Build A NZ -UK Power Lead

[SUNRAY]

We will all have personal opinions, which will inevitably differ, but that's never a reason for biting any heads off!

Youyr opinion about this may be true/valid but, as I said, to move the UK to a system which did not have fused plugs would essentially be 'unthinkable'.

Why unthinkable, we could adopt the fused Shuko sockets as used occasionally in other countries on circuits higher than 16A.

 

[ericmark]

I remember a site with the Reyrolle plugs and sockets, there was a small difference, so you could plug in a fused plug in either socket type, but the unfused plug would only fit fused sockets. The unfused sockets were on a 32 amp ring, relying on the fuses in the plug, the pins were the fuses, and an electrician, we that's what he said he was, replaced them for the modern yellow type, so 32 amp from a 16 amp socket, we replaced with a version using a 16 amp MCB in the outlet.

However, I have also seen yellow 3 kW portable transformers, often with a 10 amp push to reset overload on the 230 volts side, so 2300 watt at 55 volts = 41.8 amps, how they are allowed I don't know, a real fire risk. And I have seen where 110 volt leads have been used one plugged into the next, so when a scaffold pole caused a short line 1 to earth, there was not enough current to trip the 10 amp overload, until the cable melted and a second short circuit happened. We were lucky the scaffold planks showed burn marks but did not go on fire.

Since using extension leads, we simply put them all in the bin, but if the cables had been installed, that would have caused a lot of work.

Today where I work, we have 110 volt bricks for festoon lighting, but power tools are in the main battery powered. If I was the safety officer I would ban yellow bricks, all transformers should have overloads on the output. I have simply never worked out how the yellow brick was ever allowed?

 

[JohnW2]

Why unthinkable, we could adopt the fused Shuko sockets as used occasionally in other countries on circuits higher than 16A.

Perhaps you didn't 'take in' what I wrote (and you correctly quoted) - what I wrote would be unthinkable' was ...

... to move the UK to a system which did not have fused plugs ..

... and I still think that is almost certainly true.

We could, as you say, (very gradually) move to a system using a different design of fused sockets - but, as I said, one of the biggest problems (overheating) of BS1363 ones seems to be related to the presence of a fuse, so one would have to be sure that we weren't jumping from the frying pan into the fire

 

[ebee]

Maybe. I presonally would have thought that it was very unlikely that such would happen, and even more unlikely that it would do any 'harm' even if it did happen.

In any event, I imagine that all sorts of designs of plugs allow one to include some slack in the earth conductor if one really wants to, don't they?

Yes you might be right, the few that I have actually noticed then not much.
In reality, perhaps good practice we were taught along with all other stuff, whether in pro life or everyday life we all get taught things and some stick.
Those that get repeated often and by the "Great & Good" in our mindset then tend to take a higher pecking order in our minds and that does not always follow the pecking order that logic might suggest.
The way we eat with a knife and fork might be an example, use a spoon in as well and we have three utensils but only two hands, that pecking order does get stressed a bit.

 

[SUNRAY]

Perhaps you didn't 'take in' what I wrote (and you correctly quoted) - what I wrote would be unthinkable' was ...

... and I still think that is almost certainly true.

We could, as you say, (very gradually) move to a system using a different design of fused sockets - but, as I said, one of the biggest problems (overheating) of BS1363 ones seems to be related to the presence of a fuse, so one would have to be sure that we weren't jumping from the frying pan into the fire

Perhaps you didn't 'take in' what I wrote (and you correctly quoted) - what I wrote was:

Why unthinkable, we could adopt the fused Shuko sockets as used occasionally in other countries on circuits higher than 16A.

in response to your

... as I said, to move the UK to a system which did not have fused plugs would essentially be 'unthinkable'.

Which would essentially be a similar system, simply moving the fuse from one side of the connector pins to the other.

 

[ebee]

Some UK design Plugtops do seem better than others in their fuse holding heat disapation properties, take care of that and the cord holding method (another thing that could do with improvement with some makes).