Extending ring mains

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

We have had a Tesco one for a few years.

A quick persual of their website seems to show some others as well.

hundreds of 'em ...

Cordless ones don't use that sort of connector. Ours (a Philips) is rated

You are looking at a 20A load on a double socket for one hour before you get problems. The same problem occurs if the socket is on the ring or a spur.

And the 13A ones will boil quicker so there is no problem.

Not to mention that they are probably only 3kW at 240V and not 3kW with the new fangled 230V that we now use!

I found a missing 10V down the back of the settee the other day.

Oh, no! I have to get my tea-break over with more quickly!

Was it an old 10V or the smaller new one?

On 08/12/2015 16:53, charles wrote

Yes, I guess the most common 'cordless' kettle connector is the Strix P72, which is rated at 13 A.

That's the one

I remember that. How long at 26 A?

Err. No we don't! The actual sockets in the UK are still 240V AC (and in continental Europe are still 220V AC). It's just that the error bars on allowed voltages has changed (so it's something like 215-245V) - and all equipment has to cope with that range.

(I'm pretty sure that ARW knows this, but just in case others dont...)

in which case, I'm being cheated. My multimeter shows only 239v.

My Fluke quotes 1% accuracy on that AC range.

What do you plan to run at 26A 92 x 13A) for an hour?

The worst case scenario is still a buggered double socket.

The nominal voltage at which calculations are done is now 230V.

Look at the way electric shower manufacturers show the power of their shower (dunno if kettle maufacurers do the same) but they always show the 240V power rating on the box and not the 230V rating.

And yes 99% of UK homes will be close to or above 235V and so there is nothing new or changed in the UKs supply to most houses:-)

The voltage can change throughout the day.

It was the new 9V one.

And the frequency. I have a mains locked clock, and it can drift quite a few seconds either way according to the pips on the radio.

Voltage variability is a natural phenomenon and has been happening for thousands of years. It is absurd to say that human activity was the only cause of the voltage increase from 1970 to 1997. If that were the case, why has the voltage remained stable from 1997 to the present day?

Bill