Singapore is one of the most visited countries in Southeast Asia and having a basic knowledge about the electrical outlet and plug types, as well as the voltage and adapters needed, in Singapore would definitely come in handy. The appliances and electronic gadgets in Singapore use 220-240 volts and require a frequency of 50 Hertz. The electrical outlet commonly used in household, hotels, and establishments in Singapore is the Type G electrical outlet which is also known as the Type G BS 1363 (British 13 A/230-240 V 50 Hz earthed and fused).

Type G British 3-pin Plug, Electrical Outlet, and Adapter

Type G British 3-Pin Plug

The Type G electrical plug is a British 3-pin rectangular blade used widely in Singapore. 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. Another name for the Type G British 3-pin plug is the 13-amp plug and for safety reasons, the United Kingdom (UK) required electrical outlet on 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 British 3-Pin Outlet with safety fuse

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 the 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 Singapore and all the other countries that use the type G British 3-pin electrical outlet and plug like United Kingdom, China, Brunei, Cameroon, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Northern Ireland, Nigeria, England, Ghana, Grenada, Macau, Malta, Malaysia, Qatar, Saint Vincent, Saudi Arabia, Scotland and Hong Kong.

Type G British 3-Pin Adapter

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 is a British BS-1363 13-amp plug. 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. The plug of this Type G British 3-pin is polarized and grounded but not fused. Also, the design of the Type G British 3-pin plug commonly used in Singapore features three rectangular prongs that form a triangle and the British standard required the use of three-wire grounded and fused plug for all the connections to the power mains, including class II, two-wire appliances in Singapore and in other countries. Through this adapter, a tourist could use his or her appliance or electronic gadget in Singapore.

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 Singapore. For the electrical outlet, the Type G British 3-pin sockets are not compatible with other types of electrical outlet. With all the safety measures and features of this plug and outlet, it is considered as one of the safest in the world. However, with all its features, the plug is therefore 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 a tourist would want to use his or her electronic gadget or appliance in Singapore, then there must be a Type G British 3-pin adapter. Although the adapter would not change the volts used, it will enable the plug of the appliance or electronic gadget to be inserted to the electrical outlet used in Singapore.

Voltage Converters

Voltage Converter

If the voltage of the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in Singapore does not match its 220-240 volts requirement, like most American products that only use 110-120 volts, a tourist in Singapore would need a voltage converter. There are three kinds of voltage converter available: the network-resistor converter, the transformer, and the combination of these two. 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 iron.

Transformer

For laptop computers, cameras, mp3 players, and charging of batteries in Singapore, the recommended voltage converter to be used in Singapore 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 combination network-resistor converter and transformer device usually comes with a switch so a tourist using it in Singapore to convert voltage could just choose which mode to use.

Combination Voltage Converter

It is important to know the proper voltage, electrical outlet, plugs, and adapters to use when visiting Singapore and other countries because sometimes these electric requirements vary depending on the location. In a tourist’s trip to Singapore, if the the wrong plug would be inserted in the wrong 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.

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