Integrated appliance - choice of unfused plug on fised spur

[ban-all-sheds]

The sort of person who can wire his washing machine to a flex outlet is the sort of person who can also unwire it before the technician arrives.

 

[bernardgreen]

The sort of person who can wire his washing machine to a flex outlet is the sort of person who can also unwire it before the technician arrives.

And then expect the technician to wait while it is re-wired in order to test the appliance is working after the repair.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yes - you are right - somebody so dim as to think that they could just unwire it and not fit a plug and possibly provide an extension lead without being explicitly told to do those as well should not be involved in anything electrical.

 

[ericmark]

In my fathers house before central heating was fitted the immersion heater was supplied from a special 15A round pin socket, idea was the plumber could disconnect without needing an electrician, we still had demarcation in 1954 when house was built. It used a 15A as there is no fuse in the plug which can cause over heating if the cupboard is stuffed with cloths.

Today however there is a lot more cross over between trades, yes I am sure we have all cursed at the FCU from time to time, I remember the problem doing the in-service inspection and testing on a hand drier in a toilet. I had to isolate, disconnect, fit plug, with extension lead, test, then remove plug, reconnect, and power up. It needed two people to do the ELI test. Yes real pain, but I would not be temped to connect it to a plug and socket. If the technician can't work with FCU then not much of a technician. Or more likely some one who is paid a fixed rate for job, and they would lose money doing like I did with hand drier. One of those PAT testing guys who walk around with a role of PASS labels hung on their belt, and can test 250 items in a 7 hour day!

 

[winston1]

Currently, kitchen appliance sockets are fed from fused spurs above the worktop, but with kitchen refit, space behind appliances will be marginal for any plug and socket. If the socket is replaced with a flex outlet, I'd prefer to still have a break point in the cable to the appliance to make it easier to disconnect. What is the usual inline socket/plug type people use for this? I assume 15A round trailing socket and plug, or maybe even the 16A blue connectors.

But both of those options are bigger than a 13 amp trailing socket and plug!

 

[YorkshireMidge]

But both of those options are bigger than a 13 amp trailing socket and plug!

Agreed - but it just didn't seem best practice to have an additional inaccessible fuse, when there is an FCU above the worktop for each appliance socket already, eventhough there is very little chance of either fuse blowing.

The sort of person who can wire his washing machine to a flex outlet is the sort of person who can also unwire it before the technician arrives.

I'm, not living there - my elderly and poorly sighted mother-in-law is, which is why I'm keen to retain the FCUs with neons above the worktop even though they aren't pretty. What I was after was best practice for if a warranty call occurs on any of the appliances when I'm not around. Hense, it seemed logical to have an unfused quick disconnect plug.


Anyway, I think I have enough thoughts and ideas and I'll just have to see how much/little space I have available when it comes to fitting it all. Thankis for the posts.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What I was after was best practice for if a warranty call occurs on any of the appliances when I'm not around. Hense, it seemed logical to have an unfused quick disconnect plug.

OK - so you are going to have to have something other than just a flex outlet.

OOI, how thick are the walls?

And BTW - there is no more need for the FCUs to have neons than there would be for sockets to.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

...16A blue connectors.

20A Neutrik PowerCONs would be smaller....

 

[YorkshireMidge]

OK - so you are going to have to have something other than just a flex outlet.

OOI, how thick are the walls?

And BTW - there is no more need for the FCUs to have neons than there would be for sockets to.

Exactly - hense looking at some sort of unfused line plug and socket on the cable from the flex outlet, so I have a list of possibilities for that now (the Neutrik is a new one on me - I'll take a look). The walls are a very thin skim coat directly onto breeze block as I'd contemplated chopping a lump out to form a recess if I run out of options. But what I'm hoping is once the appliances arrive and are positioned and levelled, there is probably going to be some space somewhere.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I'd contemplated chopping a lump out to form a recess if I run out of options.

That was why I wondered how thick the walls were.


[/quote]But what I'm hoping is once the appliances arrive and are positioned and levelled, there is probably going to be some space somewhere. [/QUOTE]
You have the option, don't forget, of lengthening the appliance flexes so as to reach sockets not directly behind the appliances.