Here’s a picture of the embassy complex in Jordan. It actually has the NEMA plugs mentioned in the Quara thread. https://www.blharbert.com/assets/2016/01/4-26-2018-NOX-38.jpg
Sometimes you’ll find those. Sometimes it will be something else. I think the poster in the Quara thread was wrong to assume his/her experience was a universal standard for all US embassies.
Yes, those look like NEMA 6-20 outlets. The London picture isn’t high enough resolution to tell if those are 5-15/20 or 6-15/20 outlets. I’ve never seen them stacked like what’s shown in the Jordan picture, so I assumed the stacked outlets in London were 110V.
I’ve never seen them stacked probably because when I’ve encountered 220V outlets in the US they’re the only receptacle on the circuit, because it’s intended to run a device which will pull the maximum allowed amperage.
Searching it seems that in Jordan the standard plug is whatever they happen to have: European, Russian, Indian, UK, whatever.
I agree a 6-15/20 seems more annoying than either the local 220 outlet or a 110. The only exception is the ability to use a 220 kettle, which is vastly superior to a 110 kettle.
While stationed in Germany, our base (Spangdahlem) used locally supplied 220V power. Small transformers were plentiful throughout the base allowing us to use any 110V devices. This was especially useful because many of us purchased stereo equipment using 110V with plans to bring it home.
Sometimes it’s not just the wiring.
I visited Upper Heyford back in the '80s when it was a very active USAF base. It felt like being in an American town. Not just because of the american cars, the bowling alley and the terrible hot dogs at the BBQ. But mainly because the streets had american style fire hydrants. UK hydrants are all underground and accessed via a small manhole cover.
I went back a couple of years ago and the base has long closed. New houses were springing up everywhere and it was almost unrecognizable. But there’s a few streets of the old married quarters that have been refurbished and sold as low cost/social housing. And the fire hydrants are still there looking even more out of place now. They’re all disconnected but one of them contains a geocache, so I hope they won’t be removed.
Most modern appliances are also remarkably good at handling different power inputs. Check the info plate near where the cord attaches: Most can handle anywhere from 100-240 volts, and anything from 50 to 60 Hz.
Confirmed (sample of one) for housing in Germany ca. 20 years ago. Host nation power and plugs only.
From my (limited) knowledge of electrical supply to a large building, based on my experience with a new hospital, I would expect the New US Embassy in London to be wired just the same as any large office building in the US. The demand would certainly require a 3 phase 415Vac supply, possibly from two separate sources. This can easily be split down to either 220 0r 110 Vac as required.
There will certainly be a diesel generator (or two) that will cut in automatically in the rare event of a power failure. It is quite possible that the generators will only supply current to essential equipment, rather than the entire building.
I expect that pretty much all the equipment in the building will have been sourced from the USA. It would not surprise me if staff are forbidden from plugging any personal equipment in that hasn’t been checked and signed off by maintenance. Cheap wall warts are a well-known cause of fires for example.
The 50 hertz supply should be no problem really. Most clocks (if they have clocks on the walls) are battery-powered these days. Maybe there is some sensitive stuff in there that would be affected, but I can’t imagine what it might be,
The things most likely for a normal person to run into would be cheap older plug-in alarm clocks/clock radios, hair clippers, or kitchen blenders/mixers. Even so, many of those appliances have switched to universal motors. Vacuum cleaners can’t handle the frequency change, but that’s hopefully not something someone would need to bring with them.
And those appliances are unlikely to be found in an Embassy.
Vacuum cleaners? In what way are they any different to any other appliance with an electric motor.
Not much, fundamentally, but they are generally higher power and less likely to be designed to handle variable input frequency well but small enough somebody might try to bring one along on an overseas assignment.
I would also worry about washing machines or any other large motored appliances for the same reason, though you are much less likely to bring those along instead of renting or buying one locally.
Don’t think “clocks”, necessarily. Think “appliances with clocks or timers”. So, like a coffee maker with a clock that you can set to start brewing at a certain time. Those types of things will not keep time properly.
