For tourists who want to spend some time in Chile, some of the things they must know are the standard voltage used by the appliances and electronic gadgets in Chile as well as the primary types of electrical outlet and plug.

Appliances and electronic gadgets in Chile usually run on the voltage of 220-240 volts with a frequency of 50Hz. For the primary types of electrical outlet and plug, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug and Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian are the most widely used in Chile.

Also, there are adapters and voltage converters that tourists could bring in their trip to Chile. Adapters are used when the shape of the plug of the electronic gadget or appliance is not compatible with the shape of the electrical outlet present in Chile. Another is the voltage converter that is handy when the voltages between the electrical outlet of Chile and the appliances and electronic gadgets do not match. If a tourist in Chile would insist on using incompatible plugs and electrical outlets, there could be some damage to the appliance or electronic gadget and in worse cases, this could even start a fire.

Type C 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 in Chile. The Type C CEE 7/16 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 used in Chile.

Type C adapter

Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug in Chile and from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. The pins of the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced 19mm apart. In using appliances and gadgets in Chile, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug could also be safely used with the Type C, Type E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlets. In addition, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug is also the most widely used electrical outlet all over continental Europe and in the former Soviet Republics. This plug is also non-polarized and non-grounded. Aside from Chile, there are also countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim region, Central and South America, and Caribbean that use this kind of adapter.

Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed Plug, Electrical Outlet, and Adapter

Type L plug and outlet

The Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed has is a 3-pin plug that has two round pins and a round grounding pin in a line, it is commonly used in households and hotels in Chile. The live and neutral contacts can be inserted in any direction and the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed can also accept Europlugs. The Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed has two models rated at 10 A and 16 A, with a difference in contact diameter and spacing.

Older models of electrical outlet in Chile only allow either 10 A or 16 A so adapters were really needed to alter the shape of the plug. Although the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian electrical outlets could accept Europlugs, when it comes to the plug, the two are not similar. The Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed plug is longer compared to the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug because of its additional central earthing pin. On the other hand, the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed 16 A have pins that are thicker and a little more further apart. In some cases, the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed 16 A used in Chile is referred to as North European or Industrial Type of plug and electrical outlet.

Type L adapter

In addition, Type D Indian BS-546 and Type E European CEE 7/4 plugs are, in a way, compatible with the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian electrical outlet although it might cause damage to the electrical outlet and the prongs of the Type D Indian BS-546 and Type E European CEE 7/4 might get stuck inside. In Italy where the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed originated, as well as countries that use the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian like Chile, there are two other types of Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian electrical outlet–the first is a smaller socket with a central round hole with two 8-shaped holes above and below. This can accept both the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed and the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlugs. The second type of electrical outlet seems similar to Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko  but with a grounding hole in the middle and is twice the size of a regular Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed electrical outlet. It is compatible with Type E European CEE 7/4, Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko, Type C CEE 7/16 Europlugs, and Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian in Chile. At times, this second type of Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian electrical outlet also have extra holes for the Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed 16 A plugs and could be used in Chile. Alongside with Syria, other countries that use Type L CEI 23-16/VII Italian Earthed are Italy, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Cuba, Maldives, Uruguay, and Tunisia.

Voltage Converters

Combination Voltage Coverter

There are three kinds of voltage converters available: the transformer, the network-resistor converter, and the combination of these two. For laptop computers, cameras, mp3 players, and charging of batteries in Chile, the recommended voltage converter to be used is the transformer as it has a lower maximum watt rating of 50 to 100 watts and it could be used continuously although it could be heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires inside. The resistor-network converter could support 50-1600 watts and are often used in Chile for a short period of time and in light-weight electrical appliances like hair dryers and irons.

Transformer

If the voltage of the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in Chile does not match its 220-240 volts requirement, like most American products that only use 110-120 volts, a tourist in Chile would need a voltage converter. It is important to know the proper voltage, electrical outlet, plugs, and adapters to use when visiting Chile and other countries because sometimes these electric requirements vary depending on the location.