Dutch 110/220v socket outlet

[oracle]

My biggest surprise on holiday in Amsterdam was not the front room negotiable affection, but the socket outlet in B&B kitchen which had both flat pin 110v and round pin 220v in the same SSO! I can only imagine Line 1 to Neutral (110v) and Line 1 to Line 2 (220v) in a four core supply?

 

[westward10]

Did you not have some tools with you

 

[rapparee]

My biggest surprise on holiday in Amsterdam was not the front room negotiable affection, but the socket outlet in B&B kitchen which had both flat pin 110v and round pin 220v in the same SSO! I can only imagine Line 1 to Neutral (110v) and Line 1 to Line 2 (220v) in a four core supply?

It'll be a split configuration for American tourists

 

[Deleted member 105166]

My biggest surprise on holiday in Amsterdam...

If that were your biggest surprise, then Amsterdam was clearly wasted on you...

 

[oracle]

Did you not have some tools with you

Tools? On holiday ? Seriously?

 

[oracle]

If that were your biggest surprise, then Amsterdam was clearly wasted on you...

Didn't I mention the ladies of negotiable affection?

 

[oracle]

It'll be a split configuration for American tourists

I thought we harmonised our Regs with Europe not the USA. Or would it count as a departure?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

AFAIK Holland never used this voltage significantly, so it's probably transformer-fed for the convenience of tourists. Historically, like a few other European countries, they had 3-phase 127/220V distribution systems (i.e. 220V L-L.) If this was delta, as it often was, single-phase customers got two lines with 220V between them. This is one of the reasons many European plugs are not polarised; there was no polarity to speak of as both wires were lines (DP fusing was standard). In star-wired areas, customers were served with 127V L-N. If you look in the back of older electronic appliances with voltage selectors, you can sometimes find a tapping for this voltage. But all these supplies were converted to 220V by the 1970s as the 220/380V supply became standardised.

France had quite a lot of 110, but not using the US flat-prong plugs.

 

[rapparee]

I thought we harmonised our Regs with Europe not the USA. Or would it count as a departure?

As Lucien already said, it's a convenience for the tourists.

I actually use Legrands Mosaic and Arteor ranges, this allows you to install a UK and Schuko socket side by side on the one double socket

Or any other socket be it Aus, Jap, American etc

 

[oracle]

AFAIK Holland never used this voltage significantly, so it's probably transformer-fed for the convenience of tourists. Historically, like a few other European countries, they had 3-phase 127/220V distribution systems (i.e. 220V L-L.) If this was delta, as it often was, single-phase customers got two lines with 220V between them. This is one of the reasons many European plugs are not polarised; there was no polarity to speak of as both wires were lines (DP fusing was standard). In star-wired areas, customers were served with 127V L-N. If you look in the back of older electronic appliances with voltage selectors, you can sometimes find a tapping for this voltage. But all these supplies were converted to 220V by the 1970s as the 220/380V supply became standardised.

France had quite a lot of 110, but not using the US flat-prong plugs.

Thank you for your comprehensive explanation, Would the absence of an earth indicate a TNC supply? I did notice that the kitchen appliances were all double insulated.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I don't think the two are related specifically. It is true that TN-C was more prevalent in mainland Europe than in the UK (where it was mainly reserved for earthed concentric wiring). Many European regs were much more oriented towards class II equipment and non-earthed circuits than the UK, and may still permit a non-earthed socket outlet to be fitted on a non-earthed circuit.

 

[rapparee]

I don't think the two are related specifically. It is true that TN-C was more prevalent in mainland Europe than in the UK (where it was mainly reserved for earthed concentric wiring). Many European regs were much more oriented towards class II equipment and non-earthed circuits than the UK, and may still permit a non-earthed socket outlet to be fitted on a non-earthed circuit.

This is still applicable today, a lot of the heaters we make for the Scandinavian market are Class II where as the UK and Australian variant is Class I