The one thing I’ve never really understood is hair clippers. Try using a step-down with a set of clippers and it will be extremely loud and eventually break after a few uses. Those little motors can’t handle the different frequency.
Motors designed for 60hz and run on 50hz will run 20% slower but also use more power (due to the peculiarities of magnetic fields) while getting less cooling due to the slower speed. So it’ll likely overheat and burn out. A motor designed for 50hz and run on 60hz will run 20% faster but it still can have overheating problems because of the magnetic field properties. Many motors can be safely used by reducing the voltage to properly “de-rate” them to match the frequency shift, but that’s another electrical component and more often found in permanent equipment installations (pumps, air conditioners, etc.), not consumer appliances.
They don’t use rotating motors, but are a tuned vibrating contrivance. There is usually an adjustment screw on the side. That needs tweaking to get the device to vibrate at the right frequency. At the wrong setting they do exactly what you describe. Turn the screw clockwise until it makes a terrible noise and back it off to the point it stops. That gets you the highest amplitude movement.
Thinking about the operation requirements for an embassy, I can see how many countries would be bringing in a large fraction of the contents themselves and prohibiting any uncontrolled objects from being brought in.
Most embassies will provide secure communications facilities. How high a clearance they operate at would be interesting, but I would expect top-secret for some staff would be needed. Even secret gets fraught with difficulties, and just about all the day to day operations will involve sensitive information. So we should assume that a large fraction of the embassy operates under some level of security control. Any device that could reasonably be expected to contain a computer will have to be controlled. The entire contents of areas rated to secret will need to controlled. You can forget taking any locally purchased object into one. Even in sensitive areas one would never allow locally sourced electronic or electrical devices.
It makes sense that there might be a central authority that qualifies and supplies equipment for embassies and life will be much easier if they can count on a known power supply. Modern universal power supplies make things easier, but they are a relatively recent thing and not everything can use one.
I wonder if everyone has to hand their smartphones in at the door? I assume that one could carry a phone into the lobby, but you are not going to get much further without surrendering it.
I visited a military establishment recently. Once they established my identity and verified my appointment, I had to empty my pockets like in airport security and go through a scanner. It all went into a locker for me to collect on the way out, and I was escorted the whole time.
You mean, a device that, even without any modifications and used exactly as intended can record and transmit sound and even video? I’d be amazed if those weren’t restricted.
I worked at a place that had a DC office and in the same building was the embassy of East Germany.
In addition, a lot of the problems brought up in this thread can be alleviated with DC distribution instead of AC distribution.
Even in the U.S. Consolute in Zurich, it’s not possible to enter with a phone of any sort. And there is an airport-type scanner which you have to walk through.
Sorry, no idea what the electrical sockets looked like, but that’s the Consolute, which is just an office within a normal building. The embassy in Bern is its own building and could have a different setup.
I did meet an American who does logitistics for the construction of American embassy buildings in Europe. However we just talked about music as we were both waiting for a concert.
When we first moved here, we had a hair dryer with a switch for different voltage. After a year or so, the switch got bumped and the hair dryer became toast.
For anything significant that you absolutely want to source from the US like computers , secure communications equipment etc, it all pretty much dual voltage and doesn’t care about 50/60hz. All you need is the right socket.
A lot of consumer grade stuff in the us is not dual voltage , but the us gov is probably not specing consumer grade for their staffs essential equipment.
For the embassy staff , they wont be bringing their own washing machines and dryers for the rented accommodation they will be in.
The other stuff, microwave, coffee machines etc, if the Gov feels it is necessary to source from the US they could get it in 240 50Hz , given the manufacturer will likely be making it in that variant anyway.
Otherwise you just source locally at what ever is the local supply range.
If you are regularly moving around the world you either learn to pay a bit more for dual voltage equipment ( I am here in the US and have two TVs and a compute power supply from a 240 cou try still going fine) . Mostly what happens is there is a ready market of expats rotating in and out all selling stuff or needing to buy stuff like toasters coffee machines and microwaves.
Long story short, if it is important, you can get it in dual voltage form or spec for the county, if it isnt, you dont.
