Hello everyone

I have a Rancilio Silvia from Italy. The picture below is the one that is on the machine. I currently live in an apartment in Washington DC, all of my outlets are 120 volt outlets, and I can not install a 220 volt outlet in it. Does anyone have experiencing running a Silvia (or other 220 volt espresso machine) on a 120 to 220 step-up converter? Are there any considerations I should take into account when doing this? Will this harm the espresso machine? Thanks!

If you have an electric range (stove), it most likely has 230 volts in it. An outlet can be installed beside it, on it, or such. Consult an electrician. It can be easily undone when you move.

It worked for me with a 230 volt element.

D.

I picked up a rather inexpensive converter on ebay that's been working well for over a year now. It's recommended to use something about 3X the wattage of the device, so you would want a 3,000W converter. The one I got works both way, and will stabilize native power.

D'Laine wrote:If you have an electric range (stove), it most likely has 230 volts in it. An outlet can be installed beside it, on it, or such. Consult an electrician. It can be easily undone when you move.

It worked for me with a 230 volt element.

D.

I wish I could do something like that! Unfortunately I think my options are strictly limited to the step-up transformer since I don't have any existing outlets I can tap into either I will certainty keep that in mind if I move thought, thanks!

We used a lot of converters over the years on our motor yacht. By far the simplest, easiest to use and most durable were the autotransformers. The down side is they are a bit heavy in the size you'd need and they cost a bit more. We found the more modern solid state converters were prone to failure at the slightest misuse, while the autotransformers just got a bit hot and kept on working. After burning out several solid state converters, which added up to more than the cost of an autortransformer, we bought the latter and never had to replace it. In the ads, look for a bilateral converter that will convert up to 230/240, or down to 110/120, depending how it is installed. Chances are that will be an autotransformer. It's a simple device, just a coil of wire on a ferrous core with a tap in the middle. Some of the better ones have multiple taps so you can fine-tune the voltage out a bit. Amazon has a bunch of them. If you switch your machine on just to make coffee then switch off, you can get by with one that is rated at 125% of your demand power (1500 Watts in your case); if yours is a more constant use, I'd get one that is at least 150% of your rated demand (2000 Watts should more than do it). Espresso machines are predominantly resistive devices, so you do not have to allow extra for 'start-up current', like you would for a device that had a big motor inside, like a vacuum cleaner. Actually, it is the reverse...the heaters in espresso machines run intermittently, so you can easily err on the small side if you want to save a few bucks.

+1 to Nunas' comment. I have had exactly the same experience. Solid state devices are finicky and blow up. Transformers are rock solid. Two points. First, they may run warm. As long as you stay under the wattage rating, don't worry about the heat. (They should say something in the specs about their max heat rating, which is usually pretty hot). Second, they can be big and heavy, so if you are buying on line, look at size/weight specs so you don't get a surprise. But they are reliable, and they work well.

Brad

Just wanted to provide an update so others could learn from my experience. I purchased a 3000 watt Step-up/Step-down 110/120/220/240 Volt converter on Amazon, and it has been working beautifully to power my espresso machine so I can make some very nice drinks! Thanks again everyone for providing input!