2kW electric blanket?
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Perhaps a bit of an over-exaggeration
It must have been pretty beefy though as the other devices were all pretty low current things
It must have been pretty beefy though as the other devices were all pretty low current things
So can you advise on which manufacturers make leads with plugs on then which can withstand the heat generated in a 13A BS 1362 fuse passing 20A?
You absolutely HAVE to be able to do that if you are going to tell people that it is safe to daisy chain.
If you cannot so so then you absolutely MUST retract your advice posted on 11th January 2013, 14:56.
I use Belkin usually and have never had an issue. I might do some 20A load tests (probably with low voltage DC) out of boredom some time, but I trust Belkin, as a reputable (mostly) name, have done the appropriate tests.
No, I don't, it's not my job to police the quality of goods sold in this country.
See above.
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There are no appropriate tests.
If you don't believe me, write to Belkin and ask them if they have tested their multi-gang strips with a sustained load of 20A.
No it isn't.
But you took it on yourself to make it your job to give advice on this forum, and you said
which is complete, and dangerous, b****cks.
You just don't get it, do you.
N
NewFolder
Would it be worth changing the 13A fuse in the main extension lead (the one that connects the others to the mains socket) to a 5A fuse? The load would never exceed 5A for anything that I had plugged into it.
I would never try to draw more than 13A through it anyway, but I suppose you can't trust others to do the same, and if a 13A fuse can allow more than 20A through for quite some time, in a plug that is designed for 13A, the results might not be pleasant if someone were to inadvertently do this.
I would never try to draw more than 13A through it anyway, but I suppose you can't trust others to do the same, and if a 13A fuse can allow more than 20A through for quite some time, in a plug that is designed for 13A, the results might not be pleasant if someone were to inadvertently do this.
In my experience, the cause of most overheated plugs (and sockets) is poor workmanship when connecting the conductors. The cross-section area of a conductor can be significantly reduced when some of the copper strands are not fully inserted into the terminal. Low loads such as lamps, PCs and chargers do not normally draw large currents so poor fitting doesn't normally cause overheating. Get it wrong when wiring a heater and the best made plug can melt. Not a lot of DIYers take this into account.
Yes
Indeed so - that would effectively neutralise all of BAS's concerns/arguments.Yes
Kind Regards, John
You make it sound as if I've made it all up.
So its a known problem that a 13A plug top fuse cannot be guarenteed to adequatly protect a 13A plug/lead from overload as it can pass 20A for a sustained period.
How about when the situation is scaled up? how would your 100A consumer unit main switch or RCD fare when protected by a 100A cutout fuse and subjected to a sustained overload, not immediatly causing the fuse to fail
How about when the situation is scaled up? how would your 100A consumer unit main switch or RCD fare when protected by a 100A cutout fuse and subjected to a sustained overload, not immediatly causing the fuse to fail
No different. The 100A fuse, when new, could probably take cumulative loads (ie add one at a time) up to a total load of approx 120A. There is a degrading effect with high loads, so I'm told, so an old fuse would probably rupture at loads just less than 100A.So its a known problem that a 13A plug top fuse cannot be guarenteed to adequatly protect a 13A plug/lead from overload as it can pass 20A for a sustained period.
How about when the situation is scaled up? how would your 100A consumer unit main switch or RCD fare when protected by a 100A cutout fuse and subjected to a sustained overload, not immediatly causing the fuse to fail
Fuses are fitted to protect the conductors against short circuits in your home. High loads, individually, are not dangerous provided that the conductors are large enough. The conductors connected to the 100A fuse can sustain loads much higher than the 100A fuse can carry, but they should not be subjected to sustained short circuits. Hence the need for the fuses.
PS. A 20A current means that the appliance is drawing a load of 4.5Kw. No appliamce with that loading by design should be connected though a 13A plug. Therfore, a 20A current must be a very unusual fault which falls between serviceability and a short circuit. Never seen it personally. I have seen burned out plugs due to poor workmanship, though
Not at all - by 'neutralising your concerns' (which are valid concerns) i meant 'make the reason for those concerns disappear'.
Kind Regards, John
Yes, but in the context of this discussion, 20A is not necessarily either 'very unusual' or due to a fault. If the 13A plug is on the lead of a multi-outlet extension lead, there could, in theory, easily be several 'moderate' loads plugged into that extension, with their currents (all of which were going throuigh the single plug on the lead) totalling 20A (e.g. 4 x 5A loads).
Kind Regards, John
Yes, agreed.
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