Electrical Outlet and Voltage Information for Namibia
Posted by 
May 21, 2012 •
Namibia is a country in South Africa that is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. For people who wants to spend some time here, it is best that they know the standard voltage and types of electrical outlet and plug so they will know what to expect.
In Namibia, the standard voltage used by the electronic gadgets and appliances is 220-240 volts with a frequency of 50Hz and the primary type of electrical outlet and plug is the Type M BS-546 South African, one of the most common types in Africa. Aside from this information, people going to Namibia is also recommended to bring along adapters and voltage converters in case there would be some incompatibility and problems regarding the plug, electrical outlet, or voltage in Namibia.
Type M BS-546 South African Plug, Electrical Adapter, and Electrical Outlet
Type M plug and outlet
The Type M South African plug has a technical name of BS 546 (South African 15 A/250 V) and is the standard plug in Namibia. This kind of electrical plug has three circular pins and is a little bit larger compared to the Type D. Also, the Type M BS-546 South African plug is commonly used in Namibia, India, Mozambique, South Africa, and Hong Kong. For the Type M BS-546 adapter, the neutral pins are 7mm in diameter and spaced 25mm apart with a grounding pin that’s 8.7mm in diameter. This plug used in Namibia is also polarized and grounded. Moreover, the Type M BS-546 large South African and the Type D Indian plugs are small versions of the old British BS-546 standard. These two are often confused and used in the same location although if a tourist is visiting Namibia, it is still best to bring an adapter for these plugs and electrical outlets.
Type M adapter
The Type M BS-546 plug and electrical outlet might be used in some countries as mentioned above, including Namibia, but even in this country, the Type M BS-546 South African plug and electrical outlet is now replaced by the Type G. However, old houses and buildings in Namibia still use the Type M BS-546 electrical outlet and most appliances and electronic gadget that uses the Type M BS-546 plug are air-conditioning circuits that are mounted on the wall as well as some kinds of washing machine.
Voltage Converters
If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Namibia, the best way is by using voltage converters such as the resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both. 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 Namibia 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 Namibia.
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 Namibia, 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 for a short period of time and in light-weight electrical appliances like hair dryers and irons. If the the wrong plug is inserted in the wrong electrical outlet or the voltage does not match, there could be some real damage to the appliance or electronic gadget. In worse cases, this might even cause electrocution or fire.
If the voltage of the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in Namibia does not match its 220-240 volts requirement, like most American products that only use 110-120 volts, a tourist in Namibia would need a voltage converter. It is important to know the proper voltage, electrical outlet, plugs, and adapters to use when visiting Namibia and other countries because sometimes these electric requirements vary depending on the location.
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