UKC

I just bought a couple of electric toothbrushes with charger bases, and thought I'd install a shaver socket in the bathroom to plug the chargers in. There's power nearby so it would be just a simple spur.

When I checked out the sockets in B&Q, there were lots of double sockets but all of them were dual voltage, one outlet at 240V and one at 110V.

The chargers need to operate (it says) off a 240V supply, so the 110 is useless, yet I can't find a 240V double socket, and the only single 240V shaver socket I could find was £24!!!

Does anybody know if a rechargeable toothbrush will actually charge off 110V?

I'm actually thinking of cutting off the plugs and hard-wiring the chargers to a fused spur in the airing cuboard instead, but that seems a bit defeatist. I'd like to get the socket problem sorted, without having to install two of the buggers.

In reply to BrianT:

Unfortunately i'm not an expoert, but I do recall being told that they have a transformer inside the socket that sorts out the dual voltage. If thats the case its trivial
p

In reply to BrianT:

I agree with Hotbad - I've always found that shavers, electric toothbrushes, etc, can handle 240 and 110 equally well.

Off topic, how the heck are you and your good lady?

In reply to Masood: Hi Masood. We're both well, despite both just having had awful colds, and my breaking my right index finger recently too. I woke up this morning to find the glands under my neck swollen and sore, so maybe I'm not out of the illness woods yet!
Looking forward to my nice long week off work, honey-glazed duck tomorrow, and some rides on my new-ish bike out in t'Peak.
Both me and Jude are determined to shed some lard and get fit in 2008, so we may even get out on the crags more than the handful of times we did in 2007!

Think I'll just install a dual voltage socket in that case and see how it goes.

In reply to BrianT:

The shaver socket has an isolating transformer in it for safe use in bathrooms. The toothbrush chargers will not have, so do not use hard wired in the bathroom in case damp gets in them and gives you a shock.

I would have thought someone as strong as you could manage to carry a toothbrush from the bedroom to the bathroom, and plug them in there. double socket or adaptor, job done.

The other option is to charge one at night and one in the day off the shaver socket, if you need one. Seems like sledgehammer and nut situation though.

Have a good xmas anyway.

In reply to sutty: Cheers Sutty, you too.

Hmmm...plug them in in the bedroom. Never thought of that.

In reply to BrianT: You can buy an adapter that plugs into the ordinary 13amp socket.

We both have elctric brushes, you don't need to use both chargers, charge one during the night, the other during the day.

In reply to BrianT:

I assume you are fully aware of the new part P of the building regulations regarding Electrical safety and certification.
If i remember correctly there are some very specific requirements regarding installation and certification of electrical works in bathrooms and kitchens.

In reply to popebenedictus:

You're quite right your revered holiness,

for a kitchen or a bathroom they need to be installed or at the very least commissioned by a part p approved electrician

In reply to Martin Rogers:

Is it an actual legal requirement to get them "certificated" or is it just that you will have potential problems if you want to sell your property at a later date, and haven't got the proper paperwork for them?

In reply to Dominion:

take a look here, it will give you all the information you should need regarding electrical installations and compliance with the law

http://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/index.asp

I hope this helps

In reply to popebenedictus:

Yeah. F*ck 'em. If you can use a screwdriver, you can install a new socket.