Plugs - fused

[unzippy]

I’ve just rewired a couple of plugs, essentials like the laptop and her straighteners - no bother, all fine.

Although aus plugs have no fuses.  How does this work?

With our container full of suff that needs converting I’m wondering it I should just do the extension board plugs and and then the res of the devices remain UK and fused?

Thoughts?

[Eera]

Electrical switch trips out if something goes wrong.  The only time we've ever had an issue was when husband was welding through a power board which he was using as an extension from a 15 amp socket.  That got a bit melty.

We had a circuit that was tripping once, which was a pain as we had to go around unplugging everything on that circuit until we found the appliance responsible, but other than that the breakers seem to work fine. 

[calNgary]

For appliances i used regually i would change the plug or buy a new lead. For things like the hairdryer etc thats used once in a blue moon i would use an adaptor. I dont like too many adaptor or extension cords ,there are too many house fires here,as Eera says your electric switch should trip of something is wrong.

 Cal x

[Peach]

In my time I've never know a fuse in the plug blow, the circuit breaker or earth leakage trip always went first.  Maybe fuses had more of a purpose years ago before resettable fuses and trip switches?

[Nemesis]

18 minutes ago, Peach said:

In my time I've never know a fuse in the plug blow, the circuit breaker or earth leakage trip always went first.  Maybe fuses had more of a purpose years ago before resettable fuses and trip switches?

I remember my dad teaching me to change fuses in plugs years ago, and I did do a few when I was a student. It stopped the appliance burning out or catching fire without tripping the fuse box. Would have been handy when i lived in oz as it was a 15 minute round trip to reset the fusebox, outside and across the yard.

[AlanSofAdelaide]

Australian domestic power distribution is the same as the British system of 60 years ago - a series of spur or radial circuits, each containing several power outlets and each protected by a circuit breaker or fuse. British wiring uses a 'ring main' whereby a loop containing several power outlets is protected by a single high current fuse or circuit breaker. Each appliance plug also contains a glass fuse of up to 13 Amp capacity. If there's a fault in the appliance then only the plug fuse will blow.

With the Australian system an appliance fault will trip the circuit breaker protecting the spur and several power outlets will go off. That's no drama as you just locate the fault and reset the circuit breaker. The British system used to have distinct advantages in the days of wire fuses in switchboards but with over current circuit beakers and earth leakage circuit breakers there's little difference in terms of protection or resetting after a fault. Admittedly you don't need to open the switchboard in the British system which can be an advantage if it's difficult to access. Just put an Australian plug on in place of the British one which is one of the few things you can do in Aus without an electrical worker's licence.

BTW British plugs are much better quality than Australian: insulation over the pins, bigger bodies with screwed caps and decent cable clamps making them easier to wire. They're also far more robust - step on an Aus plug and you bend the pins, step on a British plug and you'll do your ankle.. 

Edited January 3, 2018 by AlanSofAdelaide

[AlanSofAdelaide]

On ‎31‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 12:13, Peach said:

In my time I've never know a fuse in the plug blow, the circuit breaker or earth leakage trip always went first.  Maybe fuses had more of a purpose years ago before resettable fuses and trip switches?

Fuses and over current circuit breakers are there to protect against full or partial short circuits. Earth leakage breakers  detect much lower current leakages from active to earth due to moisture or conductive dirt inside appliances such as irons and hair dryers. These won't trip an over current breaker but can still give a serious electric shock.  You're right that they are more likely to trip than the plug fuse due to the nature of most common faults. Before earth leakage breakers came along the appliance could be 'live' and you didn't know until it killed you.  

[unzippy]

Useful, thank you people.