220v. 230v, 240v, 250v?

[John-SJW]

I saw an oven that was rated at 3,100 watts. Now most would say that cannot be fitted on final ring circuit as rule of thumb. But:
3,100 watts draws amps of:
14.09 amps @ 220v
13.47 amps @ 230v
12.91 amps @ 240v
12.4 amps @ 250v

If the installation is 240v or 250v then it safely inside the 13 amp of a final ring circuit.

The question is, and the regs aficionados can help here, what is the voltage that should be used to assess, as maybe the voltage will vary in an installation over the years.

 

[ipf]

Only on a playground dispute ,my number is bigger than yours basis ,
(But I still have my Eurovision bitterness to deal with)

Eurovision twitterness, don't you mean ?.

 

[LastManOnline]

Did he say the British 13A plug is inferior?

No he did, nt. But since the topic has been raised, here is my tuppence worth about which is superior. I hold the standard British and Schuko plugs in high regard. (not cheap knockoffs of either) . Have used them both extensively. I would say that on balance I prefer the British plug, specifically for its flat "wall hugging" design with a "vertical" rather than "horizontal" lead. It's much easier to hide.

 

[LastManOnline]

The British 13A plug is inferior? I have not seen any plug/socket arrangement that is better.

The British 13amp plug is not, as many British people seem to believe, inherently safer because of its 13 amp fuse. It seems to be perceived as an"extra" that other countries plugs don't have. The reality is, is that these fuses are the price that has to be paid for employing a 32 amp ring circuit rather than a 16 (or 20amp) radial.

None. The earthed Schuko socket with a 13A fuse in the plug would be a great advancement

The "schuko" is already an advanced version of the British plug regarding not needing any fuses

the British could take up creating some sort of standardisation.

If you are hoping the rest of the world will adapt the British fused plug................. Best of luck....... you will need it.......

 

[DPG]

I remember reading some articlet which discussed and tested the various mains plugs. I think the British 13A plug excelled in every respect bar one.

Any offers for what test it failed on? No prizes though!

 

[littlespark]

I remember reading some articlet which discussed and tested the various mains plugs. I think the British 13A plug excelled in every respect bar one.

Any offers for what test it failed on? No prizes though!

likelihood of injury by stepping on a plug barefoot, pins up?

 

[DPG]

likelihood of injury by stepping on a plug barefoot, pins up?

No, but that's a very good one. Along with bits of Lego obviously!

 

[John-SJW]

The British 13amp plug is not, as many British people seem to believe, inherently safer because of its 13 amp fuse. It seems to be perceived as an"extra" that other countries plugs don't have. The reality is, is that these fuses are the price that has to be paid for employing a 32 amp ring circuit rather than a 16 (or 20amp) radial.


The "schuko" is already an advanced version of the British plug regarding not needing any fuses

If you are hoping the rest of the world will adapt the British fused plug................. Best of luck....... you will need it.......

Having a local fuse to a single socket outlet is a great advantage and safety feature. Nothing is better than the UK 3-pin plug, nothing. It is also easy to hold, not like other small awkward plugs around the world, so fine for user use. Get to understand its merits.

 

[John-SJW]

I remember reading some articlet which discussed and tested the various mains plugs. I think the British 13A plug excelled in every respect bar one.

Any offers for what test it failed on? No prizes though!

In the late 1980s there was talk of a standard Euro plug that would all adopt. I recall a small 5 minute film on Channel 4 by an American involved in the film industry. He was lauding the UK 3-pin plug, pointing out its advantages, especially the local fuse in the plug, and a firm engagement when pushed in, that would not fall out, saying it is by far the best in the world.

He based this on working around the world experiencing different electrical systems. He said he bought a whole bunch of UK plugs, fuses and plugboards to use on his own equipment when touring the world. If one piece of equipment was at fault, it never took the lot down.

He was strongly recommending the British not to take up an inferior design and that the EU should adopt the best plug, not adopt an inferior design.

 

[DPG]

In the late 1980s there was talk of a standard Euro plug that would all adopt. I recall a small 5 minute film on Channel 4 by an American involved in the film industry. He was lauding the UK 3-pin plug, pointing out its advantages, especially the local fuse in the plug, and a firm engagement when pushed in, that would not fall out, saying it is by far the best in the world.

He based this on working around the world experiencing different electrical systems. He said he bought a whole bunch of UK plugs and fuses to use on his own equipment when touring the world. If one piece of equipment was at fault, it never took the lot down.

He was strongly recommending the British not to take up an inferior design and that the EU should adopt the best plug, not adopt an inferior design.

Yes, I remember the talk about the standard Euro plug. It's good that they forgot about it!

Nobody has picked up the one test which the British plug fails when compared to US and some other plugs though.

 

[John-SJW]

I do not believe the US plug has any advantages over anything anywhere.

 

[DPG]

I do not believe the US plug has any advantages over anything anywhere.

There is one advantage.

 

[nicebutdim]

Only downside I can think of is its aesthetics - not pretty, but robust and functional.

 

[DPG]

Only downside I can think of is its aesthetics - not pretty, but robust and functional.

One of the things they considered is a common occurrence - what happens when someone trips over the flex, eg when hoovering etc.

With the US plug, and others which also have the cable exiting horizontally, is that the plug just pulls out of the socket. No harm done.

With the UK plug, because the cable exits at the bottom, the plug does not pull out. What happens is that the flex gets partially ripped out of the plug, and sometimes damage occurs to the plug and even possibly to the socket.

I don't know of any other disadvantages and, like John, I think the British 13A plug is an excellent design generally.

 

[LastManOnline]

Having a local fuse to a single socket outlet is a great advantage and safety feature.

Perhaps you misunderstood my previous post. The fuse in a British plugtop HAS to be there due to the design of the ring circuit. It's a NECESSARY feature for the protection of the appliance cable connected to it.

This extra safety feature is generally not a requirement on European 16 amp radials

 

[Rockingit]

I've a flightcase full of global anything to anything adaptors, and there's good and bad in each one. We're stuck with a fused plug due to the RFC, and we're stuck with the RFC as a left over from scarcer times. Apart from the guarded outlets in the sockets there's little to be gained by our design - over engineered and cumbersome. The Australian one is pretty good.