Canada is one of the countries frequently visited by tourists. One could make the most of his in Canada by knowing the basic information about the country like the standard voltage, electrical outlet, plug, and adapters present in this country. Through this, any tourist could make the most of their trip and use their electronic gadgets and appliances in Canada in a safe and convenient manner.

For the electrical voltage, electronic gadgets and appliances in Canada use 110-120 volts while the primary type of electrical outlet is the Type B NEMA 5-15 North American Grounded, Non-Polarized. In addition, there are two important things to consider in using an electronic gadget or appliance in Canada. The voltage of the electronic gadget or appliance must be compatible with the voltage of the electrical outlet in Canada. If not, there are voltage converters like transformer and combination voltage converter that could be used. If a tourist would insist on using an electronic gadget or appliance in Canada with an electrical outlet of a  different voltage, this could lead to fire or cause damage to the electronic gadget or appliance. Another is the shape of the plug and the shape of electrical outlet present in Canada.

Type B NEMA 5-15 (North American Grounded)

Type B plug

The Type B NEMA 5-15 is often used in North and Central America as well as Japan, and it is also what is used in Canada. It is a class I plug that has two flat parallel prongs and a grounding pin, rated at 15 amps. In Japan, this kind of plug and electrical outlet is the standard. Similar to Type A NEMA 1-15 plugs, the NEMA 5-15 in Canada is also one of the most dangerous plugs in the world because the prongs are not insulated. The black covering that is supposed to cover the plug body is lacking hence if the plug is pulled halfway and the prongs are still inserted in the electrical outlet, there might be some accidents like electrocution.

Type B outlet

The Type B NEMA 5-15 is also compatible with any standard household plug in Canada, except the Type M South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. For the specifications, the Type B NEMA 5-15 has blade contacts 6.4mm tall, 15mm thick, and are spaced 12.7mm apart. The grounding pin, on the other hand, is 4.8mm in diameter. Although the Type B NEMA 5-15 is grounded, it is not polarized and must be used with care in Canada.

Type B adapter

Additional features of the NEMA 5-15 is that its ground pin is longer than the live and neutral blades so the electronic gadget or appliance connected to the NEMA 5-15 is grounded before the power is connected. Both blades also carry current are are narrow allowing the ground pin to enforce polarity. In countries like Canada, United States, and Mexico, the NEMA 5-15 is standard, as well as the areas of northern South America with countries including Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil). Some Asian countries like Taiwan and Japan uses the NEMA 5-15 too.

Voltage Converters and Universal Adapters

Voltage Converter

In using an electronic gadget or appliance that has a different voltage requirement than the 110-120 volts used in Canada, the best way is by using voltage converters such as resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both. The resistor-network converters to be used in Canada 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. If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Canada, the ideal voltage converter would be a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating.

Transformer

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 Canada that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Ireland is the combination of a resistor-network converter and transformer. Most of the time, there is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Canada. These voltage converters and adapters will be very handy if a tourist plans a trip to Canada and intends to bring along some gadgets that require a particular voltage.

Universal Adapter

Moreover, there are certain adapters that would fit particular plugs and these could be bought in hardware stores or electronic shops in Canada or before heading there. Another is that there are also universal adapters that could be used with any type of plug and electrical outlet, may it be in Canada or another country.

There are various types of plugs and electrical outlet and some of them might not be physically compatible. If this is the case, the solution to this are adapters that would alter the shape of the plug so that it could be used together with the electrical outlet in Canada. When a tourist would want to use an electronic gadget or appliance that uses 220-240 volts in Canada, he or she would need a plug adapter and a step-up transformer. Also, it is usual for travellers to bring various gadgets in trips and a trip to Canada is no exception. Some of the commonly brought electronic gadgets by travellers are laptop computers, cameras, radios, battery chargers, mp3 players, and mobile phones.