Job Discussion Forums

[GrizzlyAdams]

Would it be OK to take small electrical items from the UK to KSA? E.g. toaster, kettle etc. Would they work over there?


Cheers.

[Cleopatra]

There wold certainly be no law against what you plan to do - though it might be a little pointless. You can get a good range of electrical items in the K of SA, and prices will almost certainly be less than in Britain. The charges in excess baggage alone might make this a pointless exercise.

One thing to be aware of is that the Kingdom uses two voltage systems: 220 v (as in Europe) and 110 v (as in the US). It's really frustrating as you can often find both systems in the same building - sometimes one outlet will be 220v and the one beside it 110v! The potential for causing minor domestic explosions is huge: indeed, I would go so far as to say that you haven't lived in Saudi Arabia until you've managed to melt or explode at least one electrical appliance!

[High Plains Drifter]

Cleopatra is right. Electrical gizmos and gadgets are cheap and readily available in KSA. As she explained, both 110 and 220 are found in KSA. You can buy converters to change from one voltage to another, and for things that don�t draw a lot of power, a converter costing just a few riyals will do the trick, but be aware that anything with a heating element, like toasters, irons, or hair dryers, draw a lot of power and would require a converter as big as a brick, weighing 20 pounds and costing more than it would to buy a new appliance. One compound where I lived for many years was built by an American company for Americans, so the entire compound was 110. You might want to check with your employer. One last bit of electrical advice that I learned the hard way. Computers, printers, etc. are all(?) dual voltage. I thought they were all automatic�you just plugged them in without having to worry about the voltage. I recently arrived in the UAE with my new Dell desktop computer, plugged it in, and it blew up. There�s nothing like seeing smoke come out of your brand new computer to ruin your whole day. Fortunately, it was just the power supply that was destroyed. It turned out my computer had a switch on the back that had to be set manually. So be careful.

As one who has worked for many years in the UAE and KSA, my advice is don�t waste valuable luggage space on things like hair dryers and toasters. Instead, take things that are expensive or unavailable in KSA. Toiletries are expensive, so fill nooks and crannies in your suitcase with whatever hair goop, lotion, face cream you can�t live without. Also, vitamins are very expensive, so if you�re a vitamin nut like me, buy a year�s worth at Wal-mart. Also, food in jars and cans that you won�t find in KSA. I always take a few jars of the good peanut butter�you can only get that cruddy kind with sugar and hydrogenated vegetable fat in KSA�and mole sauce, a Mexican food item.

Bring a few big fat books. They have some good book stores in KSA, but they�re expensive. During your first few weeks, without your family, an internet connection, and living in the most boring country on earth, you�re going to have a lot of time on your hands, at least until you learn how to make wine or who to buy sid from, then you can just get drunk all the time.

[Bindair Dundat]

One thing that a lot of people don't think about is electrical frequency: AC current reverses its polarity a given number of times each second. 60 times in the US, and 50 times in most other countries. This is important with anything that has a motor or a clock chip. A 60Hz motor or clock chip will run slower on 50Hz, and vice-versa.

So what? Well, if you have a 60Hz hair dryer and you run it on 50Hz, the fan may spin too slowly to properly cool the appliance, and it may melt in your hand. An amplifier that relies on incoming frequency for timing its internal electronic operations may not work at all. Etc.

Voltage is easy to convert; frequency is impossible to convert. There is no adapter or other gizmo that will fix a wrong frequency for you. If you have the wrong frequency in your building for your appliances, you will have to go down to the local power station and ask them politely to remove themselves from the grid and speed up or slow down their generators for you.

Fortunately, there are more and more devices made that are intended for use at either 50 or 60 Hz.

Look for the small plate on your appliance that tells you what the voltage is; the frequency rating will be right there.

(If you have a laptop or anything else that runs off a battery pack, you are probably okay with any voltage or frequency combination, since the charger isolates the computer electrically from the building current. Check the plate on the charger. Most, unlike HPD's desktop, are "universal" voltage AND frequency, and they switch automatically. ALL computers run on very low voltage, but they include transformers or electronic power supplies so they will work using the local power.)

