Why would an American power strip trip the fuse of an Indian power outlet with an adapter?

Question

Why would an American power strip trip the fuse 100% of the time on an Indian power outlet with the proper adapter?

I know the adapter works with the individual devices so the cause is the power strip, is an additional adapter required to prevent a power strip from tripping the breaker?

@JonCuster the adapter is known to work because if I plug it directly into the individual devices it won’t trip the fuse. So the cause is the power strip and I tried two completely different brands. I just don’t understand how or why if it’s pulling 0 watts in America when plugged in to the wall. — CodeCamper, Jan 24 '24 at 18:15
This really belongs on electronics.stackexchange.com not here! — Doc, Jan 24 '24 at 20:17

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 24 '24 at 21:07

5

India has high line voltage: Nominally it's either 230V or 240V depending on the state but there is also a fair amount of variability, so you can easily 250V or even 260V at an outlet.

A US power strip is designed for 110V and will probably have an over voltage protection.

with the proper adapter?

Depends on the type of adapter. In this case you should really use a 2:1 step down transformer (which tend to be big and heavy). A simple socket adapter will not work here.

answered Jan 24 '24 at 21:07

Hilmar

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Or to state this otherwise: a plug adapter is not a power transformer. If the power strip doesn't say something like AC 100-240V~50/60Hz, then it can't deal with the extra 130V. – Mark Johnson Jan 24 '24 at 21:38
@MarkJohnson but why would this cause the indian power breaker to trip and not the power strips safety switch? – CodeCamper Feb 02 '24 at 10:06
but why would this cause the indian power breaker to trip and not the power strips safety switch? – CodeCamper Feb 02 '24 at 10:06
@CodeCamper Because it sends the extra 130V (that it cannot handel) back to the system it came from. I have seen this happen in Europe, where the 110/240V power switch of a PC was on the outside (instead of hidden inside as is more common) and while the PC was on was switched to 110V. That not only fried the PC, with a dark, atom bomb like, cloud arising, but also blew the fuse of the room. – Mark Johnson Feb 02 '24 at 10:33
@MarkJohnson what is the proper adapter needed to resolve this situation? – CodeCamper Feb 07 '24 at 05:23
@CodeCamper You need a transformer for this. Supply us with the AC / V / Hz information of the US power strip (often printed on the bottom of such appliances). Add this information to your question, since it is relevant to any answer. – Mark Johnson Feb 07 '24 at 05:34
@CodeCamper See: Frequently Asked Questions about Voltage Converter Transformer – Voltage Converter Transformers What does voltage converter/ transformer mean? Voltage converters/transformers are used to convert electricity. North America and some other countries operate on 110V/120V AC 60Hz, while most of other countries operate on 220/240 Volts AC 50Hz. Voltage transformers convert the power into different voltage, so your equipment can be powered at different countries without being damaged. – Mark Johnson Feb 07 '24 at 05:44
@CodeCamper A Step Down Transformer like this: Amazon.com: HYTED 1200Watt Voltage Converter 220V to 110V for Any American Appliances such as Hair Dryer Straightener Curling Iron Coffer Maker, Step Down Transformer Travel Power Plug Adapter US to EU/UK/AU/Asia : Electronics – Mark Johnson Feb 07 '24 at 05:57
@MarkJohnson with the step down transformer the breaker is not triggered but any device plugged into the power strip causes electrocution (plugging directly into the transformer does not have this electrocution problem) – CodeCamper Feb 09 '24 at 17:10

Why would an American power strip trip the fuse of an Indian power outlet with an adapter?

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