Electricity In Iraq

I get a lot of e-mails about electricity in Iraq. When traveling outside the United States it is important to remember that electrical current is different.

The United States uses 110 volt, 60 hz current. European and Middle Eastern countries use 220 volt, 50 hz current. If you want to know the differences and the advantages, then go to this website.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, you will find that the buildings have two styles of electrical sockets even though the current is 220 volts 50 hertz.

One type is a socket with holes for two round pins.

The other is a socket with holes for three flat blades, one vertical and two horizontal. The origin of the building will determine what kind of electrical sockets will be in the building.

Generally speaking, buildings designed or built in Turkey and then shipped to Iraq will have the round pin type socket while ones from Kuwait will have the flat blade type.

Electrical items will generally have the round pin type plug on them. Some items that draw heavy voltage and amps will have the flat blade plug on it.

These are interchangeable--you will not mess up your equipment mixing and matching. There are power strips and adapters that can help you hook up almost anything to the electricity in Iraq.

The tricky part is if you have something that is 110 volts. YOU CANNOT PLUG THIS INTO THE 220 VOLTS. Now you may ask that if the plug has to be round or flat, how can I plug my American 110 volt plug into one of these receptacles?

There are many types of power strips that will allow you to plug anything into them. If you plug your 110 voltage equipment into the 220 voltage receptacle you will have an exciting show for about a second. You will be throwing away your 110 volt equipment.

While in Germany many years ago, I was told about this. I had a 110 Volt fan so I plugged it in thinking, "It will just run faster, that is all." Well, I was sort of right. It ran faster for about three seconds and then blew up.

Now you would think that the only thing you could buy in a United States PX overseas would be 220 volt items but that is not true. The PX does sell 110 volt items even though I am seeing less and less.

The exception is computers. Many of these have dual voltage. I also bought a DVD player that has dual voltage.

So you have 110 volt items and want to use them. You can, but you have to buy a converter to hook them up to electricity in Iraq.

These come in many sizes as far as the wattage they produce. Make sure you buy a big enough converter to handle your requirements for electricity in Iraq.

For instance, if you buy a converter to run a dvd player and then plug your iron into it, you will blow out your converter. I suggest you get a 3000 or 5000 watt converter. This will handle almost anything you want to use it for.

I also suggest that since you will be using power generated by a generator that is subject to taking many unscheduled breaks, that you get one that is a converter/voltage regulator. I have seen people lose hundreds of dollars in equipment when the generator hiccuped and sent a power surge through the line.

It is also a good idea to have your American equipment on a surge protector. And check that protector often. Many times a surge will blow out the surge protector, but your equipment will still work. However, the protector part has been disabled. In order to get the surge protection back, the old one needs to be replaced with a new one. I believe that if the light on your surge protector is blinking, then the protection part is not working.

These converter/voltage regulators have all sorts of plugs for your equipment as well. On the front they will have a face plate for 220 and one for 110 but both will accept any type of plug. So if you plug the 110 into the 220 side then your equipment will end up in an Iraqi junkyard.Then it will probably end up being shot back at American troops in one form or another.

Adapters can help make it easier to hook up to all these different outlets. There are some good adapters in the store on this site.

HOWEVER, IT IS AN ADAPTER ONLY. IT IS NOT A CONVERTER.

Make sure you have the right adapters, converters, voltage regulator and power strips for your equipment.

The US military's equipment is 110 volts. These always require some sort of converter unless they are running their own 110 voltage power source for electricity in Iraq.

Be careful. Know for sure before you plug it in and turn it on.

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