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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 3
C
New Member
I am not an electrician and I am not planning a DIY project here but I wanted to get some feedback before looking for an electrician in my area to assist me. We have some really good ones and some really bad ones so I want to be a little more educated as a consumer.

I purchased a Turkish coffee maker in Istanbul that uses a standard Schuko plug. Based on the specs on the box it looks like the frequency and added voltage shouldn't be a problem...it shows a decent tolerance there. So theoretically if plugged into US 240 VAC it should be fine. It specifies the following:

220-240V
50/60Hz
670W

What I am wanting to know is if I could reasonably expect it to be possible to either have a Schuko outlet installed or to install a US 240V outlet and change the plug end of the cord on the coffee maker.

I would ideally like to have a Schuko outlet installed so that I could potentially use other small Euro appliances in the future.

Also is it possible to put some type of device inline to compensate for the frequency difference so it's not an issue in the future?

Or am I just better off buying a nice beefy step up transformer and call it a day? My desire is to have the cosmetic appeal of a permanent outlet but not if its going to be absurdly cost prohibitive.

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Joined: Jul 2004
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G
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There is another "Euro" thread going in General as we speak.
If you tell someone you plan on plugging in a 670w appliance it is illegal. If you tell them you will be using a 1500w appliance it is legal. YMMV about how your local inspector looks at this tho.
I am not quite sure how they fail it if the receptacle is listed by a recognized lab (like TUV in Europe). "CE" is meaningless here.
It was pointed out that there adapters that go from NEMA 6-15 (the American style receptacle) to a Schuko.

You may want to go take a look at the topic we have been beating to death already and see if you get any answers

https://www.electrical-contractor.n...uro_outlet_in_US_kitchen.html#Post195527




Greg Fretwell
Joined: Jan 2005
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I see some confusion, both here and with the other thread, over just what the electrical differences mean.

Some of the differences are apparent; others are subtle.

The difference between 230V "Euro" and 240V "US" is big in theory, but makes no difference in practice.

Does the frequency matter? Now things get less certain. Pure loads (heating coils) really won't care, while motors will be greatly affected. Electronics? Probably not; most things power their electronics with an internally created DC current.

For all practical purposes, there is no way for an electrician to change the frequency from 60hz.

There's more to this than the plug pattern suggests. Euro residences typically have the entire service on what can be best described as a 30mA GFCI (RCD). Branch circuits are also often fused to 10 amps. Will your appliance trip a 5mA GFCI breaker? Probably not - but I don't know for sure.

As a dedicated circuit, you will want the over-current protection sized as close to the load as possible. Since you'll almost certainly be using a 20A, 240V GFI breaker, this means you'll want additional fusing in the circuit.

Finally, Euro-style coffeemakers very often do not have automatic shut-off, and need to be deliberately unplugged
after the water boils. Many Shuko receptacles have integral switches for this reason. Leave it on and you melt the element.

Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 3
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New Member
I did see the other thread and it appeared to be a bit dated or I would have replied there. It also appeared to be somewhat directed at someone thinking DIY. I am more than happy to hire someone else to do it, if it's possible that it can be done "right.". What I don't want is a hack coming in and combining 2 normal outlets and thinking I wouldn't know the difference.

We live in a relatively small city in the Tampa Bay Area and the code inspectors are pretty good about letting citizens just bounce a question off them. They are also pretty particular about making sure all proper codes and directives of appropriate agencies and standards are followed. For example, they would not pass a gas plumbing project we had done until the holes where the pipe entered the home were properly sealed. Not really a major safety issue in the grand scheme of things. It does show how particular they are. Perhaps I will reach out to them with the scenario and see what they tell me. Pretty sure if there is a way they can accommodate and comply with best practices they will help me out.

I'll probably just go with a step-up converter and be done with it or see of the manufacturer makes a North American version. It's not a teapot/coffee pot like the other discussion but a Turkish coffee maker with a bit more in the way of electronics beyond a heating element.

It does appear to have an auto-shut off in the sense that it brews the coffee for a certain time, heats for a certain time and shuts off when ready. It seems to work very much like a Keurig in that way.

If interested, it's a Beko BKK2113 M, http://www.beko.com.tr

I see a CE and TSE stamp on there and that appears to be the Turkish Standards Institute...are they accepted elsewhere, I don't know. I don't think Turkey has fully made it into the EU.

I love me some Turkish coffee and it's nearly impossible to find good Turkish coffee in North America...so I am willing to try and figure this one out.

Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 3
C
New Member
Low and behold I have just discovered there is a US version of this coffee maker. Sure wish I could have found it when I was shopping in the first place. I think I will contact Beko and see if they might be willing to work out an exchange with me.


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