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Safety concerns!!! Non Standard UK Plugs and Adapters!

GHNelson

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UKAPS Team
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14 Dec 2008
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Location
Hemel Hempstead
More Safety nightmares!:eek:
Non-fused UK power cord/plug!
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Stay Safe!
 
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Holy cow! The pictures showing an earth pin pushed into the live of those adapters is the stuff of nightmares!

Isn’t it a good job that any house with reasonably recent wiring will have an RCD or RCBOs in the consumer unit!

Mind you, whilst replacing some broken light fittings in my late father’s house prior to selling it, I couldn’t understand the lack of any earth wires. A quick Google revealed that prior to 1968-ish, lighting circuits were not required to be earthed! :eek:
 
USA plugs don't have fuses though I wonder why they aren't considered as dangerous. Do they have fuses elsewhere?


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USA plugs don't have fuses though I wonder why they aren't considered as dangerous. Do they have fuses elsewhere?
Neither does most if not all of continental Europe. They will rely on the RCD on their consumer board, which have pretty much made fuses in plugs irrelevant.
 
Neither does most if not all of continental Europe. They will rely on the RCD on their consumer board, which have pretty much made fuses in plugs irrelevant.
Not really true. Fuses in plugs are still very much relevant.

The RCD in the consumer unit will protect against earth leakage or various other faults. But it won’t prevent an individual appliance pulling more current than its cable can cope with (or indeed more current than it‘s sensible for that appliance to pull). Even an RCBO (which combines the function of an RCD with overload protection) is only there to protect the entire circuit from overload - i.e. it protects the twin-and-earth wiring that makes up the ring.

The fuse in the plug is there primarily to protect the cable between the plug and the appliance from overload, which a whole-circuit RCD or RCBO can‘t do.
 
Not really true. Fuses in plugs are still very much relevant.

The RCD in the consumer unit will protect against earth leakage or various other faults. But it won’t prevent an individual appliance pulling more current than its cable can cope with (or indeed more current than it‘s sensible for that appliance to pull). Even an RCBO (which combines the function of an RCD with overload protection) is only there to protect the entire circuit from overload - i.e. it protects the twin-and-earth wiring that makes up the ring.

The fuse in the plug is there primarily to protect the cable between the plug and the appliance from overload, which a whole-circuit RCD or RCBO can‘t do.
You are indeed correct. A quick check shows that the UK is almost unique in using ring circuits (which have higher current flow 32 amp) and thus still require individual plug fuses, unlike countries where radial circuits are used (which have lower current, 16 amp) and individual plug fuses are not required.
 
Hi all.

Looking for some advice on a solenoid I have just picked up.

Came with a 2 pin US-style plug, The plug states 6a 250V, solenoid 220V 4.8va

What my best course of action here, should I just cut the plug off and replace or use an adaptor?

Few pics

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That looks like one of the dodgy unsafe adapters to me. id cut off that US plug and fit a proper fired 3 pin plug to it rather than use the adapter.
 
That looks like one of the dodgy unsafe adapters to me. id cut off that US plug and fit a proper fired 3 pin plug to it rather than use the adapter.

Thank you. And that would be perfectly safe?

What amp fuse would should i use.

Thanks
 
Thank you. And that would be perfectly safe?

What amp fuse would should i use.

Thanks
Actually, before you do that, is it a solenoid for the US market? If so, they run on 110V, so simply attaching a UK plug and using that will damage it. What is the information on the solenoid/transformer that came with it?
 
What amp fuse would should i use.
As low as possible, whilst still allowing the solenoid to operate . Unless you order online, common domestic fuses are 3, 5, 10 & 13amps. So I'd say put a 5amp in it. (The soleniod is drawing 4.8a) Solenoids can draw more current as they are turned on, before dropping. If 5 blows then try a larger fuse or a slow blow type fuse.

Worst case, if you had to fit 10amp, due to availability, this would still blow before the breaker in the fuse box, thus protecting wiring. Currently there is no fuse, so a relatively high rated fuse, is better than none.
 
Actually, before you do that, is it a solenoid for the US market? If so, they run on 110V, so simply attaching a UK plug and using that will damage it. What is the information on the solenoid/transformer that came with it?

The solenoid has 220V, 4.8VA, 25mA printed on it if that means anything to you :)
 
Ok, that means you should be fine with a 3 pin plug. As to fuse, I’d use a 3 amp, although I suspect that is too big (If my understanding of VA is correct).
 
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