American microwave

bloodnok

My daughter brought a Nostalgic Electrics microwave oven back from the States and of course it's not suitable for use in the UK because of the voltage difference.
I think it's 800W.
Is it possible to buy a transformer or whatever you need to be able to use it in the UK ?
I'd be very grateful for any info as it looks great and fits in to the style of her kitchen.
Thanks

notbritishgas

It is not the 800w that will be the problem, rather the voltage.

A quick google revealed this and others

www.airlinktransformers.com/cat7/13/american_120v_voltage_converters.html

Presumably the voltage of the microwave is 120v?

John_Gray

notbritishgas wrote: »

It is not the 800w that will be the problem, rather the voltage.

Apart from the fact that the transformer will have to provide at least 800W!
Then we have to determine the relationship between W and the VA shown on the website.
And also check that the microwave would be happy running at 50 Hz rather than 60 Hz.

RichL74

For the sake of getting a new one for around £30 is it worth it?

sillygoose

Don't bother!! for 800W you would be looking at a 1KW autotransformer which would be at £100 or so, be quite big and weight a ton. Its a crappy American microwave with mixed to poor reviews - just because it has a 'retro style' door :doh:.

Daewoo do UK spec retro ones for £50 shop around they come in various colours
http://direct.asda.com/Daewoo-KOR6N9RC-20L-800W-Microwave---Cream/001569846,default,pd.html

Russell Hobbs do some too.

Avoriaz

An 800 watt microwave oven will require a lot more than 800 watts supply.

800 watts is a measure of the output power of the magnetron and they are far from 100% efficient.

The oven will also draw some current for the light, turntable, fan and control panel etc.

My 900 watt microwave oven is rated as output power 900 watts, input power 1,550 watts. That suggests the magnetron is about 60% efficient. The other 40% is turned into heat.

Bloodnok, your daughter will need at least a 1,500 watt transformer and they are bulky, expensive and, in this instance, pointless.

She should buy an oven suitable for the UK's 230 volt 50 hertz supply.


PS: I have done a bit of googling out of interest and, according to Wiki, magnetrons are usually about 65% efficient.

The magnetron is a fairly efficient device. In a microwave oven, for instance, a 1.1 kilowatt input will generally create about 700 watts of microwave power, an efficiency of around 65%.

bloodnok

notbritishgas wrote: »

It is not the 800w that will be the problem, rather the voltage.

A quick google revealed this and others

www.airlinktransformers.com/cat7/13/american_120v_voltage_converters.html

Presumably the voltage of the microwave is 120v?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks for your answers....much appreciated.
Yes, it's 120volts and the output is 800 watts.
It looks like it'll be an expensive ornament !!!
Thanks

Elliott_Fox

Simple answer is no, it wouldn't be practical.

Laz123

It'll only cook beefburgers and hotdogs anyway.