Connectors - and ring mains

[Dave Plowman (News]

Chicken and egg? I'm willing to bet there are some projection/effect luminaires that do have a local fuse somewhere, though.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Sadly, many call the sockets plugs. As in that room has plenty plugs. Plug top at least differentiates from that.

[Steve Walker]

But then they'd all have 13A fuses. Fusing the plugs allows for different fuses to suit different appliance requirements and flex ratings.

I could have a flex suitable for a 13A fuse on my 17W soldering iron (it actually has a 3A fuse), but the thicker, heavier, less flexible wiring required would make using it far more difficult.

Such cables may also pull table lamps and other light items out of position.

[Max Demian]

Fuses mostly only protect against a dead short. To protect the appliance, e.g. a PSU, you need a fuse on the output or a thermal cutout.

[The Natural Philosopher]

The theory is that the MCB protects the house wiring, and the plug fuse protects the wire to the appliance, after that, its likely there will be an internal fuse to protect the magic smoke generators

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Well, All I can tell you is that people moved in in 1942 according though the searches. The sockets were made of a very brittle brown bakelite substance and we had to change them in 1956 when we moved in as some had clearly overheated due to loose screw syndrome. I did go into several of the houses along this terrace back around 58 or so and remember, being a nerd back then too, that they all had 13 amp square shuttered pin sockets, so unless somebody did the whole block at once, then they must have been here since just before the war. I guess its possible that some damage was done during the war needing some work to them all, but no mention on the search. I was still a child but loved things electrical back then as well.

I'm not going to do loads of research on tit but there were a couple of socket adaptors left here when we moved in, one was for a large round pin socket the others were several small three pin sockets on a box shaped 13a adaptor. None of these adaptors were fused and of cours no plug back then had shrouded pins and some of the sockets shutters were jammed open, one assumes to poke wires in with the usual lethal consequences no doubt. Another device that was left in the cupboard under the stairs was an electric iron terminated in a bayonet plug that went into a light fitting. of Brian

[Dave Plowman (News]

According to Wiki, a committee was convened in 1942 to look into the ring main idea. But no information when production of the sockets and plugs actually started. My guess is factories would be busy with other things until near the end of the war.

[Owain Lastname]

One house I lived in had BS 1363 pattern back box light switches which were original to the 1930s (or even 1920s?) lead-covered cable. The power sockets were rectangular 15A with 4 faceplate screws.

Possibly BS 1363 back box size was derived from an existing type, and you might have had BS 546 sockets mounted in them before BS 1363 actually came about?

Owain

[Steve Walker]

The BS1363 13A plug and socket were not introduced until 1947.