wiring a continental 2 pin plug

babbit · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 10:55 am Post Subject: wiring a continental 2 pin plug

Anyone got any ideas on how to wire a continental 2 pin plug, the earth goes to the centre of the plug but there is no designation for earth and live and i'm confused!!

Thanks!

IanDB · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 11:27 am Post Subject:

Apparently, (but don't take my word for it) the continentals use double pole switching so they're not fussed as to which is live and which is neutral. This can lead to outlets being wired up either way.

Quote:

the earth goes to the centre of the plug but there is no designation for earth and live and i'm confused!!

- I assume you mean live and neutral here not earth and live as you have worked out that the earth is the centre pin.

The UK always switches the live side so if you're connecting a switchable appliance you need to know which side is which.

I think the only way to know for certain is to test the outlet socket you're going to use. I believe you can by plug in testers for this.

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ZenStalinist · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 12:36 pm Post Subject:

First of all, if it has an earth connection it is not the 'continental' europlug. Could you be referring instead to a German Schuko plug? :

The French ones are polarised by the earthing hole in the plug, but there are also designs which are compatiable with both France and Germany, which may or not be polarized, as a German outlet is nonpolarizing and a French outlet polarizing.

Anyway, I'll get down to the main point:

If it's a schuko plug and doesn't have markings for live and neutral, then it doesn't matter which you connect to which pin, so long as you connect the safety earth to the correct pin.

Quote:

The UK always switches the live side so if you're connecting a switchable appliance you need to know which side is which.

I think the only way to know for certain is to test the outlet socket you're going to use. I believe you can by plug in testers for this.

True, but most appliances are designed for use across the whole of Europe nowadays.

One final point: This should have been posted in the Electrics outside the UK section.

P.S. While searching for an image, I found something very curious... A schuko outlet which claimed to have a BS EN number... Why?

babbit · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 12:44 pm Post Subject: Thanks!!

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Reckon an adaptor plug is the way to go!!
Doh!!

IanDB · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 1:17 pm Post Subject:

Quote:

A schuko outlet which claimed to have a BS EN number... Why?

Part P Issue 2?

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ZenStalinist · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 1:19 pm Post Subject:

Whatever you say, I don't know too much about that advanced of things, I am a DIYer, though a knowledgable one.

plugwash · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 4:35 pm Post Subject:

german style plugs are non polerised so whiver way you wire it you have a 50% chance of a live/neutral reverse

french style plugs are polarised but theier double sockets have live and neutral the opposite way round in one of the two sockets anyway

appliances are designed such that swapping thier live and neutral is not a problem

plugwash · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 4:43 pm Post Subject:

IanDB wrote:

The UK always switches the live side so if you're connecting a switchable appliance you need to know which side is which.

I think the only way to know for certain is to test the outlet socket you're going to use. I believe you can by plug in testers for this.

most appliances are made for the whole european market anyway nowadays and double pole switching is commonplace

what i find mroe worrying is the way european sonsumers don't think anything of plugging calss one alliances into non-earthed outlets

ban-all-sheds · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 4:58 pm Post Subject:

plugwash wrote:

what i find mroe worrying is the way european sonsumers don't think anything of plugging calss one alliances into non-earthed outlets

Waht shioce do htey hive?

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ZenStalinist · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 5:15 pm Post Subject:

Quote:

Waht shioce do htey hive?

Judging by your typing, if I were you, I'd wouldn't just lay off the wiring they have in the Netherlands...

And they have plenty of choice... Wire their country's three pin plug onto the device...

plugwash · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 5:46 pm Post Subject:

earthed plugs in germany and the netherlands use scraping earth contacts
earth plugs in fance and belgium use an earth pin sticking out of the socket

in both cases earthed plugs will fit happilly in non-earthed sockets and many houses only have earthe sockets in the kitchen

ZenStalinist · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 5:53 pm Post Subject:

I see. I've only been to Germany once before, and the house we stayed in had all of the sockets earthed. I noticed that all of their powerstrips are earthed, but their cluster adaptors fit into the schuko recess, and themselves were shaped to only allow two pin europlugs.

I thought then that a two pin socket would be recessed if the cluster adaptors were anything to go by.

plugwash · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 7:07 pm Post Subject:

also worrying is you can plug an earthed german or french style plug into an earthed italian socket

live and neutral will connect but earth will not

ZenStalinist · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 7:11 pm Post Subject:

True... and you can plug an earthed France-only schuko plug into a german socket.

Also, worryingly europlugs and schuko plugs can be plugged into shaver sockets. I wonder how many people are watching the telly at the end of their bath, thanks to a travel adaptor right at this moment...

plugwash · Posted: Wed May 26, 2004 7:16 pm Post Subject:

just how much do tvs draw?

shaver sockets are only rated at 20W (though i do remember a friedn of mine (known here as london spark) said he plugges a 60w hexagon pod (you know those 3 channel hexaganal pods in which one contains a sound to light unti and the pods connect to the controller through europlugs) into a shave socket and it worked

yes we were both much younger and more reckless then