1st year apprentice

on 15/09/2018, Cursitor Doom supposed :

Perfectly true lol

What they ought to do is count the electrons on the way in, then count them on the way back out - they should only be able to charge us for the difference between the two, those we have actually consumed.

Its very interesting this issue of loss. I have a very beefy armoured cable connected to a 13 amp spur in the house and used to feed a couple of sheds and a garage 100 foot away, for normal stuff its fine, even domestic power tools but add a fan heater and you can see the lights dim as it turns on. Obviously not a serious issue in the main for such things, but far worse than the conductor diameter might have indicated. Nowhere near the 13 amp fuse though of course if you were daft enough to put lots of high current devices on the end the fuse in the spur would blow telling you you really should have it wired through a proper separate breaker on the CU!. This was a while ago when I could see. Since there is only one shed left, when I reconnect the cable I'm not going to replace the current system! Brian

He only things that because he believes that all cable CSAs should be in square microfurlongs. A good British measurement.

ITYM

most people leave in the 13A fuse that they came with

tim

And he fitted the plug correctly to wrong cable. So it's a start.

Why do you think I ask for the plug top to be left off? And even if he fits it I will still be inspecting it.

Yes, however at 16 these days most of the brighter ones or those with better lines of bullshit are soon to be destined for University where common sense is removed but lots of useless knowledge is given together with intimate information about the opposite sex and alcohol.

It was interesting to note that a lady who was probably most known for presenting the travel news from a plane over London and later shows about sex on TV actually had Electronic engineering degrees but made her money in the media, at least when younger mainly because of her bright ability to talk to time and sound and look sexy in the pictures. You never know that this particular apprentice might actually have a talent not yet developed!

Brian

Fuses don't do that. A long lead made with thinner wire than claimed might do it.

Well all my neighbours DIY diveway exploits are on YouTube and the photos of the vaulted ceiling that nearly collapsed are on the wiki.

I think that would be about right as you are getting closer to 30A

Isn't it?

So what is the limit for 70C cable then?

It would say by 75%.

Well yes:-)

Got a strip of Meccano, and bent it into a horseshoe. Wound some wire round it and connected to the mains. So 3/10 for method. ;-)

On an uncoiled extension lead, possibly. I'd be very surprised if the fuse wouldn't blow before the flex melted under correct use. The conductor size in a 13 amp fuse is a lot smaller than 1.5mm.

Right. Meaning you can no longer use that extension cable at the load it is capable of carrying because you haven't read the instructions?

Remember that apt BBC saying.

You can try and make things fool proof. Idiot proof. But not c**t proof.

First saw this with a pal who'd come first in his year at uni for a type of medical degree.

A keen gardener.

A new greenhouse was pressed into service before any electrics were installed, and needed to keep some rare plants warm at night.

Used a cable reel. To keep it dry, he had it in the house. Replaced the 13 amps plug on the lead with a socket. And made up a 13 amp plug to 13 amp plug lead to feed into the reel.

That didn't kill him, but cost a new carpet where the real melted over it.

It's very odd. Over the years I've known many trainees at work. Obviously they varied, but only ever knew one who was as thick as many of yours. Turned out he was a relation of a high up.

I doubt either a hot air gun or wallpaper stripper would be much worried by a little voltage drop. A drill, etc different.

A so called 13 amp welder often takes a great deal more than 13 amps for a brief period. Thought everyone knew that, and would make sure any extension lead was adequate. It's in the instructions for my MIG.