Internal wiring of USA v UK mains plug

[Spurious Response]

The standards aren't set around one person's requirements.

Graham

"I" was a euphemistic "I", idiot.

As in I that represents any joe sixpack homeowner.

One does not need 16 Amp per outlet capacity.

 

[Eeyore]

"I" was a euphemistic "I", idiot.

As in I that represents any joe sixpack homeowner.

One does not need 16 Amp per outlet capacity.

It's widely used in Europe.

Graham

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

If I do not need 16 A power feeds as a result of not having any 16 A
power requisites, then why would I need a 16 A cord and receptacle
system?

For example, my 7.5 amp 230v Dyson DC-14 vaccum cleaner. The 120 volt
version draws about 15 amps.

Surprisingly, my Kenwood mixer uses 1000w (and there is a 1200w
version). which is around 5 amps at 230 volts, and would be over 10 at
120. However, it seems that such a mixer is not available in the U.S.

The Kenwood mixers sold in the U.S. are their smaller 600 watt units,
and the much loved Kitchen Aid units are 350 watts, with one that's
500w.

I seem to remember having a 12 amp or so toaster and hot water kettle in
the U.S. Ours here are 1000 watts. Things like blenders are 300 to 400
watts, which would work with a 6 or 7 amp fuse, assuming the wattage
rating is average and not peak.

A friend of mine has an HP laser printer that is rated 500 watts, but
the peak draw is 8 amps at 120 volts. The manual and printer itself say
500 watts, the 8 amps was on the web site.

I would not be very happy to use a device with an 8 amp peak draw on a
10 amp circuit. But I'm unusual in that. I always assume that
manufacturers lie (inflate output power, but ignore peak usage) when
they state current requirments and that anything that provides current
is rated for that current for a peak of a few miliseconds or less.

This is very common for transformers (which many people use here to operate
120 volt appliances brought in to avoid high taxes and huge markups) and
UPS's for computers, both of which are sold as being rated in WATTS,
but really are rated in VA which are 1.414 times as much.

Geoff.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

For example, my 7.5 amp 230v Dyson DC-14 vaccum cleaner. The 120 volt
version draws about 15 amps.

That would suggest an approx 2.5 HP motor. Is it really that large, or is
that the start up current?

I seem to remember having a 12 amp or so toaster and hot water kettle in
the U.S. Ours here are 1000 watts.

A 1000 watt kettle would take forever to boil. UK ones are normally
2500/3000 watts.

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

That would suggest an approx 2.5 HP motor. Is it really that large, or is
that the start up current?

Yes, it's really that large. Dyson is a well known English brand, look it up.
The exact model is DC-14 animal.

Geoff.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes, it's really that large. Dyson is a well known English brand, look
it up. The exact model is DC-14 animal.

I know what they are having fixed several. And seen many more on the
council tip. A triumph of hype over common sense.

 

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

I know what they are having fixed several. And seen many more on the
council tip. A triumph of hype over common sense.

Not only is it the best engineered appliance I've ever owned, it's
the best vaccum cleaner I've ever owned. Dyson's design was so
good that Hoover stole it and was sucesfully prosecuted for
patent infringment.

It works well, and my totaly nontechnical wife can field strip it
if it gets jammed, which is almost impossible.

Geoff.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not only is it the best engineered appliance I've ever owned, it's
the best vaccum cleaner I've ever owned. Dyson's design was so
good that Hoover stole it and was sucesfully prosecuted for
patent infringment.

It works well, and my totaly nontechnical wife can field strip it
if it gets jammed, which is almost impossible.

They also have racks of spares on sale in near any store. No other vacuum
cleaner I know of breaks down so often.

A triumph of hype over engineering.

 

[Spurious Response]

It's widely used in Europe.

Graham

Where, at twice the voltage, you need it even less.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Why don't houses come with schematics?

