Volts and Watts Hair Appliance question on Oasis

[AspiringCindy]

In April while onboard Freedom, my hair straightener was destroyed while in use. Everytime I turned it on, 30 seonds later it automatically turned off. When I managed to get it working, sparks came out of the socket and blew out my straightener. Now I'm going on the Oasis in 2 weeks, and I'm wondering if it's the sockets onboard. Don't want a repeat of what happened. Should I use an extension cord(being that they give me one for a CPAP machine)?

Edited August 7, 2022 by AspiringCindy

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

24 minutes ago, AspiringCindy said:

In April while onboard Freedom, my hair straightener was destroyed while in use. Everytime I turned it on, 30 seonds later it automatically turned off. When I managed to get it working, sparks came out of the socket and blew out my straightener. Now I'm going on the Oasis in 2 weeks, and I'm wondering if it's the sockets onboard. Don't want a repeat of what happened. Should I use an extension cord(being that they give me one for a CPAP machine)?

If it was plugged into the proper socket your straightner was defective for sure. Do not use and extension cord. The ship has standard shore power for your items. 

[AspiringCindy]

12 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

If it was plugged into the proper socket your straightner was defective for sure. Do not use and extension cord. The ship has standard shore power for your items. 

So your thinking my straightener was on the fritz? 

I had used this straightener for a year and never had a problem. I guess it was just coincidental. 

Thanks for the response!

[LeeW]

Shouldn't happen on a European straightener plugged into a US outlet, but certainly could on a US straightener plugged into the round-plug EU/UK outlet.  That one is 220 v and US 110v hardware can't handle it (some have a switch).  This isn't a problem with chargers - they generally automatically handle any voltage.

 

Motors can also have issues.  US (ship) frequency is 60 cycle and Europe is 50.  So even if the voltage is ok a European motor will run faster on a US circuit.  That could cause a burnout.  But hair straighteners don't have motors.

 

Your straightener could have a switch in the handle or plug end for dual voltage.  But normally setting this wrong would just get less heating. 

 

Maybe the wires in the outlet were loose and touching higher voltage to your appliance.  This could account for both the sparking and burning out your straightener.  Hope you let them know about the sparking.

Edited August 7, 2022 by LeeW
clarity

[yogimax]

1 hour ago, AspiringCindy said:

When I managed to get it working, sparks came out of the socket and blew out my straightener. 

Sparks came out of the socket, so I assume you reported it to RCCL.  What did they say?

[AspiringCindy]

I think they were trying to blame it on the straightener. A maintenance guy came in...stuck something into the socket...and said "it's okay".

[chengkp75]

If this is a "ceramic" type hair straightener, these have been reported as not working on ships.  The reason is the electronics that convert the AC power to the DC that the ceramic heating element needs requires the neutral and ground to be at the same voltage, and this is not the case on ships.  Generally, these straighteners merely won't turn on, but if there is a ground somewhere on the ship, it could have caused a reverse voltage on the ground/neutral, which blew out the semiconductors, which are not designed to handle this different voltage.

[AspiringCindy]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

If this is a "ceramic" type hair straightener, these have been reported as not working on ships.  The reason is the electronics that convert the AC power to the DC that the ceramic heating element needs requires the neutral and ground to be at the same voltage, and this is not the case on ships.  Generally, these straighteners merely won't turn on, but if there is a ground somewhere on the ship, it could have caused a reverse voltage on the ground/neutral, which blew out the semiconductors, which are not designed to handle this different voltage.

OMG IT IS a ceramic type! ...gonna have to bring a travel size one on my trip!

Edited August 7, 2022 by AspiringCindy

[rudeney]

My wife uses a curling iron and the kid uses a straightener.  Both have had them spark and "burn out" here at home.  What happens is that the cords get continually twisted and the wiring breaks down and generates resistance and heat.  They end up buying new ones every year or so.  The kid bought a very expensive flat iron (that coincidentally I noticed is 100v-240v 50hz/60z capable) so she is careful to untwist the cord after each use.  It's possible that twisting the cord to pack it in a suitcase caused this issue. 

[ARandomTraveler]

Here's an article about hair dryers (similar to straighteners because they're heat producing), and explains watts and volts and plugs etc. I came across it while trying to figure out if my Dyson hair dryer would function in Europe. 
 

https://www.rvandplaya.com/how-many-amps-does-a-hair-dryer-use/
 

[cruiselvr04]

Mine is ceramic and so far I haven't had any issues.  It does sometimes hum a bit.  I plug it in, use it and quickly unplug.  I store it in a heat proof envelope. I'd cry if it blew up.  My hair would look crazy.

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, AspiringCindy said:

So your thinking my straightener was on the fritz? 

I had used this straightener for a year and never had a problem. I guess it was just coincidental. 

Thanks for the response!

Was it a Dyson straightener?

