My family and I have decided to make a self-move (personally funded, not with a company) to Taiwan. We are moving within Asia, and will need to ship our personal goods (clothes, books, furniture, TV, etc.) to Taiwan.
Thanks so much for the advice.
Use a reputable shipping company for one. Where are you moving from?
hi,
thanks for your reply. we would be shipping items via sea, so i guess maybe a 20foot container. i have heard that there are a lot of import duties imposed by the Taiwan customs but I cant seem to figure out what/if anything is imposed on used household goods. 
i think our TV is multi system (we are in a PAL system now), but will double check that. i didnt know that some kitchens have 220V - that would certainly help. thanks for the tip. 
thanks again.
Personal goods are free and exempt.
The only difference an ROC citizen would make with regard to customs duty would be in the H.S. tariff number. Which Taiwan customs often get wrong anyways.
Not sure if it’s the same 220V though, but I do for sure have a combined socket that does 110V and 220V (uses a slightly different plug for 220V). All AC units run of 220V as well, but they’re meant to be 3-phase from what I’ve understood. Older houses don’t have grounded sockets which is a hassle, although all newer places seems to have it. Just one thing though, Taiwan uses 60Hz, not 50Hz, so there might be some issues with certain appliances.
Power converters are cheap here (NT$1000-2000 for what seems to be decent models), but I don’t know the Wattage rating off hand.
This is what the 220V plug in my kitchen looks like (this is a different plug though). If you plug in a normal plug it’s 110V, but if you have a plug with the right “blade” horizontal, it’s meant to work at 220V. I have to admit that I haven’t tried using it as such.
I took a multimeter to the A/C socket and it measures to 250v. I don’t think it’s 220.
You shouldn’t be taxed on personal goods… only commercial goods like stuff you order (and most of the time you don’t get taxed… if it’s sent by the post office). You can misrepresent the value if you’re really afraid but if it gets lost…
Well, most 220V devices (at least from within the last 10 years) can handle up to 240V.
Generally you do get slightly less than the rating anyhow, although I guess that depends a bit how things are wired up.
My fuse box is fused for 220V 20A (that’s a lot of power), so maybe it differs a bit around the island?
I didn’t say it was guaranteed to work, I just said that there might be an option.
I know of people who’ve plugged stuff into their AC 220V sockets and fried them after a while.
The 220V for residential places in Taiwan is typically derived from the same 2-Phase supply that also provides (2x) 110V; Phase against Phase = 220V, Phase 1 against Neutral = 110V, Phase 2 against Neutral = 110V. Having a ground (or one that is actually grounded at the other end) is a matter of luck.
Always use a fused plug or inline fuse on the live wire if you are plugging stuff into these 3-phase 220V sockets. I imagine some people would be tempted to cut the (fused) plug off their appliance and replace it with a Taiwan-bought (unfused) plug. These 220v circuits are designed for aircons and the breakers are often rated at 30 or 40 amps. Hell will freeze over before a TV or stereo ever trips that baby. Ideally you would want an RCCB AND fuse between your appliance and the socket.
Personally I would just buy a step-up transformer and run your 220v electrics off that.
There is no duty on personal goods shipped within 6 months of your arrival to Taiwan. I have personally shipped another batch of personal items 12 months after arriving and was not assessed any tax, but the law does say 6 months.
This is completely normal.
If the combined voltage across both live/hot wires is more than the sum of each live/hot wire to ground then you have a split phase system. If the combined voltage across live/hot wires is about 15% lower then you have a 3-phase system.
So if I can measure 2x 110V, then I’m on 3-phase?
As I tried with a multimeter earlier and it seemed like I could measure 110V from each of the two slots so to say.
I guess you can’t use most standard 220V appliances with this kind of socket then?
My landlord said it was for ovens, but since there’s no space for an oven in the kitchen…
there are 110V aircon units as well as 220V units. beware what you buy as the wall sockets are mix and match: test first.
the 3-phase power provided here is not generally real 3-phase, but two 110v out-of-phase wires cobbled together.
