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[YouTube]: American is impressed by sensible British mains plug design
themadhippy:
--- Quote ---No need to worry about fuses
--- End quote ---
no need to worry about a fuse in the uk plug,as long as the flex is 4mm2 or larger. Must admit the aussy piggy back plug is an interesting idea
Jackster:
His reasons for not liking the plug are pretty dumb...
"it's big", "you can stand on it", "if the light does not turn on, you have an extra place to check to see where the fault is". :palm:
I'll take those "flaws" over the US socket and plug design any day. Quite happy with my 3kW space heater, gaming PC and toaster oven all plugged into the same circuit running at the same time.
pcprogrammer:
--- Quote from: Jackster on October 20, 2022, 11:22:09 am ---His reasons for not liking the plug are pretty dumb...
....
--- End quote ---
But it is also funny that he discards history somewhat. Early sockets did not have the child protection. What I can find about it is 1928 for the first to arrive. Which is early compared to the Netherlands. I know, because I did like what he described in the video. Stick things into the socket out of curiosity :o (https://www.plugsocketmuseum.nl/British-plugSocket_history.html)
Nowadays that kind of protection is somewhat standard at least in the Netherlands and France, and I hate it, because it is harder to plug it in. But with what he showed about the English one it looks easier and better thought through then the ones used here.
redkitedesign:
--- Quote from: Halcyon on October 20, 2022, 10:11:31 am ---You can pull them directly out of the wall and break the circuit but pulling directly on the cable. Either through laziness or in an emergency.
--- End quote ---
Funny you'd list that as an advantage of the Aussie plug. Because the prongs on the usual (10A) plug are so flimsy, they will bend (and break) if you do that more often than on a blue moon.
Also, the 32A growth path of the Aussie plug is a bit moot, as pretty much all sockets are 10A anyhow.
Brumby:
--- Quote from: redkitedesign on October 20, 2022, 11:58:03 am ---Also, the 32A growth path of the Aussie plug is a bit moot, as pretty much all sockets are 10A anyhow.
--- End quote ---
You don't use 32A plugs in 10A sockets - basically because you can't.
You will note that a lower rated plug will always be able to be plugged into a higher rated socket, but not the other way around. (There are a couple of other variants for special circuits.)
As for the number of installations with 32A sockets - there won't be many and you certainly won't see many in a residential setting. Even 15A sockets (commonly used to supply caravans and higher power equipment, such as welders and bigger air compressors) are not overly common.
The point to take away from this - is that there IS a standard for those who need it.
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