# British Electrical Code Oddities **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740 "2016-12-15T01:42:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/41 "2016-12-16T21:36:34Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I’m not so sure. The other plugs in use around the world are just as effective. I just don’t see how this statement can be objectively true. The UK plug contains features that others don’t. In respect of those features, the alternatives are _not effective at all_ Now you might argue that these features aren’t really necessary, but that argument can be applied to anything. Insulation on wires isn’t absolutely necessary, if you’re careful. Safety shoes aren’t absolutely necessary, if you make sure not to drop anything. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/42 "2016-12-16T22:10:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How many folks have turned the light off on their brother so that he pees on his shoes? Exactly why I believe that all bathroom switches should be on the inside. This was a constant source of fighting between me and my brothers. Really. Bro is taking a dump? It’s dark out? Flip the switch and go watch tv while he screams bloody murder. tee-hee. What? Were you guys actually nice to each other? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/43 "2016-12-16T22:18:25Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > Exactly why I believe that all bathroom switches should be on the inside. Doesn’t always help, at least in public bathrooms. I’m occasionally in the far stall at work when someone leaves the bathroom and turns the light off. I’m sitting down at this point, however, and usually have my phone as a light source, so it turns out all right, but it could be a lot worse. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/44 "2016-12-16T23:19:26Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > Exactly why I believe that all bathroom switches should be on the inside. This was a constant source of fighting between me and my brothers. Really. Bro is taking a dump? It’s dark out? Flip the switch and go watch tv while he screams bloody murder. tee-hee. > > What? Were you guys actually nice to each other? \*Raises hand briefly and the bickering attorneys are stilled. “With any known make of toilet,” evenly, “I could pee three feet in the dark **with my left hand**.” \* [Apologies to JT] ---
**Author:** ![Bones\_Daley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/45 "2016-12-16T23:44:26Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Anything you buy in the UK that has to plug into the mains, will have a standard three pin plug moulded on to it, so that the ignorant won’t wire a plug the wrong way round. . That may or may not be the case as far as domestic appliances are concerned, but most workshop portable tools still require the plugs to be manually affixed. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/46 "2016-12-17T00:25:07Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > The point is that if your dishwasher starts smoking, you can just flip a switch to isolate it. Yeah, if you want to rip the dishwasher out of the cabinet to get to the outlet. Personally, I’d go flip the circuit breaker in the basement long before that. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/47 "2016-12-17T00:28:15Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Yeah, if you want to rip the dishwasher out of the cabinet to get to the outlet. Personally, I’d go flip the circuit breaker in the basement long before that. I think dishwashers are typically hardwired. This was definitely the case in the three separate houses that I’ve had. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/48 "2016-12-17T01:21:22Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Yeah, if you want to rip the dishwasher out of the cabinet to get to the outlet. Personally, I’d go flip the circuit breaker in the basement long before that. In Britain large appliances such as washer/dryers & fridges are mainly wired in but with on/off switches above the countertop level. Breaker boxes are near the front door generally. ---
**Author:** ![ToughLife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@ToughLife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToughLife)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/49 "2016-12-17T01:44:42Z")
> [@GMANCANADA](#): > > @Mangetout- Sorry, I wasn’t clear - I was referring to Bob++'s comment regarding the fact that Brits have split the single household breaker panel that we have in N.A. into two separate units. One to which all the wall receptacles are wired and a second one to which all the ceiling fixtures are wired. I did notice this at my friend’s flat. > > I’m not at all clear what practical advantages this confers. this is not a safety feature this for convenience, according to the (relatively) new wiring regulations > [@](#): > > Section 314 calls for the installation to be so divided to: > a. Avoid hazards and minimize inconvenience in the event of > a fault. > b. Reduce the possibility of unwanted tripping of the RCD > due to excessive protective conductor currents. > > To comply with these requirements the installation designer > should consider which circuits are connected to a single RCD. > For instance it probably not be suitable to connect all the > lighting to a single RCD as any fault on any circuit connected > to this RCD would lead to the loss of all the lighting circuits, Guide to 17th Edition Consumer Units > **[Hager Electrical Distribution, Lighting & Wiring Accessories](https://hager.com/uk)** > > Discover Hager’s electrical solutions: electrical installations, distribution boards, building automation and many more. Integrated switches in sockets are not mandatory and are there for convenience mostly. They are an overkill exactly as the ridiculously over engineered 3 pin plugs > [@Mangetout](#): > > I just don’t see how this statement can be objectively true. The UK plug contains features that others don’t. In respect of those features, the alternatives are _not effective at all_ > > Now you might argue that these features aren’t really necessary, but that argument can be applied to anything. Insulation on wires isn’t absolutely necessary, if you’re careful. Safety shoes aren’t absolutely necessary, if you make sure not to drop anything. there is also such a thing as a common sense, those features incorporating a fuse (!) and bronze contact capable of carrying 100 amps for a plug designed for 13 amps load. Overkill. I understand the history behind this design but today they are obsolete, heavy,expensive and remain in the regulations only because, as it often happens in the UK, it has always been done that way. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/50 "2016-12-17T13:05:54Z")
