Is there a reference describing, briefly but terrifyingly, the folly of plugging a continental (or other alien) mains plug into a standard domestic 13A socket?

What you have quoted does not really acknowledge the real problem and that is that our UK socket wiring is pretty unique in being protected by a breaker of typically 32 amps, and having a lower values cartridge fuse in each plug max 13A. It's tempting to defeat the safety shutter and insert an unused Euro plug but it's also folly, a fault could cause a high energy flash and bang.

Reply to
Graham.
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Is there a good reference describing, briefly but terrifyingly, the follies of plugging a continental (or other alien) mains plug into a standard domestic 13A socket?

I have the following :-

Foreign Plugs A plug should never be inserted into a socket which was not designed to match it. The plug or socket may become damaged; the connection may be poor; safety may be compromised, perhaps fatally.

For the mains supply to a foreign device, change the plug, or use a proper fused adapter or a fused conversion plug. Consult an electrical expert if there is any doubt whatsoever. If the device was not made for European use, make very sure that it will be happy with 230±10% volts and 50Hz.

For example, consider a device with the CEE 7/7 type of continental plug on a 3-core cable, used with a standard BS 1363 UK 13A socket. If the safety shutters of the UK socket are opened by inserting some object, and the two round all-metal pins of the CEE plug are inserted where the rectangular pins should go, then :- ?? There will be no BS 1362 fuse protecting the cable and the device, ?? There will be no protective earth connection to the metalwork of the device, ?? The live and neutral lines may be energised the wrong way round, ?? A thin metal object can enter between plug and socket and connect to one or both power pins, ?? Socket internal connectors intended to contact a flat UK pin will have inferior contact with the round pins, ?? The plug may permanently damage the socket, ?? Modern protective devices in the consumer unit may not work properly.

Foreign Sockets For domestic power in the UK, do not use foreign sockets. Use only UK sockets.

Foreign multi-way adapters do not necessarily provide an Earth connection to the mated plugs. Use those ONLY with equipment that cannot use a protective Earth connection. A cord which has a female device-end connector resembling that shown in Wikipedia at C13/C14 coupler (or C15/C16) and has a foreign plug at the other end - a foreign "IEC cord" - should be replaced by the corresponding UK cord, or have its foreign plug replaced by a UK one.

Reply to
Dr S Lartius

Is there anything at all inadequate, dangerous or otherwise inadvisable about fitting a decent quality Schuko socket in place of a 13A socket on a fused spur?

(This, rather than cutting off a quality moulded Schuko plug or using a lump of a fused Schuko to 13A adapator as supplied. Which stuck out too far to be usable.)

If there isn't a problem, then your reference is at least inadequate and/or poorly worded and thought through.

Reply to
polygonum_on_google

I'm sure this is aimed at me, but one issue is that although you can get clamp on 13amp to European plug devices, when these are moulded as part of a wall wart, the ability to plug it in is still not present due to the geometry of the device itself. Yes I have been guilty of the cardinal sin, but I'm extreme careful when where I do it.

Many European sockets are even more lethal than doing this in my experience, unless very modern. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Flash and bang, I love technical terms.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

The inferiority of foreign systems is not being questioned; I am concerned only with knowing all of the ways in which putting a foreign plug into a BS1363 socket is bad.

Our plug is unique in the sense that all other standards are different; but its usage is far from being uniquely UK - see

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and
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.

Reply to
Dr S Lartius

I can't think of any modern appliances where this would matter.

Which modern protective devices would not work properly and why not compared with "old" devices such as fuses?

Installing European sockets in the UK is permitted provided the circuit is appropriately protected.

John

Reply to
jrwalliker

Absolutely! At least until October 31st. In the same way my entirely wired to UK standards with BS1363 sockets etc. boat is permitted in France.

Reply to
Chris Green

This one from CPC is a bit bulky but should safely accept most European wallwarts

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or

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They also do a black version BCA-BK-3A

Reply to
Mike Clarke

To the best of my knowledge, the only foreign plug that will fit is the europlug, but usually you will have to manually lift the shutter, although not always. See this little video I made recently about MK sockets.

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Reply to
Graham.

Not very modern, but L-N reversal would have mattered on my mother's Flatley clothes-airer. That, presumably as supplied, had a mis-routed internal neutral, which was clamped between a side of the device and some internal structure angle, piercing the insulation. It worked perfectly well in its first abode, which had fuses in the consumer unit. But she moved its abode, to one with earth-leakage breakers instead of fuses, where it "did not work". I removed the sides, in order of apparent easiness of removal, and saw exactly what was wrong on removing the final (and actually-easiest) side. If there has been a L-N reversal, at plug or socket, the contraption would have been rejected before or immediately after delivery.