BD

[Cleopatra]

Another thing to be aware of is that voltage surges are not uncommon in KSA. Make sure you get a surge suppressor (easily available for a few �) so as not to fry the innards of your spanking new computer.

BTW, I disagree with the above poster about the wisdom of taking loads of toiletries to KSA, at least if you are coming from Britain, where prices for such items are considerably higher than in KSA - just like prices for everything else you care to mention...

[High Plains Drifter]

Wow, Bindair, you do know a lot about electronics. That explains why the clock radios we brought over the first time we went to KSA were always wrong. So Bindair, if you're so smart about technical stuff, what are you doing in a low paying profession like ours?

And, yes, Cleopatra, you have a point. I was thinking of prices in the US, not Europe, where all that stuff costs twice as much.

[Bindair Dundat]

[High Plains Drifter]

If you�re working in the UAE or Saudi Arabia there are jobs that allow you to save a lot of money, especially if you don�t have a family to support, but what about the rest of the world? What about back home in Britain, Canada, Australia, or the U.S.? Could you support a family there? Could you save 20K a year? You�d be lucky to even make 20K a year--that is if you could find a job at all, especially a full-time job with benefits. Yes, in general, I�d say this is a low-paying profession.

[Bindair Dundat]

[GrizzlyAdams]

I was thinking of taking items that we already own. A lot of our stuff is pretty new and judging from the above posts, I think it would be pretty safe to take them -either that or flog them off here at nowhere near what we paid.

As for luggage space, well, apart from books (essential!) and clothes, there isn't much else I can think of to take. I am assuming you can get pretty much everything out there....

[High Plains Drifter]

Except alcohol and pork. Alcohol you can make or buy on the black market, but raising your own pigs is a lot more difficult. What electrical items are you talking about? Are hair dryers and toasters really worth worrying about or are you talking about TVs and VCRs? I can see why you wouldn�t want to leave those behind, but they might not work in KSA. Then again, maybe they will. It depends on the format they use in the UK. In the US, our NTSC stuff is useless in the Middle East, so we have to by multisystem TVs and VCRs when we get there. What format do they use in the UK? Where is electrical guru Bindair Dundat when we need him? Busy counting his money, I suppose.

[GrizzlyAdams]

Electric kettle, toaster, sandwich maker, blender/ juicer, grinder and my George Foreman Grill which is just fabulous if you're into healthy eating, lean, mean and all that...oh yes, and my laptop too!

I reckon that's about 30 kg altogether not including the laptop which I would carry on board.

The kids don't want to take anything except some books and clothes so we have the space.

I reckon I could flog off the above for about �70 to �100 (except the laptop) -not even close to what we paid. Could I buy the above for this much in KSA?

[GrizzlyAdams]

....oh yes, I forgot the hair dryer.

[High Plains Drifter]

Who are going to be working for? Actually I�m surprised your going family status. A lot of companies in KSA are single-status only, and if they do have family-status positions, families have been evacuated for the duration. I would think it would be a simple matter to contact your future employer and ask about the voltage where you will be living. That will answer your question about the kettle, toaster, hair dryer, and grill. As I explained, if the voltage is different, you�ll need a massive, expensive converter that will get so hot it�ll be too hot to touch. I really wouldn�t bring those things unless you're certain the voltage is the same. You�re going to be making big bucks, so just buy new stuff. All the above and every other electrical gizmo and gadget imaginable is easily available in KSA and, in my experience, generally cheaper than in the US or Europe.

There�s no need to sell your laptop! It will work, I�m sure, but to put your mind at ease, just look on the transformer or back of the computer and see if it says �dual voltage� or �110/220�. It will! And what is an electric sandwich maker?

Here�s another tip. If you�re taking any CDs to KSA, put them in your carry on, otherwise they�ll likely be stolen when they rip open your shipping containers, dump everything on a dirty floor, and rummage through it looking for naughty stuff.

[Mark100]

GrizzlyAdams

Are you sure that it is a good idea to bring your family to KSA given the current political climate?
Most families have left with only the breadwinner staying on.
Further most people left are ready to leave at a moments notice.
I wouldn't remotely consider coming to Saudi at the moment.