Malta is a European country located in the Mediterranean. If a tourist wants to visit Malta, some of the information he or she must know are the standard voltage used in the said country as well as the primary types of electrical outlet and plug. In Malta, the language spoken is Maltese and English, it is also one of the most densely populated country all over the world. Moreover, similar to most European countries, the voltage used by the appliances and electronic gadgets in Malta is 220-240 volts, with a frequency of 50Hz. For the primary type of electrical outlet and plug, the standard in Malta is the Type G British BS-1363 electrical outlet and plug.

Most American and Canadian electronic gadgets and appliances have a voltage of 110-120 volts, so using it in Malta that has a standard voltage of 220-240 volts might be a problem. If a person who is visiting Malta would want to use an appliance or electronic gadget that has a 110-120 voltage, he must use a plug adapter and a step-down transformer. There is also a universal adapter that is compatible with different types of electrical outlet and plug that could be used in Malta.

Type G British BS -1363 3-Pin Plug, Electrical Outlet, and Adapter

Type G plug

The Type G electrical plug is a British 3-pin rectangular blade used widely in Malta. It has a protective fuse inside to protect cords from high-current circuits and, most of the time, the Type G electrical outlet includes a safety switch. The Type G British 3-pin also has a receptacle end that is compatible with most household plug types, except the Type M South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. The plug end of this plug common in Malta is a British BS-1363 13-amp type. For the adapter, the live and neutral pins are 4 x 6 x 18 mm apart, with the grounding pin measuring 4 x 8 x 23mm.

Type G outlet

The plug of this Type G British 3-pin is polarized and grounded but not fused. Also, through the Type G British 3-pin adapter, a tourist could use his or her appliance or electronic gadget in Malta. Another name for the Type G British 3-pin plug is the 13-amp plug. In terms of compatibility, the Type G British 3-pin electrical outlet will work together with the Type G British 3-pin plug and adapter in Malta. For the electrical outlet, the Type G British 3-pin sockets are not compatible with other types of electrical outlet in Malta. For safety reasons, Malta requires electrical outlets in households that use the Type G British 3-pin to have shutters over the live and neutral connections of the electrical outlet. In the insertion of the longer earth pin from the plug, the safety shutters of the Type G British 3-pin are opened.

Type G adapter

Another purpose of the shutters is to prevent the use of incompatible plugs made to other standards. However, there are cases wherein the safety shutters of this electrical outlet could be opened through a screwdriver in order to insert Type C plugs. But then, the usage of Type G British 3-pin outlet along with another kind of plug is not recommended because these plugs do not have a fuse.

The regulation about the safety shutters and fuse is then followed in Malta and all the other countries that use the type G British 3-pin electrical outlet and plug like United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Ghana, Grenada, Macau, Malta, Malaysia, Qatar, Saint Vincent, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Wales, Yemen, Botswana, Bahrain, Saint Lucia, Oman, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Hong Kong. With all the safety measures and features of this plug and outlet, it is considered as one of the safest in the Malta, even the world. However, with all its features, this type of plug is bulky and cumbersome. Some people claim that the Type G British 3-pin plug is mostly bigger than the appliances they are connected to but if tourists would want to use their electronic gadget or appliance in Malta, then they must have a Type G British 3-pin adapter. Although the adapter would not change the voltage used, it will enable the plug of the appliance or electronic gadget to be inserted to the electrical outlet used in Malta.

Voltage Converters and Adapters

Voltage Converter

If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Malta, 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 Malta 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 Malta, the ideal voltage converter is 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 Malta that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Malta is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer. Most of the time, there is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer.

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 Malta 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.

Universal Adapter

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