US systems tend to have only one protective device, whereas UK systems will have two, and if you counts the incomer fuse then its three. The UK plug may be large, but it contains a silica sand fuse, and this prevents tracking across the carrier, which matters in events such as crowbar short circuits. Our systems is that of one ring main with any number of outlets connected, the protective device backing that up will be between 30A(not common) to 60A(rare).This circuit board fuse has only one purpose, to protect the house wiring - it is not there to protect the appliance at all. If there is a RCD installed then it will protect users from earth faults The problem here is that the flex is rated only for a maximum of 15 amps, and that would only be on heavier current appliances and extension leads. The majority of appliance flex will be rated at less than 15A, more likely around 7A or under - which means that the protective device could readily carry a current of , say 20-30A without operating, and the 7A flex is just going to melt and start a fire. This is why we need a fuse in the plug, that fuse will be rate for the flex, and not - as most people believe - to the appliance. Our plugs may seem large, however I have seen enough of them burned out - especially n the bad old days when people used socket adaptors such as these > **[Homebase](https://www.homebase.co.uk/lighting-electrical/electrical/extension-leads-adaptors-timers/adaptors.list)** > > Got too many electrical appliances to plug in to one socket? In need of a travel adapter? Shop for power adapters here at Homebase! If folk did not have enough outlets they would add in an adaptor, and then add another adaptor into the adaptor. The weight of all these plugs and adaptors on an outlet would reduce the friction contact, it was too much for the strength of the outlet contact springs - result is you get heating of the contacts due to higher resistance. It takes a while but this will generally degrade the plastics in the plug and outlet - and this leads to a vicious cycle where heat degradation increases contact resistance further and so increases the amount of heat produced further. I don’t know the specific ratings of the US 110V system and the outlets but they do not appear to me to be capable of handling 13A, they only look to be good for maybe 5A - and that surely means that you can only use appliances up to around 500Watts - whereas our outlets will go up to 2.5KW ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/51 "2016-12-17T13:26:46Z")
120V, 1500 W space heaters are common in the US. I really like GFCI. I installed them in the aquarium room after I discovered how conductive salt water is. No shocks, things just turn off. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/52 "2016-12-17T15:08:02Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > US systems tend to have only one protective device, whereas UK systems will have two, and if you counts the incomer fuse then its three. > … > I don’t know the specific ratings of the US 110V system and the outlets but they do not appear to me to be capable of handling 13A, they only look to be good for maybe 5A - and that surely means that you can only use appliances up to around 500Watts - whereas our outlets will go up to 2.5KW All good points. The US system is kinda rinky dink in many ways. Ref the last point above, the standard US plug or outlet is good for 15A so nominally just over 1500W. A rule of thumb is 1500W for a medium-term continuous load e.g. space heater and 1750 for an intermittent short-term load e.g. microwave oven. Where the US system really falls down is additive loads. A common household branch circuit will be protected by a 20A breaker, and with wire sized for a 20A continuous load. Which circuit feeds 3 or 4 built-in light fixtures and also a half-dozen duplex outlets. The fixtures are probably heat limited to 2A apiece, whereas the outlets are 15A per face. Which means you’ve got 20A wire & breaker feeding a potential simultaneous load of 180A+. As a result people discover by experiment :eek: which of their loads they can use simultaneously without blowing a breaker. The good news in recent years is that devices used outside a kitchen may be proliferating, but they’re also rapidly going low-power. And there’s been upgrades in the NEC to allow lots fewer outlets on a single 20A branch within kitchens and workshops where high-draw devices predominate. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/53 "2016-12-17T15:22:15Z")
> [@Bones\_Daley](#): > > That may or may not be the case as far as domestic appliances are concerned, but most workshop portable tools still require the plugs to be manually affixed. I am not sure why you think that. Moulded plugs are mandatory for all portable domestic electrical equipment > [@](#): > > 12.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this regulation, no person shall supply, offer for supply, agree to supply, expose for supply or possess for supply any appliance unless that appliance is correctly fitted with a standard plug which– > > (a)complies with the requirements of regulation 8 above; and > > (b)is fitted with a fuse link which conforms to BS 1362 and is rated in accordance with the appliance manufacturer’s instructions, provided that in the absence of such instructions the fuse link may be rated in accordance with Table 2 of BS 1363. > > [The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1994/1768/regulation/12/made) There is provision made for adaptors (commonly supplied with wall warts) so convert them to the UK standard. > [@](#): > > (2) Paragraph (1) above shall not prohibit any person from supplying, offering to supply, agreeing to supply, exposing for supply or possessing for supply any appliance which does not comply with the requirements of that paragraph but which– > > (a)is correctly fitted with a non–UK plug which complies with the safety provisions of IEC 884–1; and > > (b)is fitted with a conversion plug which complies with the requirements of paragraph (3) below and which encloses the fitted non–UK plug and can only be removed by the use of a tool. