110v/1000w US electrical appliance to be used in the UK?

[Kemebear]

Hi there everyone!

I'm not an electrician so please ignore my ignorance, I'll try to make this post so that I look like as little of an idiot as possible.

I'm planning on buying a coil burner from the US as they're near impossible to find here in the UK. As it's built an manufactured for the US/CA it runs on 110v but from what I understand in the UK we run on 240v. From looking around I found out that I'd need to purchase a "step-down transformer" in order to convert the mains here to have an output of 110v instead of 240v.

Amazon.com: Proctor-Silex 34101 Fifth Burner: Kitchen & Dining

I found quite a few step-down transformers which aren't too expensive at all:

Amazon.co.uk: transformer 240v 110v

However, I then found out that the wattage of the appliance needs to be taken into account when purchasing a step-down transformer. Being a coil burner (hot plate), the wattage is pretty extreme at 1000w. I did another search for a step-down transformer that would allow for a 1000w appliance, and all the ones I could find were at least £50-60 if not more (and only sold on places like eBay - e.g. no regular stock):

I'm wondering if there's anything I'm missing or don't understand here - and perhaps another way to get the coil burner to run in the UK without pay £50+?

Any suggestions/clarifications would be very, very, very much appreciated!!

 

[Engineer54]

Yes, .... Buy from Europe NOT from the States!! I don't believe for a minute that you can't find a similar appliance available in the UK, maybe a little more expensive than $15. But then the bonus, .....you won't have to pay out 50/60 quid for a transformer!!!

 

[Kemebear]

I'll definitely look some more, especially on other European sites. Everywhere I've looked so far here has simply come up with hot plates, and unfortunately they wont work for my purposes (lighting a particular type of coal). Am I right in thinking that if another European sells a 220v/240v appliance all I would need is a simply plug adapter?

 

[Engineer54]

That or change the plug top on the appliance lead to a typical 13A type. Europe will be 220/230V... They hamonised up, where UK harmonised down.... In both cases 230V is a fictitious or virtual voltage!! lol!!!

 

[HandySparks]

I'm curious. What type of coal needs an electric cooker element to light it? Most people use a paraffin wax firelighter and a few dry sticks.

Or if you really want to go electric, what about one of these:

Grenadier Electric Firelighter

 

[Kemebear]

I'm curious. What type of coal needs an electric cooker element to light it? Most people use a paraffin wax firelighter and a few dry sticks.

Or if you really want to go electric, what about one of these:

Grenadier Electric Firelighter

Cocobrico Shisha Charcoal, Longest Lasting Natural Charcoal - 1kg in 72 block

They're coals for shisha/hookah. I currently have a portable gas/butane stove which works decently, but the set-up can be annoying, and I'm afraid to use it indoors (instinct makes me think this probably isn't the best idea). As I'll only be lighting 3 cubed or so coals at a time, I'm not sure that the Grenadier is the best option - but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[snowhead]

This must be wind up no. 2 tonight.

A single electric hob has got nothing to do with lighting / burning coal.

There a loads of 240v single hotplates made if it's just for cooking, and the use of the word coal (black and normally put on fires?) has been misunderstood.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_n...&_sacat=0&_odkw=single+electric+hob&_osacat=0

 

[Kemebear]

I'm curious. What type of coal needs an electric cooker element to light it? Most people use a paraffin wax firelighter and a few dry sticks.

Or if you really want to go electric, what about one of these:

Grenadier Electric Firelighter

Because I'll only be lighting two or three pieces of coal, I don't think that the Grenadier will work for my purposes, but thanks for the suggestion.

This must be wind up no. 2 tonight.

A single electric hob has got nothing to do with lighting / burning coal.

There a loads of 240v single hotplates made if it's just for cooking, and the use of the word coal (black and normally put on fires?) has been misunderstood.

single electric hotplate | eBay

It's coconut based coal used for shisha. I can't link to an example due to lack of posts. From speaking to other shisha smokers, most are in agreement that regular (ceramic) hotplates don't work for lighting coals, but single coil burners work brilliantly.. Why this is, I don't know. At the moment I use a portable gas stove, but it takes a lot of time to set-up, and it's not really something I'd want to try and set-up in doors which means I need to transport hot coals from my garden into my house.