome.
If I were in an army at war with Brazil I would be afraid of winning. Honestly, think if the burden of the occupation. I´m amazed that they don´t have a specific needle to extract each and every blood type (Bloody Hell). Ninguem merece.
Do the type n higher amp appliance socket fit the lower amp appliances as well?
Hey Gritty, thankfully the the higher amp sockets are OK with normal appliances too (small mercies!). And don't get me started with the coinage – the silver 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent coins that all look pretty much identical at a glance! What were they thinking?! ;)
Hey Tom,
Turns out that the two Type N sockets are designated 20 amp and 10 amp (see the label in the back of the wrap). According to the Chinese couple that owns a hardware store near my place you can use the 20 amp one and it fits all. This is what I understood ( they don´t speak Portuguese that well). They offered a demonstration though and were quite convincing.
Jeez, as soon as people start talking amps I start thinking "Ohm my god" ;)
But I think what you are saying agrees with what I was thinking. My take on this is that the 20 amp socket is what the electrician installed especially for our microwave (with the fatter middle prong). Like the Chinese couple say, that is good for all appliances (10 or 20) – I can plug a normal appliance into the new socket without a problem. But that doesn't help me if I want to plug the microwave into any of the normal (10 amp?) 3 prong sockets dotted around the the house right?
As you can probably tell, for me electricity is one notch down from magic!
The Chinese man says it´s better to only install 20amp sockets since their cost, 50 centavos more than the 10 amp sockets, is negligible in comparison to the cost of calling an eletrician and changing socket/s.
I spoke of you to the enlightened hardware king of the Orient and being a fellow immigrant he claims to feel your pain and share your despair (for your sake hopefully this sharing doesn´t extend to Portuguese proficiency). Anyway the wise one asked me to pass these comforting words, from teaching of his homeland, on to you: the well is deep, I wish you well.
Ha ha, thanks Gritty! I cling to the hope that one day Tesla's vision of energy transmission beams will make all this moot. I expect that will be achieved at around the same time that everyone decides to adopt English as the universal language and people realise that it makes more sense to drive on the left… ;)