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[YouTube]: American is impressed by sensible British mains plug design
tom66:
--- Quote from: themadhippy on October 20, 2022, 02:47:56 pm ---
--- Quote ---Pretty sure that's nonsense, even if cable is 4mm^2 the BS1363 plug is definitely not rated for more than 13A and socket ring mains are typically installed with 32A MCBs.
--- End quote ---
What is the maximum current available at the pins of a 13A plug? Why is there a fuse in the plug? and what is the rating of 4mm flex?
--- End quote ---
PFC for our property was over 1kA - and we're quite far from the substation.
So you would want some kind of protection for the plug, which the fuse & MCB provide, but the MCB protects the 4mm^2 cable (or 2.5mm^2 cable in a ring) from CU to the socket, whereas the fuse protects the plug and cable.
Technically there's a complication with this arrangement where a double socket is only rated to ca 20A even though the combined load potential is 26A.
themadhippy:
--- Quote ---So you would want some kind of protection for the plug, which the fuse & MCB provide, but the MCB protects the 4mm^2 cable (or 2.5mm^2 cable in a ring) from CU to the socket, whereas the fuse protects the plug and cable.
--- End quote ---
If you dig into the regs youll find a bit that says a protective device shall be fitted were theres a reduction in the current capacity of the circuit,and thats why us brits put a fuse in our plugs,nothing to do with protecting the equipment,4mm flex cord,non armoured is rated for 32A,so following the regs theres no reduction in the current capacity of the circuit and so no fuse is required
tom66:
--- Quote from: themadhippy on October 20, 2022, 04:24:32 pm ---
--- Quote ---So you would want some kind of protection for the plug, which the fuse & MCB provide, but the MCB protects the 4mm^2 cable (or 2.5mm^2 cable in a ring) from CU to the socket, whereas the fuse protects the plug and cable.
--- End quote ---
If you dig into the regs youll find a bit that says a protective device shall be fitted were theres a reduction in the current capacity of the circuit,and thats why us brits put a fuse in our plugs,nothing to do with protecting the equipment,4mm flex cord,non armoured is rated for 32A,so following the regs theres no reduction in the current capacity of the circuit and so no fuse is required
--- End quote ---
I'm fully aware the fuse has nothing to do with protecting the equipment. However, the fuse also protects the plug and by extension the socket as well, and the BS1363 plug and socket is not rated to exceed 13 amps, therefore it is still required with 4mm^2 cable. I can tell you having used a 10 amp electric car charger for some time on a BS1363 socket/plug that they don't like extended high current operation and begin to overheat, a safe limit is around 8 amps. The idea of 32 amps being OK with the right cable is farcical.
(Heaven forbid the poor sod trying to get 4mm^2 into a BS1363, but I suppose that's another matter.)
themadhippy:
--- Quote --- The idea of 32 amps being OK with the right cable is farcical.
--- End quote ---
But thats not what i said,i said with a greater than 4mm cable we wouldn't need a fuse in the plug There is a 13A plugs without a fuse,they were red in colour stamped with "medical use only" and not available to the general public
--- Quote ---Heaven forbid the poor sod trying to get 4mm^2 into a BS1363, but I suppose that's another matter.
--- End quote ---
Easy with mk plug tops and hof 7 cable,6mm is a bit of a struggle though
james_s:
I like the British plugs, I got a bag of them at CPC when I visited there years ago and use them for 240V stuff on the bench. They're nice solid plugs that fit firmly in the receptacle. The thing I don't like about them though is they are huge, power strips are bulky and clunky and have relatively few receptacles on them and extension cord ends are enormous. They tend to land on the floor with the prongs facing up and it really hurts to step on one too.
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