John

A lot of electricians can't read or write very well? Several times I
was called to straighten out wiring they couldn't figure out. For
instance, five overhead wires between a house and a garage, all solid
black plastic. Neutral, two Line connections, and a three way, outdoor
light with switches in the house and garage. They were dropped to
install vinyl siding, then they couldn't figure out how to reconnect the
wires. The sad part was the insulators were in a straight line at each
end, and none of the wires crossed another so it was obvious what was
wrong.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Figuring out what fed what was fun.

Try figuring out where 50+ pairs of audio cables go on a large school
intercom system, after some idiot kid rips all the wires loose, AND
removes the tags. It took two full 8 hr days.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Or should you mean that type, which is used for computer monitors and -power
supplies?

That is the IEC connector. It allows different cords to be used with
the same equipment in multiple countries.

If so, then you surely noticed the lousy Ampère rating of mere 10A for it,
which is just 2.3kW, rather than the 3.68kW which you have with a 16A
connector system?

Have you ever had a desktop computer OR monitor that drew 3.68 KW?
They were designed for exactly what they are used for: Portable, low
power equipment.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Eeyore]

Where, at twice the voltage, you need it even less.

There's plenty of 3kW equipment here.

Graham

 

[Eeyore]

That is the IEC connector. It allows different cords to be used with
the same equipment in multiple countries.


Have you ever had a desktop computer OR monitor that drew 3.68 KW?
They were designed for exactly what they are used for: Portable, low
power equipment.

They're used on highish power equipment as well..

There's a 15A version too btw.

Graham

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Am 02.07.07 21.35 schrieb John Larkin:
Oh yes, it easily becomes a big deal as in case of an electric floor heater.
Some moron in the past had moved it around so violently while being plugged
in, that both contacts had been bent to at least 45° off direction befor it
came out of the socket and when I tried to put them straight again, one of
them broke off. I had quite a hard time to find a screw on replacement plug.

Would you rather the plug held, and damaged the cable, so it caught on
fire when you tried to use it? It did what it was supposed to do.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Spurious Response]

This is very common for transformers (which many people use here to operate
120 volt appliances brought in to avoid high taxes and huge markups) and
UPS's for computers, both of which are sold as being rated in WATTS,
but really are rated in VA which are 1.414 times as much.

VARS?

The transformer and the UPS are VA rated and declared devices. The
computer power supply is declared in Watts here and it is correct. If
all the outputs are loaded as rated, the input power requisite will be as
declared.

The rating on a PC power supply is its OUTPUT side DC power rating. The
amount required to make a 500 Watt DC personal computer supply put out
500 Watts will always be greater than 500 Watts on the AC Line side of
the supply. That is usually declared as well, however, and it is usually
correct from what I have seen.

 

[Spurious Response]

A 1000 watt kettle would take forever to boil. UK ones are normally
2500/3000 watts.

If you paid California electric rates, you wouldn't use it very many
times a year.

It must be nice to be able to build everything higher output, more
consumptive. We have to conserve here. Miniaturize.

What types of appliances get used in Japan? High wattage? Low?
Other places?

 

[Spurious Response]

Try figuring out where 50+ pairs of audio cables go on a large school
intercom system, after some idiot kid rips all the wires loose, AND
removes the tags. It took two full 8 hr days.

Was it a Bogen intercom? They are a division of Lear Sigler. I worked
there at one time, years ago.

Beeping out each line should have been easy.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

They were designed for exactly what they are used for: Portable, low
power equipment.

They first saw the light of day as (in a slightly modified form) a kettle
connector.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If you paid California electric rates, you wouldn't use it very many
times a year.

I'd be surprised if your electricity prices were higher than the UK.
However, with a kettle, I doubt if the size of element makes much
difference to the cost of boiling a fixed amount of water - only to the
time taken.

It must be nice to be able to build everything higher output, more
consumptive. We have to conserve here. Miniaturize.

Really? ;-)

What types of appliances get used in Japan? High wattage? Low?
Other places?

With any appliance basically heating things it simply does the job quicker
at higher power. May even be cheaper.