Unearthed IEC lead.

Aug 17, 2018 60 Replies

But they clearly were 'legal' at one time. Lots of them around. For appliances that don't have an earth. If you want to use it for something else, up to you to make sure it is suitable. Or dispose of it when you dispose of the equipment it came with.

Aren't all flexes fitted to a 13 amp plug meant to be able to blow even a

13 amp fuse in event of a short? But not necessarily handle the full 13 amps long term?

13A fuse, but of course that may not be original.

Cheers

What would be wrong with that lead ?

I've just pulled one out of my box of leads in the lab. three pin IEC C13 socket rated at 10 ams 250V cable I'm unsure of cable but it says 0.75mm^2 The 3 pins mains plug is the standard 13amp type with a 5amp fuse fitted.

A label around the cable says BS 1362 complient Passed safety test in feb 2017 re-test date feb 2018.

Unless the earth hole is blocked, it's an accident waiting to happen.

It has no earth and may be used on equipment where an earth is required.

AIUI, BS1362 is for fuses.

Do you mean it passed a PAT test? I'm no mains lead expert, but surely that can't be right?

Cheers

The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write :

Sorry, no it is very dangerous indeed. Supposing someone used it on an appliance which required an earth connection?

The OP said moulded on plug - was it even fitted with a fuse and were the plug pins sleeved?

Any 'kettle' type three pin socket, needs to be fitted with an earth to be legal. It matters not at all that the CD player doesn't need an earth and maybe has a plastic earth pin, the lead needs to have the earth if a three pin.

whisky-dave presented the following explanation :

Then the PAT guy should be fired, he hasn't tested them, just stuck a label on.

I've seen them, but with the earth socket plug blanked (a C17 rather than a C13)

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I take it this isn't like that?

I thought all C13 plugs on equipment required an earth as default. Anything that doesn't need an earth uses one of those figure of 8 cable sockets/plugs. Most of our monitors have a C13 and most equipment does too.

I'm not sure a C13 IEC lead/cable would pass a PAT test if given one.

approved by ASTA to BS 1362 exact wording

Yes difficult to get a sticky label around a fuse and the bottom of the label says' " warning-this appliance must be earthed" in shouty capitals :-)

AS I said I would not use an IEC lead that wasn't earthed UNLESS that lead came with the equipment and was meant to be used with that equipment not earthed.

We have a company come in and test things and they put stickers on. We are told we must not use anything that hasn't been PAT tested unless it is new and less than a year old.

Yes I know that is what I've suspected for the last 5 years or so.

Interestingly, my PAT tester has a fixed plug for testing IEC leads

He might have done a visual inspection ;-)

Yes and yes, it looks to be perfectly normal.

Cheers

No, it looks ordinary in every way. Only when you cut it as I did or test it as Patrick Tester might do you find out there's no earth wire.

Cheers

I've tested brand new stuff and failed it.

whisky-dave used his keyboard to write :

I would guess at a ready made IEC on the PAT unit, to test the earth terminal of such a lead - it would avoid the need to use a pointy probe tip.

a plug (with pins on it) mounted on the front panel eg CPC part no CN08406

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