Why does the USA use 110V and UK use 230-240V?

Re:Why does the USA use 110V and UK use 230-240V? by bemusedthrow75 on Tuesday August 29, 2023 @11:12AM (#37309105)

No, we can still do that -- I have a dual-voltage shaver point next to my bathroom sink with my electric toothbrush plugged in.

There's a famous, common 20VA fixture by Legrand with a distinctive symbol. I asked an electrician about this last year. Most electricians will still fit them.

It won't supply a hairdryer or a pair of curling tongs, probably. Not that you really want such things in a bathroom or without an earth pin.

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Re:Why does the USA use 110V and UK use 230-240V? by TrueGeek on Tuesday August 29, 2023 @11:30AM (#37309398)

Yeah, it's fine for me as all my stuff is rechargeable and cordless anyway. But my wife needs her hairdryer. In the US any plugs that could get wet are GFCI [1] so you just wait for it to dry out and then push the reset button.

I've rarely had it happen in the bathroom, even with outlets right next to a sink. But I had an outlet at ground level outdoors that would trip during heavy storms sometimes. We fixed it by putting a physical cover over it.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device

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Re:Why does the USA use 110V and UK use 230-240V? by bemusedthrow75 on Tuesday August 29, 2023 @11:43AM (#37309611)

Yes. New houses and rented properties in the UK have to have an RCD now as well. But we have the additional EU building codes.

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