New to UK - general 13A Socket question

BorisJ said:

Not by sensible people.
It is clearly wrong.

I am aware that various retailers/wholesales are wrong as well. How about trying to correct them rather than just accepting their ignorance.

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What an absolutely pointless argument you are trying to make, plug or plug top who cares.

Sparky1958 said:

Ok got it, it's a new concept for me to take basically only the cable size as a calculation for the mcb or rcbo in the case of the 13A sockets.

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Yes, and you know the best of it, These "13A" plugs and sockets. If you try to pull 13A from them for any length of time, they overheat!!!

john..

apprentice87 said:

Yes, and you know the best of it, These "13A" plugs and sockets. If you try to pull 13A from them for any length of time, they overheat!!!

john..

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Ah, that's where you are going wrong, .you have to push it into them,

It’s the fuse that causes the onerheating. Many years ago the then Post Office down rated all 13 amp plugs and sockets on their premises to 8 amps.

BorisJ said:

It’s the fuse that causes the onerheating. Many years ago the then Post Office down rated all 13 amp plugs and sockets on their premises to 8 amps.

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How did they achieve this 8A.

There is no doubt that poor fuse contacts can cause overheating but I also suspect that the very small pin to socket contact area can be a problem especially when a bit of wear has reduced the contact spring pressure. Then a soon as overheating starts the spring pressure relaxes completely and the temperature rises exponentially. I used to do maintenance in a small commercial kitchen and soon found that replacing overheated plugs was a waste of time. Replace the socket too, every time.

I think the general build quality of any accessory now no matter who manufacturers it is poor when it comes to pushing them to the limit. Find a 1970/80s MK plug and socket it will last forever.

Plus those horrible and dangerous so called child protector plastic covers that mis informed people put into the sockets didn’t help the spring contacts in the sockets, due to them being made to no standard and so could be oversize,
See “Fatally Flawed” for those who are hearing or come across this thread for the first time.

Fleeting said:

How did they achieve this 8A.

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I did not work there, but presumably they banned large appliances on 13 amp plugs.

So this gem of knowledge is based on hearsay?
I may be wrong, wifey says constantly so chances are, but I have not seen nor come across an 8amp fuse?

BorisJ said:

I did not work there, but presumably they banned large appliances on 13 amp plugs.

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How did that achieve 8A?

Sparky1958 said:

Unfortunately there aren't RCBOs with 13A rating,

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You can get MCBs rated 13A , single and 3 phase,
So I'd think you can get RCBOs as well

Sharpend said:

So this gem of knowledge is based on hearsay?
I may be wrong, wifey says constantly so chances are, but I have not seen nor come across an 8amp fuse?

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Nor have I. As I said I did not work there. Ask someone who did.

BorisJ said:

Nor have I. As I said I did not work there. Ask someone who did.

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Are you not still in contact with whomever gave you this pearl?

if you wind 5A fuse wire around the fuse contacts twice, that'll give you 10A

binky said:

if you wind 5A fuse wire around the fuse contacts twice, that'll give you 10A

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Isn’t that a 5A slow blow?

Sharpend said:

Are you not still in contact with whomever gave you this pearl?

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No.

I would hazard a guess that someone simply said "Nothing over 2 kW to be used".

And what can happen if you do.

Sharpend said:

So this gem of knowledge is based on hearsay?
I may be wrong, wifey says constantly so chances are, but I have not seen nor come across an 8amp fuse?

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I have 1,2,3,5,7,10A fuses but no 8s