Section 8a3. Electrical Appliances

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By Rajkamal Rao 
 
Go back to What to ship


Remember that Indian power outlets work on a 240 V/50 Hz standard - as against the 110 V/60 Hz US standard.  For every appliance you consider shipping, you may need to buy heavy voltage transformers to step the 240 V down to 110 V.  For appliances that have built in clocks, you may need frequency converters as well - otherwise features that run off the clock will malfunction.  For example, the clock on your US microwave oven will likely run “slow” when used in India with just a voltage transformer.  Servicing, repair and parts may become an issue as well.

The Indian appliance market is vibrant.  Stores like Chroma and e-Zone are national chains offering a shopping experience not different from what you can expect from a Best Buy in the US.  The area of the showroom may be smaller but the variety of appliances available is adequate.  In this section, we include retail pricing information, which, though accurate as of December 2012, must only be used as a guide.  For the serious returnee, a quick check online will help validate prices.

Washing machines are sold both in the semi-auto and automatic cycle models, and front-loading machines that most closely mimic the hand washing of clothes are common.  Korean and European models are popular and promoted.  A 7.0 KG front loader LG retails for about INR 37,000 indicating that prices are slightly more expensive than in the US for a similar model.  Because they can be serviced locally, it is better to buy washing machines in India.

Microwaves are commonly available but you will notice that the size is much smaller than kitchen models in the west.  A 28 litre microwave oven - amongst the largest sold in stores - looks really small for returnee families used to larger models in the US.  And these are relatively expensive too, costing INR 12,000.  If you must have your big microwave and are confident that it will fit into your new India kitchen (under-cabinet mounting and all), you may want to consider shipping it.  Remember, a step down voltage transformer may still be needed.

If there’s one kitchen appliance that you must buy in India that you don’t normally even think about in the west, it’s the water filter.  The quality of drinking water even in metro cities is suspect and many illnesses are immediately traced to the lack of safe drinking water.  This problem has spawned an entire industry devoted to the design, manufacturing, marketing and servicing of water filters.  All of these water filters have a storage tank which stores filtered water and a waste pipe that discharges dirty water into a drain.  Mid-end models offer ultraviolet filtration.  And high end models also offer Reverse Osmosis (RO) capabilities that block most dissolved or suspended contaminants. Every electronics store carries many models of water filters at prices from INR 5,000 to nearly INR 20,000.

Should you ship your refrigerator?  The answer depends upon what refrigerator you have, who the manufacturer is and how old it is.  Side-by-side refrigerators with water and ice dispensers are still rare in India.  When available, they tend to be at least 75% more expensive for the same model in the US, costing upwards of INR 80,000 for a side-by-side without water dispenser.  On its face, therefore, it is better to ship your US side-by-side. 

But there are caveats.  First, servicing and parts for your model may not be available.  Second, your US refrigerator will need a huge 240/110 voltage transformer - and this is extra expense, costing about $150 online in the US.  [To size this transformer, check the total wattage consumption on your refrigerator (generally specified on the inside front panel or the instructions manual).  Your transformer should be capable of six times this load to protect against surges.  For example, if your refrigerator consumes about 350 watts of power, the transformer should be designed for 2 KW].  Third, the water dispenser on your side-by-side doesn’t work readily in India.  Drinking water in most modern Indian homes is filtered and very few filters offer the ability to steer a separate pipe from the filtered water tank to your refrigerator.

Should you ship your dishwasher?  Probably not.  You will run into the same issues of being able to service your unit and buying spares.  Dishwashers are not commonly available because Indian families still rely on maids to wash dishes.  For this reason, dishwashers are expensive - costing INR 33,000 and up - and the variety limited.  If you must buy, it’s better to buy one locally in India.

TVs are especially expensive in India and operate on the PAL system against the NTSC system which is standard in the US.  A loaded 55 inch 3-D TV retails in India for INR 2,25,000 and up (the store may throw in a Blue Ray DVD player as a bonus). 

Should you ship your US TV?  Unless your TV is a real late model LCD/LED TV, chances are that you will have to buy a NTSC-PAL converter (about $125) to make your US TV work in India.  Make sure that your converter can talk to the Indian Cable TV set top box and your US TV panel.  Common standards are component video, S-Video and HDMI.  Late model US branded Vizio TVs (LCD/LED/3D) work seamlessly in India on the Tata Sky Satellite TV system and are as close to plug and play as you can get.  These TVs do not require NTSC-PAL converters and connect easily to the Tata Sky set top box through HDMI cables.  Note that we are not advocating for either company but just stating a fact based on the experience of several returnees.

Wall mounting of TVs is an attractive - and inexpensive - option to conserve valuable floor space.  All kinds of universal brackets - to fit just about any flat panel TV - are sold and installed by professional outfits.  Brackets which just hold the TV cost about INR 850, fully installed.  Brackets, with a base to support your DVD or game system, cost about INR 1,700 - again fully installed.

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