Someone brought his wife's well-used sewing machine into work, without knowing that it had Earth and Neutral exchanged (probably in the BS1363 plug). He plugged it into the lab bench socket (which had been modernised to BS1363 style) and received an unexpected handful of ~230V. It turned out that the socket had L-N reversed.

The answer there is that I don't know, which is why I chose the word "may".

On the other hand - if the "outgoing" end of a neutral wire inside the equipment comes loose and contacts the earthed metalwork, of course any protective device will protect as soon as power is applied. But if the earth connection is not there, the protection is greatly diminished since the fault current, even if limited to 30mA, will flow through the victim. AIUI, 30mA is normally non-fatal - but the victim might be an aged wet-handed person in poor health, and would probably not like it.

But is it ever wise, domestically, when there is the alternative of using a BS1363 plug correctly wired to a foreign socket or set of sockets, where either all of those provide an Earth connection or the foreign plugs will all be earth-free?

Reply to
Dr S Lartius

You are probably buying the ones to convert the two pin plugs to uk.

You can buy ones to convert PSU bricks..

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These take two pin plugs but they are on the surface opposite the pins so the adapter sticks out like it would plugged into a wall socket.

Reply to
dennis

Good; but being UNABLE to insert a Europlug is an advantage with the people of most interest to me are unlikely to possess. Here, for example, the wall-sockets are about 40 years old, not marked MK, and the Earth pin works their shutters.

Reply to
Dr S Lartius

Do you want to live forever?

Reply to
Max Demian

Search Youtube for "deathdapter" - Bigclive's term for them.

Reply to
Reentrant

I think you might be missing the point that its not about inferiority, but lack of fault protection.

There needs to be fault protection provided for the appliance flex

*somewhere*. In the UK its provided by the 13A fuse in the plug. On most other European systems its provided by a ~16A breaker in the consumer unit. If you manage to connect a Euro plug of any description directly to a circuit protected at 32A, then you are likely to no longer have fault protection. Hence cable damage for example may be rewarded with a lots of melted plastic and fire rather than just a tripped circuit.
Reply to
John Rumm

Not really relevant - but the search revealed his

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- I have two of them.

Perhaps I'll clip one of them to a thin stick when I want to recover something ferromagnetic from under something. But care is needed if using one to illuminate a magnetic compass.

So, thanks.

Reply to
Dr S Lartius

Yes, I am only concerned with the evils of forcing a European plug into a British socket, in particular a 40-y-o socket in a 40-y-o building.

In the latest case, the cable was fairly effectively protected from damage by being the feed to a microwave oven from a socket directly behind, and also by being rather short. I'd not *seen* it or the plug until I was asked to repair the oven. I believe the oven to be OK electrically; the problem is that the door cannot be opened to extract the last cooking - and the oven is now in my flat and the food is beginning to smell ... . I intend to change the Europlug to a UK one, but only after the door-opener is made good (and the contents disposed of).

But you two have given me further cause for thought.

Graham wrote " ... our UK socket wiring is pretty unique in being protected by a breaker of typically 32 amps, ... ". IMHO, that can only true in properties which have been sufficiently recently built or overhauled.

The consumer units here were originally fitted with fusewire in fuseholders, with 5A, 15A, 30A ratings. I suppose most of those fuseholders are still in use, though I know there has been some replacement with circuit breakers. I only suppose that we have actual ring circuits.

Reply to
Dr S Lartius

I would think Graham considered 32A MCBs and 30A fuses together as they both leave euro-plugged appliances less well protected than 13A-plugged appliances.

Adam will be along to give an impression on how many houses now have MCBs rather than fuses, but on a small sample, I'd be tempted to say most.

Reply to
Andy Burns

The age of the building does not really figure... Forcing anything into a socket that is not supposed to go in it will likely damage the spring contacts in the socket, and result in possible overheating / arcing etc when used normally after.

No, before a B32 MCB was the norm, a BS3036 rewireable 30A fuse would have been typical. You would likely need to go back to before the 50s for a 15A radial to be typical.

There are indeed lots of rewireable fuses still in use. I expect those changed for plug in MCBs are fairly few and far between. Most people opting for MCBs would normally swap the CU at the same time.

Reply to
John Rumm

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