If you learn nothing else from having
visited this website, please take this bit of information with you; the number one issue regarding ALL residential/consumer
electronics in Mexico is the electricity in your home and specifically, its unreliability.
Unlike the US, where power arrives
in a home at a fairly predictable 120 volts, the electrical current here will more likely average 127 volts with far more
fluctuation both above and below the (federally mandated) 10% allowable variance. For this reason, virtually NO consumer
electronics purchased in the US are warranted for use in Mexico. In essence, all electronics that were purchased in the US
are doing a "slow burn" once plugged in down here.
Add to this, the inevitability of brownouts (severe
drop of incoming voltage) and blackouts caused by extreme weather and any number of other causes, and you can see that your
home is a battleground in which the appliances and electronics are fighting against overwhelming odds. Oh yeah, and most
homes in Mexico do not have truly grounded electrical outlets. Even though an outlet accepts a 3 prong plug, DO NOT assume
the electrical wiring throughout is actually grounded. Some components won't even operate without this, others will operate
at risk.
There are two solutions.
First, buy appliances and electronics
here. Many gringos have a hard time with this at first because we have been beat over the head with cheap price mentality
via the internet and superstores and electronics ARE more expensive here. But understand this; the money saved by purchasing
in the US can very quickly disappear when you factor in import taxes (OK, you may figure out a way to avoid this...) and the
money & time you may have to spend chasing service for a failed component due to the absolute non-existance of any warranty support
for US-bought items. In the case of small appliances this can seem a wash, but in the instance of say, a large wide screen
TV it is not. You will likely have to pay a considerable amount of money to bring the TV into the country, and then it is
here "on its' own" with no warranty to cover service costs when it prematurely fails.
The second solution is actually a
safeguard; surge protection, power conditioning and UPS battery backup. Here I am speaking not of a $10 power strip, but
rather full-scale surge and lightning protection housewide at the incoming power point. Additionally, use power centers for
TV and audio systems and UPS battery backup for computers. Having a qualified, licensed electrician install proper grounding
will also go a long way to extending the life of your electronics.
Before you blame your electronics
for failure, you should take a look at your power.