SOME places do have real 3-phase but it’s certainly not normal.
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]So if I can measure 2x 110V, then I’m on 3-phase?
As I tried with a multimeter earlier and it seemed like I could measure 110V from each of the two slots so to say.
I guess you can’t use most standard 220V appliances with this kind of socket then?
My landlord said it was for ovens, but since there’s no space for an oven in the kitchen…[/quote]
A lot of kitchens have grounded 110V sockets on a separate circuit. This is done for safety because many kitchen appliances draw a large load. Very few kitchens would have a 220V outlet. A 220V split-phase outlet for a cooker would usually be hardwired, i.e. no socket.
You can get 220V power from single phase (i.e. the UK), split phase (most houses in the US or Taiwan) or 3 phase (industrial consumers).
To work out whether you have single, split or 3-phase power you have to take 3 measurements:
If the sum of 1 and 2 is about 15% higher than 3 then you have 3-phase (very unlikely in a domestic house). If the sum of 1 and 2 is a bit less than 3 then you have split phase. Although it doesn’t really matter for most domestic users whether you have split or 3-phase - just what the voltage is across both terminals.
But please - whatever you think of Taiwanese electricians, they still know more about electricity than a non-electrician. It is worth paying one a few hundred NT$ to come and check this stuff for you because poking probes into live sockets is dangerous and can make bits of the meter internals or even outside body electrically live.
Hmm… I get nothing if I go with option 1, option 2 is 110V and option 3 is 110V, so I guess it’s split phase then.
How does this compare to standard single phase 220V as per in Europe?
The reason why I’m asking is not because of the OP and what he might be in need of, but rather as to what this socket in my kitchen is meant to be for.
And I would’ve expected cookers to be hard wired in here as per in the UK, although in Sweden we got a super duper special 3-phase 400V plug for cookers… :loco:
The whole places is grounded, not just the kitchen. The odd thing is that the socket behind the fridge is a normal 110V socket, but this single plug on the middle of the kitchen wall is something different which I can’t work out, apart from the fact that it’s meant to be 220V.
[quote=“llary”]1. one hot terminal to ground
2. the other hot terminal (‘neutral’) to ground
3. one hot terminal to the other hot terminal[/quote]
Regarding 2.: Hot refers to the phase aka life wire, so ‘neutral’ should not be present at a hot terminal.
@TheLostSwede, your kitchen outlet (NEMA 5-20R) is meant for 110-125V / 20 A only, not for 110V & 220-240V. You probably confuse it with the NEMA 6-20R that looks like this:
The T-shaped hole on the 5-20R is therefore not for a different voltage but just to ensure polarity.
So why is it fused for 220V?
And my landlord told me it’s 220V (she’s been using hers with 220V appliances as she’s from Oz and live in the same place).
Well, I dunno…
How exactly is it wired? And by fuse you actually mean circuit breaker, right? Anyway, shouldn’t be a problem to use a 220V-rated fuse/circuit breaker in a 110V circuit, more important is the current rating.
[quote]And my landlord told me it’s 220V (she’s been using hers with 220V appliances as she’s from Oz and live in the same place).
Well, I dunno…[/quote]
I dunno either, maybe it’s some “custom installation”. But then you said you can’t measure 220V at the outlet, so perhaps your landlord doesn’t know what she is talking about.
Yes, the main circuit breaker is fused for 20A 220V, as I said earlier on, just like all of the AC power points.
I have no idea how it’s wired, I haven’t exactly taken the wall socket apart…
But you might be right, my landlord might be wrong.
Just curious though, why the odd socket if it’s only 110V?
Is it advisable to use a converter so that I can use 220V appliances in Taiwan, or is it too cumbersome/dangerous/too high electricity cost to bother with the converters?
And does anyone know how much a converter to run a Home Entertainment System would cost?
Thanks. 