In article ,
LID says...


Arny Krueger doesn't give a date for his experiences of UK
electrical installations, it *is* quite possible that he
experienced all he suggests, it has only been since the
late/early '80s that pins have been shrouded, like-wise plugs
having finger stops whilst un-switched sockets are actually very
common than Mr Plowman suggests, especially in 'to a price' built
housing, such as local authority, starter and MOD stock or were
the idea is to discourage disconnection of the appliances, such
as fridges, freezers or VCRs etc.


My personal preference is for unswitched sockets but I'm obviously in a
minority as, when I wanted some 13A twin outlets last year, ass of the
unswitched one were (considerably) more expensive than the switched
variety. This seems to suggest that 'built to a price' installations
include switches ...

So far from being "impossible", even more so considering the
number of older and thus 'unprotected' plugs that must still be
in existence and use.

I wonder how many are still in use, though? I do have quite a stock of
plugs with unsleeved pins that have been recovered from old equipment (I
also have a 'new' (well, they were when I got them many moons ago) stock
of the sleeved variety.

As all new stuff comes with sleeved plugs pre-fitted, how often does the
average user fit a 13A plug these days?

Without checking every appliance to be sure, I can't think of a single
item in this house that might have an unsleeved plug ...

--

Terry

In article ,
Terry Casey wrote:
My personal preference is for unswitched sockets but I'm obviously in a
minority as, when I wanted some 13A twin outlets last year, ass of the
unswitched one were (considerably) more expensive than the switched
variety. This seems to suggest that 'built to a price' installations
include switches ...

Yes. The supplier I use doesn't even list unswitched 13 amp in their
budget ranges. But I was never a fan of them anyway. I've not known a
switch on a socket to fail, so I'd guess it's pretty rare.

--
*Why is the word abbreviation so long?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

In article ,
Arny Krueger wrote:
All I know is that after returning to the US from a year's stay in
Germany, I was a little bit afraid every time I plugged anything in,
due to the ease with which one's fingers slide down the plug and touch
the contacts.

That's impossible as the pins have insulation down most of their length -
only the end part makes contact.

I know the German plugs were made that way It is good to know that the UK
plugs are made in a similar way.

We still have all-brass pins here in the US.

And in any case most UK socket outlets
have switches. Decent plugs have a skirt which would prevent your fingers
slipping towards the pins anyway - only cheap ones not.

This is what I am talking about:

http://powercord-supplier.en.hisuppl...g-7A-125V.html

"Japan AC power cable with pse approval/Rating:7A 125V"

Only the ca.-1960 USA version lacked the upper part of the molded grip and
the strain relief.

"David Looser" wrote in message
...
"Jerry" wrote

Arny Krueger doesn't give a date for his experiences of UK
electrical installations

Neither Dave P nor you noticed that Arny's post said "All I know is that
after returning to the *US* from a year's stay in Germany".
(My emphasis).


I'm glad someone was reading! ;-)

I have negligible experience with UK electrical appliances. I spent maybe 3
days in the UK back in the late 1980s, and that was that. Seems like a
pleasant enough place.

I spent a year in Germany in the late 1960s as a guest of Uncle Sam.

On Wed, 4 Jan 2012 11:03:30 -0000, Terry Casey wrote:

I wonder how Germany will fare if we get a repeat performance but with
much lower temperatures all over Europe so that all other countries need
all of their energy to supply their own needs?

Quite, there does seem to be a great reliance on the "market
supplying" both for power and food. Don't worry if we need more X we
can buy it from the market. That's fine provided the market has any X
to sell... Power and food are finite but "the market" doesn't take
those physical limits into consideration.

As for Mrs Merkel with her knickers down shudder.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:29:30 +0000, Scott wrote:

But no fuse. I like the idea of putting the fuse in the plug so if
one appliance fails you don't 'fuse' the whole circuit (though with
RCDs I'm not sure that still applies).

Remember that ring mains are UK thing. The european way is for
radials so "fusing the whole circuit" doesn't have quite the same
effect. Also the fuse is to protect the wiring or appliance cable not
the appliance itself.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Wed, 4 Jan 2012 10:29:53 -0000, "Jerry"
wrote:

But how is that any different to some idiot in the UK bridging
out the fuse in a BS1363 plug and then using 3A cable to string a
large number of trailing sockets together, a prospect that has
increased since the introduction of "Part P" in the UK
(especially in hazardous areas such as wet areas and kitchens).

**** off, Jerry.
Go and play with the buses.

"David Looser" wrote in message
...
: "Jerry" wrote
: :
:
: Who says, you? Well yes I don't have any experience of
bringing
: up YOUR kids!
:
: As I said, you seem more interested in gratuitous effect that
: reasoned debate,I must have hit a raw nerve with your own
: parenting skills Mr Looser...
:
:
: You really are a contemptible piece of work aren't you Jerry?

Oh so Mr Looser likes to dish the insults but doesn't like them
dished in return...

Even if I
: wasn't already aware of your ignorance about children from
coming across you
: in other forums, your earlier statement would be enough to tell
me that you
: have no knowledge of the subject. For your information, Jerry,
its very

You know only what you *think* you know about me, just as I do of
you.

: small children, those too young to understand the concept of
danger or to be
: taught not to poke things into sockets, yet who are intensely
curious and
: mobile who are in danger from unshuttered sockets.
:

That is were parental supervision comes in surely, and unlike you
(obviously) I do have knowledge as to how southern European
families raise their kids compared to those in the UK,
un-shuttered power sockets and all. The way you talk down the
safety of such sockets anyone would think that most of the world
was in danger of dying out due to infant and child mortality rate
due to electrocution...

In article , Terry
Casey wrote:


I remember a major upgrade taking place in West Ham to upgrade the
distribution network from 215V AC to the standard 240V while I was at
school there in the late 50s.

That is interesting for me as I lived in Stratford at the time and I do
recall some kind of change being made to the electrical power. But it was
so long ago that I'd forgotten the details.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
: In article ,
: Jerry wrote:
: So far from being "impossible", even more so considering the
: number of older and thus 'unprotected' plugs that must still
be
: in existence and use.
:
: Yes pet. I forgot you live in a hovel.
:

Whilst you are a left-wing "Toff", and wrong, so no surprise that
you chose to resort to insults rather than debate the facts...