For people who will spend some time in Burundi, a country that is located in eastern Africa, it is important that they the standard voltage used by the electronic gadgets and appliances, as well as the electrical outlet and plug. To be able to make the most of their stay and to avoid problems when using their electronic gadgets and appliances, tourists in Burundi must be aware that the standard voltage in Burundi is 220-240 volts with a frequency of 50Hz.

For the electrical outlet and plug present in Burundi, the primary types are the Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug and Type E European CEE 7/4. Another is that tourists must also bring adapters and voltage converters in case there might be some problems regarding the compatibility of voltage, electrical outlet, or plug in Burundi.

Type C European CEE 7/16 Europlug Electrical Outlet and Adapter

Type C plug and outlet

The Type C Europlug is also known as the CEE 7/16 (Europlug 2.5 A/250 V unearthed), which is a bit similar, only slightly smaller to the CEE 7/17 and it is one of the most commonly used electrical outlet and plug types in Burundi. The Type C Europlug alters the shape of the appliance’s plug so that it could be used into a “Type C” European CEE 7/16 Class II non-grounded Europlug socket or a Soviet-era Russian GOST 7396 Class II non-grounded socket often used in Burundi.

Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. Moreover, the plug end of the Type C Europlug is compatible as well with the other types of sockets used in Europe, like that of the grounded “Type F” German and “Type E” French Schuko socket, “Type L” Italian socket, “Type H” Israeli socket, “Type J” Swiss socket, and “Type K” Danish socket, although connections to some of these sockets are non-grounded.

Type C adapter

The pins of this Type C Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced apart by 19mm. In using appliances and gadgets in Burundi, the Type C Europlug could also be safely used along with the Type C, Type E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlet. This plug in Burundi is also non-polarized and non-grounded. In most developing countries where modern electrical structure is lacking, the usual electrical outlet used is the Type C Europlug. Aside from Burundi, there are also countries in Middle East, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim region, Central and South America, and the Caribbean that use this kind of adapter.

Type E European CEE 7/4 Electrical Adapter Plug and Electrical Outlet

Type E plug and outlet

The Type E electrical outlet could also be used with Type C CEE 7/16 plugs while the Type E European CEE 7/4 plugs will work along with Type F Schuko outlets in Burundi. The Type E electrical outlet and plug is the standard in France, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, and other European countries as well as those located in the Pacific and Caribbean, and African area like Burundi.

Type E adapter

For the electrical outlet and plug of the Type E European CEE 7/4, the male pin is installed upwards in the electrical outlet, with the live connection in the left and neutral connection in the right. The specifications of this Type E European CEE 7/4 plugs used in Burundi are two round pins spaced 19mm apart with a hole for the male grounding pin of the electrical outlet. However, the Type E European CEE 7/4 is not compatible with the Type F of Germany, the Netherlands, and other continental countries of Europe because of the round male pin in the socket.

Voltage Converters

Voltage Converter

If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Burundi, the best way is by using adapters and  voltage converters such as the resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both. Adapters alter the shape of the plug when it could not be inserted to the electrical outlet in Burundi due to difference in shapes, while voltage converters are used to make the voltage used by the appliance or electronic gadget compatible with the electrical outlet in Burundi.

Most appliances and electronic gadgets made in the United States of America (USA) have a voltage of 110-120 and using it directly on a 220-240 electrical outlet in Burundi would cause damage to the appliance or electronic gadget, to the extent that it might be totally fried out or  might even cause a fire. There is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Burundi. The resistor-network converters to be used in Burundi are usually advertised to support as much as 50-1600 Watts and are just ideal to use for short periods of time. The resistor-network converter is also not recommended for digital devices like laptop computers however it is great for lightweight electronics like hair dryers and irons.

Transformer

If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Burundi, the ideal voltage converter would be a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating. It could be used for long periods of time but is a little bit heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires. The last kind of voltage converter in order to use electronics in Burundi that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Burundi is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer.

Universal Adapter

There are also universal adapters that could be used with any type of plug and electrical outlet, may it be in Burundi or another country. These voltage converters and adapters will be very useful if a tourist would plan a trip to Burundi and intends to bring along some gadgets that require a particular voltage. There are certain adapters that would fit particular plugs and these could be bought in hardware stores or electrical outlets in Burundi or before heading there.

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