"Universal" power adapters. OK for high current appliances?

Factual Questions
1

I’m planning to use a British tea kettle in my kitchen, rated at 12.5 amps. I see these, which will take any type of plug imaginable, including British, and adapt it to the North American NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 receptacle I plan to install.

I’ve been unable to find an adapter that will fit only a UK plug instead of “all of them”. Will one of these hold up to a high current device and still hold the plug firmly despite all the extra holes to take other kinds of plugs. Or would a better idea be to chop the UK plug off the tea kettle and install a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 plug on it?

2

“Note: Power Plug Adapters do not convert voltage, they just change the plug type. Use a proper voltage converter along with a power plug adapter if your device is incompatible with the country’s voltage.”

That British tea pot is designed to use 220v unless I’m mistaken…

3

A British teapot that is rated at 12.5 amps will pull more than the typical 110v outlet can provide…

12.5 Amps at 230 V == 2875 Watts

This will blow your breaker.

(15A x 120V =) 1800 watts or (20A x 120V =) 2400 watts before the breaker trips but you want typical usage way below this.

You would need to install a 240v 20 Amp circuit installed which may not be legal under the electrical and fire codes, but I am not qualified to make any statement related to that.

4

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is there’s nothing in the NEC preventing the installation of a 240 volt, 15 or 20 amp receptacle in a residential kitchen.

5

Oops, I read (5)-20 out of habit.

Nema 6-20 would work with the load, but cut the end off and put on a new plug.

I am not sure it would meet code, so not legal advice.

6

At my old place I had a through the wall AC that connected to a 6-20R outlet near the kitchen. I took a UK kettle, uninstalled the UK style plug on it’s cord, and installed a 6-20P plug onto the cord. This was easy because the giant UK plug used screws, and wasn’t molded to the wire, like a typical US power cord. Most of the year the AC was unused, and I would keep the kettle plugged in, during the summer I’d just swap appliances in the outlet as necessary. The kettle worked fantastic and I could have 1.8 litres of boiling water in about 2 minutes. It worked so well, that when I have an electric car charging 220 outlet put in the garage, I’ll also get a quote on putting a 6-20R in my kitchen.

So, If you are installing a 6-20R, your kettle should work. If that adapter claims to go from UK to 6-20P, then it will probably be fine, but it will cost the same to just buy a 6-20P plug to install on the kettle. I’m not an electrician. My condo never burned down (well, at least as a result of anything I did), and the UK kettle I had was simple, with no electronics.

7

I don’t think this is correct. If the heating element produces 3000 W at 240 V, then it has a resistance of 19.2 Ω. If we assume the resistance of the heating element is still 19.2 Ω at 120 V, then the current would be 6.25 A and it would produce 750 W. The breaker won’t trip. But the teapot won’t perform very well, since it would be producing only 1/4 the power it is designed to produce.

8

Not at all. Many kitchens already have a 50 Amp one (NEMA 14-50R) for an electric stove.

Replacing the plug on that kettle is a much better option.

9

The problem with using adaptors, especially the universal ones, is that the pins may not make a very good contact in the receptacle. Poor contacts create heat and the plug may well overheat and burn out - this can happen without tripping the breaker.

As suggested above - swap the plug for one that fits and plug it into a 240 volt outlet.