For the 110v appliances you'll need transformers here in SC.  Buy them in the US prior.  Less bulky and of better quality.  Be sure to buy extra fuses, which some of the better heavy-duty transformers have.  As far as using the 220v appliances here, according to forum member Catarinense, he's had dismal success in having an imported clothes dryer hooked up to work properly.  I assumed it would merely be a matter of switching the type of plug, but evidently there are other complications.  Haven't seen him on here in awhile, so maybe send him a pm.

Whether or not you do end up bringing the dryer, unless you'll be venting directly outside the wall the dryer is positioned against, be sure to bring one of these "aluminum periscopes" (also available at HD) that you'd install behind your dryer, which you'd then attach the flexible aluminum venting tube to.  Many people here don't bother to vent their dryers (or stoves!) to the outside.  Buy the flexible aluminum tubing as well in the US; have only seen the plastic kind here in SC, which is a fire hazard.  Don't forget the clamps!  Lastly, purchase one of those louvered vent outlet covers (preferably with a grate), to install on the outside of your wall.  Have never seen those here either (but perhaps the larger cities like Sampa, Rio, even Curitiba might have them)....

Oh yeah, FYI, energy costs are waaaay more here than in the US, so you might find one of these handy to dry your clothes 95% of the way, and then just use the dryer to remove the stiffness from towels, etc.

As far as finding an "electrical engineer", it will be more like a pedreiro, who knows some basic wiring.  Boa sorte!

EDIT: My post did NOT include hyperlinks for the word "transformers".  That's an annoyance of this site, automatically embedding links for certain words.



Edited by Gringo.Floripa - 27 December 2011 at 07:34

Originally posted by Catarinense GF:  I have seen metal flex hose and vent caps for the wall.  You need to go to a fireplace store or a place where they sell gas-fired, hot water heaters.  I can't guarantee the circumference will match, but it looked like it might.  Not sure about price either.  I'll have to get back to you on that one.

I have seen the metal flex hose for the gas water heater, and the circumference is indeed smaller if one is using one of these "periscope" contraptions (and I believe even for the actual exhaust hole of the dryer)  The wall outlets in my laundry room were not installed on the outside wall, but on the opposing wall.  Go figure.  So if I wanted to vent outside, it was necessary to rig up one of these periscope contraptions, and install the venting up the wall, along the ceiling, then outside.  Maybe the OP will luck out and have an outlet on the proper wall!

Haven't looked lately for the louvered vent caps, so it's quite possible they have finally arrived on the scene.  Never thought about looking at a place which sells water heaters; only looked at the "Home Depot" like stores, such as Cassol and Casa das Aguas (the mainstays here in Floripa).

I'm sorry you've had such a hassle with your dryer!  That was one regret I had, not shipping one in my container.  The dryer I purchased locally is far inferior, size-wise and efficiency-wise (yet cost 3 times more).  But regardless, guess I can now cross that regret off my list.

Change of topic:  Made it to Campo dos Padres yet?

Originally posted by VamousFloripa If I change the dryer for gas, will I need special gas hook ups?

Unless you intend to live in Centro, there are no gas lines available here, only LP tanks (and natural gas lines a new arrival in centro, so don't know if every building has a connection).  Therefore, I believe you'll need a special fitting for LP use, and maybe even a very specific model of dryer.  Whether or not that fitting is compatible here, I don't know (but doubtful).  I've not heard of gas clothes dryers being sold in Brasil, which are actually the most efficient kind of dryer.



Edited by Gringo.Floripa - 27 December 2011 at 15:13

Good for you!!!  I would LOVE to have natural gas in my house (other than the occasional dog "vapor").  

Don't know what to tell you about the connection.  I think it's a far better chance that it won't be compatible, than will, but I'd think that would be easy to swap out.  If you're going to use a gas dryer, you'll definitely need to vent it to the outside.  I'd assume a gas dryer, which would still have some sort of electrical control panel, even the drum would only be running on 110v for those items, meaning you could get by with just a transformer.  Yet best to double-check that.

EDIT: Do you know the name of the company which supplies the natural gas?



Edited by Gringo.Floripa - 27 December 2011 at 17:02

VP:  Our US stove was designed for natural gas w 120v cord to run the display and auto-pilot.  The 120 was easy enough to run off of a transformer, but we had to buy a natural gas/LP gas conversion kit (actually my buddy was the sales rep so he threw it in for free).  Basically, it was just a matter of trading out the little brass gas injector nozzles for a different size - can't remember if it was for  injectors with smaller or larger openings (???).  I simply had to open each gas stove position, reach inside w a long socket driver, remove the old and put in the new.  No big deal.  The oven was more of a challenge and I was afraid I'd get it wrong and blow up my family and half the neighborhood, so I paid a technician to adjust it and then hook the rest up.  It now operates like a regular Brazilian oven w my Brazilian botijão outside the kitchen door.