15 amp sockets

[ZenStalinist]

The question is: On what type of circuit can I install a 15 amp socket?

Is it allowable and satisfactory to just add it on to the existing ring main?

 

[Big_Spark]

This type of socket-outlet, manufactured to BS546 should not be installed on a circuit designed for 13A BS1363 socket-outlets.

I cannot think why you would need one in your home, but if you do, then put it on it's own radial circuit backed up by a 16A MCB

 

[ZenStalinist]

OK thankyou... As regards why I need one, I have a rather power-hungry valve amplifier, which uses more than 13 amps. I would also like to be able to unplug it, so putting it directly on a 16amp circuit a la water heater didn't make sense. I assum then that 15 amp sockets must each have their own circuit.

 

[Big_Spark]

Zen, what is the power rating of this amplifier?

 

[ZenStalinist]

500 watt (rms?) per speaker. Huge beast. The neigbours should take cover

EDIT: On the back it says it uses 3350 watts.

 

[Big_Spark]

500 watt (rms?) per speaker. Huge beast. The neigbours should take cover

EDIT: On the back it says it uses 3350 watts.

Wow, that IS a big amp!!

However are you ever going to use it at FULL power? Unlikely. If you put a 13A plug on the thing with a 13A fuse, you would be protecting the amplifier still.

The chances of you pulling enough to damage the socket, the plug or blowing the fuse are slim unless your a nut job..and I don't think you would risk the amplifier being damaged somehow.

 

[ZenStalinist]

True. Needless to say I value my hearing (and my speakers) enough not to use it on full volume.

 

[Big_Spark]

True. Needless to say I value my hearing (and my speakers) enough not to use it on full volume.

I know that feeling, I have a Technics set-up, and the Amp is 100W RMS per channel through 4 speakers simultaneously.

The volume control goes from 0 to 32, needless to say I have NEVER had it over 10!

The speakers can handle it, some nice wharfedales from a club refurb, but my hearing can't

 

[kendor]

the volume control merely controls the amplitude of the signal at the input to the Amplifier the Amp itself, it's power supplies etc can still pull a considerable load regardless of the input signal, I'd be weary of using 13A as it is a valve amplifier and a lot of the loading is going to be the heaters in the valves so regardless of the volume setting i'd go by the rating on the plate and still use 15A the system is still used extensively in theatres and a lot of Television Studios still, although more use of 16A is starting to become the norm.

 

[plugwash]

the trouble with the 16A cee waterproof sockets is they are bulky as hell

also i've noticed some lighting controlers are sold with german style sockets (16A scraping earth)

btw the reason 13A sockets aren't used in proffesional lighting is because they don't wan't fuses in places where you need to absail to gain access

 

[AdamW]

500 watt (rms?) per speaker. Huge beast. The neigbours should take cover

EDIT: On the back it says it uses 3350 watts.

Does the 3350W figure have a qualifier such as "rms" or "peak"? I don't know how efficient valves are but if you have 500 watts rms per speaker, 2 speakers, then that is 1000W rms. Which would translate to an efficiency of about 30% for valves if the amp draws 3350W rms. Doesn't sound right to me. I would think even valves would be more efficient than that.

A 15A circuit would be good to give you a bit of headroom plus it is extra bragging points if you need an exotic plug for your amp not to mention extra work for any toe-rags who might steal it! I am assuming this amp is sold in the UK for domestic use, in which case surely it is supplied with a 13A plug by law?

You would probably be pretty safe with a 13A circuit: the power supply would have enough stored energy for the big peaks. And to be honest, I doubt you will be turning it anywhere near full volume as someone who buys a tube amp is usually an audiophile who wants to hear the detail in music rather than overload their ears. Can't hurt to safeguard your investment though.

 

[Big_Spark]

Kendor raises a valid point. A lot will depend on the age of the equipment. If it is relatively new, then it will likely have a switched mode PSU in it, this will only draw what the unit needs, but even then, as Ken righlty pointed out, this could still draw more than you may usually think.

 

[AdamW]

A valve amp with a switched mode PSU, seems a bit like taking a 1920s Bentley and putting modern engine management and a turbocharger in it to me!

Unfortunately I know virtually s*d all about valves other than what I gleaned whilst building a theramin (although I ended up using transistors). But from what I gather they work off thermionic emission just like CRTs. I also get the impression that they only stopped making mainstream valve amps because transistors were the new thing and everyone wanted transistors. Now they sometimes try to emulate valves with transistors so you get the valve sound with transistor reliability (one of the selling points of my bass amp).

Zen, how does it sound? (as if it could sound anything other than marvelous!)

 

[ZenStalinist]

As for whether it has a switching power supply I don't know, but my educated guess would be no. It has various lumps of transformers.

Putting a 15 amp socket in shouldn't actually be too hard because we had a combi boiler put in recently and that got rid of the hot water tank, and the imersion heater (not that it heated or had the capability to heat) along with the old boiler.

Therefore, there is 16 amp switch connected to nothing, running on its own circuit.

Simple solution then: Reroute the cable from the water heater switch, and put a 15 amp socket near the amp.

I assume its just a simple radial connection.

 

[kendor]

the trouble with the 16A cee waterproof sockets is they are bulky as hell

also i've noticed some lighting controlers are sold with german style sockets (16A scraping earth)

btw the reason 13A sockets aren't used in proffesional lighting is because they don't wan't fuses in places where you need to absail to gain access

Very true and also that a lot of studio lights are of high wattage ( 5KW, 10KW).