what i would like to see is a show down...between all the plug manufacturers...a constant 15 amp resistive load applied to a socket otlet for a period of time and see which ones can withstand the load...then an iductive load applied for a period of time.
andy i thought you might find this interesting...a hitech tool given to me to resolve an issue one of the switch manufacturers had with their plug sockets...if you couldnt get it to go into the socket...a little gentle nudge with a hammer would solve the problem.
I'm not sure what it does exactly but I know I'm not gonna like it when I do.
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onw if the switch manufacturers had a problem with their sockets outlets...around 2006/7 this was the remedy...if you didnt complain...you are stuck with the tight plug still to this day...to save themselves lots of money on a total recall of thousands of sockets around that era...you could get the rep to come out to your property and force this hitech device into the socket to loosen it up....yeah i know what you are thinking...eeeeeiiiish...and you are talking about replacing sockets just because one plug tester wasnt up to spec...i am not gona mention which one...because i installed hundreds of these sockets during that period.
Hmmm, I knew I wasn't going to like it. It's got all the hallmarks of a medieval torture device, I'm sure when confronted with that thing and a hammer even the most battle hardened socket will tell you whatever you want to know
Socket outlets and their associated switches are rated at 15 or 16 Amps. I would assume this is a linear AC1 load, I've never seen a proper specification for sockets that gives an AC3 rating or suggests a derating factor according to PF.Originally Posted by murdock
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the test would merely indicate which one can withstand punishment...the same load would be used for all the sockets from the same supply...the reason i mentioned 15 amps was because it would put the plug to the ultimate test.
a question...how many people who use socket outlets know the difference between an AC1 and AC3 duty cycle or even power factor for that matter...do you think the man on the street first checks the load charactoristics of an appliance before they plug it inot a socket outlet...it it has a cable and you can fit a plug...most people would just plug it in...i have seen 4 000 watt (4 kw) undercounter boilers plugged into socket outlets...pf would be 1 or close as damn...but the load 17.39 amps...with a 20 amp circuit breaker in the DB...it would work just fine...until it burns out the socket that is...
the worse is still the aircon with the connector block half way up the wall taped up with insulation tape...on an 18 000 -24000 btu unit (yet to see a fire caused by this size unit)...but have been to 2 fires which guttered the dwelling caused by this type of connection on 9 and 12000 btu units...the scary part is not the fire...its the bang from the a/c unit when it explodes and flies across the room.
i think this is a good example of why sealed plug tops are not always the best option...and i cant blame crabtree for this fire
an example of one of the connector block fires i attended to...note the a/c unit missing it blew +/-6 metres across the room and literally took the kitchen units off the wall.
an extension plug oops
i know this has nothing to do with plugs...it was one of the pic i have filed under scary pics.
one of my all time favourites...note how the person cut the cable...because the wire was too short to join in the junction box they made the joint next to the box and plastered over it...man do we battle to find these kind of faults...
random earth leakage tripping...this is a good example of one of the causes...some would just take it off earth leakage to stop it from tripping
This is scary stuff. Maybe you sparkie guys can educate the Forum members with what to look for and what to buy.
One often see extension cords with multi plugs running anything from TV, kettle, hifi to heaters and the like. I know this is dangerous and try to avoid it, but so many people seem to be ignorant of the dangers posed by incorrect electrical connections.
Excellence is not a skill; its an attitude...
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