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/54 "2016-12-17T18:33:56Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I just don’t see how this statement can be objectively true. Yes, true, I overstated it. I should have said sufficiently effective. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/55 "2016-12-17T20:31:10Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Yes, true, I overstated it. I should have said sufficiently effective. There’s some familarity bias in both directions, I expect. When I handle US plugs, I feel like they are flimsy to handle, insufficiently positive in plugging home (or too easily pulled out) and I feel like I want to check the pins haven’t been accidentally bent. Those aren’t completely objective judgments - they’re just contrast shock - and I think it happens both ways. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/56 "2016-12-17T22:17:40Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > When it was first manufactured the material for the casing was bakelite, which is not as strong as modern plastics, so what seems like over-engineering (at least in the build of the casing) is probably just about right for the time. I … > > I think if we were designing a safety plug now, That doesn’t explain why, when the UK standardized on a plug late in 20th Century the heavy plug was choosen. (before IEC sockets, allowed selection of power cords, UK appliances commonly required post-sale adjustment of the power plug) As an aside: the Australian standard plug has a flat vertically oriented earth pin. Now required by standard to be longer than the active pins, so that the earth connects first/ disconnects last. Also by modern regulation, the two active pins at the top are partially protected, at the pin base, by non-conductive coating, so that if a metal wire or ruler falls between the wall and the plug, it doesn’t hit active metal. The plug looks exactly the same as a modern Chinese plug, except, by modern regulation, the Chinese now install sockets _the other way up_, so that if something falls between the wall and the plug, it hits the earth pin rather than the active pins. > [@Balthisar](#): > > I think dishwashers are typically hardwired. This was definitely the case in the three separate houses that I’ve had. In Aus by modern standard, they are required to have a disconnect point. A plug/socket. This always has a switch, because that’s standard. The disconnect point is required because you, or your washing machine installer, or your repair man _are no longer permitted to connect/disconnect_ wiring. Only a licenced tradesman with a 4 year apprenticeship can do that. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/57 "2016-12-17T22:27:38Z")
The traditional American lighting socket with a standard lamp and a connected wall switch is unknown in Aus. Sockets have switches. Lighting is installed in the ceiling, and wired in. Table lamps and standard lamps are available now, but they plug into a switched outlet down near the floor. In the old days, before one-piece switched sockets were available, the switch was installed on the same base-plate as the socket, never somewhere else. Australians were taught to “always turn off the switch before removing the plug”, which is a widely ignored basic safety rule that has almost zero effect on mortality, but made more sense in the days of perishable insulation ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/58 "2016-12-18T00:14:04Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Also by modern regulation, the two active pins at the top are partially protected, at the pin base, by non-conductive coating, so that if a metal wire or ruler falls between the wall and the plug, it doesn’t hit active metal. So it’s true… You do things upside down in Oz. In all my life, going back to when the three pins were round, I have always seen the earth pin at the top. I understood that the insulated part of the two conductors was in case someone pulled the plug part way out and put their fingers behind to get a better purchase or something. As an aside, the two floor lamps in my sitting room are plugged in to power sockets but they have remotely controlled switches, so yet another remote to look for when we want them on. The bedside lamps are permanently live, but have a touch sensor - touch the metal base and it lights up dim, touch again and it brightens and once more for fully on. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/59 "2016-12-18T00:23:16Z")
I lived in England for 4.5 years. Getting use to the differences in electricity didn’t take all that long. It was the water system that took a while. For the most part you shouldn’t ever drink the water except from the cold water faucet in the kitchen. Why? Did you ever see a water tower in England? Probably not. Most homes and buildings have a reservoir tank in the attic or roof. This tank supplies the water to all the faucets except the cold water in the kitchen. That faucet is supplied directly from the main pipe. These reservoir tanks can get dirty, moldy, or even have things like dead birds in them. Don’t want to drink that! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740/60 "2016-12-18T01:10:03Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > So it’s true… You do things upside down in Oz. > > In all my life, going back to when the three pins were round, I have always seen the earth pin at the top. … The US has always been ground pin on the bottom, live pins on top. Until recently when they’ve now started going the other way, ground pin on top. We’re seeing it first in hospitals and commercial buildings and I’m not up to date on the official code specifics. But it seems to be the way we’re going too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-electrical-code-oddities/774740.md?page=4)