German Fridge freezer

[SUNRAY]

If not returning then the cut of old plug and fit British is clearly best option if for no other reason than the Schuko plug is reversible which is why Schuko sockets are not permitted in the UK.

Am I missing something here?
Is there not something in the regs about harmonization with member states?

I do a fair bit of work within the AV industry and a very high proportion of new kit comes with Shuko, or other foreign, plugs so it is becoming fairly common to be fitting Shuko sockets.
We have certainly been fitting Shuko sockets as standard for some time into situations where there is a high likelihood of foreign visitors such as news reporters.

edit yes of course we fit DP OCD

 

[SUNRAY]

To the OP I would change the plug if you are not expecting to return abroad,
if you are still mobile then get an adapter.

 

[jacmurphy]

As her husband is in the army and it is a 2 year posting back here there is the possibility they may return to Germany if the army is not out in 2 years time. Therefore the adapter may be better. So they are safe to use on a fridge/freezer long term? as someone had told them that they are not.

 

[SUNRAY]

As her husband is in the army and it is a 2 year posting back here there is the possibility they may return to Germany if the army is not out in 2 years time. Therefore the adapter may be better. So they are safe to use on a fridge/freezer long term? as someone had told them that they are not.

If they are marked with a relevant BS/DIN/EN number etc and have an earth and fuse then it should be perfectly good and safe AND compliant. I will say that I have encountered issues with the black type shown by ericmark and find his previous white version to be more reliable.
The pointer I will add is to make sure it will not be too big to fit where it needs to go as they stick out around 80mm.

 

[SimonH2]

Is there not something in the regs about harmonization with member states?

Yes, everyone seems to want harmonisation - but only if it's everyone else changing to their system.
So the Germans would be happy for everyone to change to their Shuko sockets. The French would love everyone to change to theirs (which isn't the same as Shuko but very close and a lot of plugs/sockets are "dual standard" IIRC). And so it goes.

And of course, we in the UK abhor the idea of doing away with our fused plugs - and perhaps to a lesser degree, our ring finals. Not to mention the practical issues of changing existing rings into acceptable radials.

I recall reading a long time ago about some proposed new harmonised plug/socket system - different to everything so everyone equally unhappy. Not very surprisingly, I don't think it got very far !

As usual, XKCD has an appropriate cartoon