[AspiringCindy]

4 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Mine is ceramic and so far I haven't had any issues.  It does sometimes hum a bit.  I plug it in, use it and quickly unplug.  I store it in a heat proof envelope. I'd cry if it blew up.  My hair would look crazy.

Mine burnt out the first night of my cruise in April...and I lost my scrunchies! I was walking around with frizzy hair the entire trip. First world Problems!🙄LOL

[AspiringCindy]

4 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Was it a Dyson straightener?

No it's a Remington wide plate.

[LeeW]

8 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

If this is a "ceramic" type hair straightener, these have been reported as not working on ships.  The reason is the electronics that convert the AC power to the DC that the ceramic heating element needs requires the neutral and ground to be at the same voltage, and this is not the case on ships.  Generally, these straighteners merely won't turn on, but if there is a ground somewhere on the ship, it could have caused a reverse voltage on the ground/neutral, which blew out the semiconductors, which are not designed to handle this different voltage.

Chief, this makes sense if the straightener has a three wire plug but if only two there isn't a ground to cause problems.  Photos I have seen online show these to have two wires.  OP didn't say.  I've certainly seen cases of computer power supplies that didn't like uninterruptable power supplies because the shape of the wave wasn't clean enough.

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, LeeW said:

Chief, this makes sense if the straightener has a three wire plug but if only two there isn't a ground to cause problems.  Photos I have seen online show these to have two wires.  OP didn't say.  I've certainly seen cases of computer power supplies that didn't like uninterruptable power supplies because the shape of the wave wasn't clean enough.

I didn't think they sold anything that would be used in a bathroom with just a two pin plug, so you may be right (I don't have enough hair to worry about using something for it).  With the SCR controlled propulsion system, the AC sine wave is very dirty.

[AspiringCindy]

9 hours ago, LeeW said:

Chief, this makes sense if the straightener has a three wire plug but if only two there isn't a ground to cause problems.  Photos I have seen online show these to have two wires.  OP didn't say.  I've certainly seen cases of computer power supplies that didn't like uninterruptable power supplies because the shape of the wave wasn't clean enough.

It's a 2 prong plug. My hair dryer has 3 but never gives me an issue on cruises.

 

[rudeney]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I didn't think they sold anything that would be used in a bathroom with just a two pin plug, so you may be right (I don't have enough hair to worry about using something for it).  With the SCR controlled propulsion system, the AC sine wave is very dirty.

 

Our blow dryers have only two prongs, but they also have those ground fault breakers built-into the plugs.  The flat and curling irons that the "girls" use are also just two prongs.  

[LeeW]

2 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

Our blow dryers have only two prongs, but they also have those ground fault breakers built-into the plugs.  The flat and curling irons that the "girls" use are also just two prongs.  

Good point - my wife's also has a breaker in it.  Not sure how anything could sense ground fault when there isn't a ground to sense the difference between neutral and ground.  Maybe it senses current flow when the power switch is off...

[chengkp75]

20 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Good point - my wife's also has a breaker in it.  Not sure how anything could sense ground fault when there isn't a ground to sense the difference between neutral and ground.  Maybe it senses current flow when the power switch is off...

Ground fault breakers don't measure difference in current between neutral and ground, it measures current in hot and neutral, and if there is a difference, then stray current is going someplace, either to ground, or through you.

[AspiringCindy]

33 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Ground fault breakers don't measure difference in current between neutral and ground, it measures current in hot and neutral, and if there is a difference, then stray current is going someplace, either to ground, or through you.

What does that all mean in easy terms?LOL

[rudeney]

2 hours ago, LeeW said:

Good point - my wife's also has a breaker in it.  Not sure how anything could sense ground fault when there isn't a ground to sense the difference between neutral and ground.  Maybe it senses current flow when the power switch is off...

 

In US residential wiring, the neutral and ground are wired together in the panel. 

 

[chengkp75]

5 hours ago, AspiringCindy said:

What does that all mean in easy terms?LOL

It means that the ground fault circuit breaker measures the current in each wire going to your hair straightener.  If the current in the "hot/black" wire equals the current in the "neutral/white" wire, then all is good.  If more current is flowing in the hot wire than in the neutral wire, then some current is going somewhere it isn't supposed to go, like into your hand because the insulation has failed, and you are being electrocuted.  When the breaker senses this, it shuts off the power.

[AspiringCindy]

13 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

It means that the ground fault circuit breaker measures the current in each wire going to your hair straightener.  If the current in the "hot/black" wire equals the current in the "neutral/white" wire, then all is good.  If more current is flowing in the hot wire than in the neutral wire, then some current is going somewhere it isn't supposed to go, like into your hand because the insulation has failed, and you are being electrocuted.  When the breaker senses this, it shuts off the power.

HMM. OKAY

Braids and ponytail it will be!