What is the best Power Outlet, and why?
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comI think the recessed plug face is superior. It keeps an object from falling across an improperly plugged in plug and shorting.
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For safety, the BS1363 (UK, type G) is by far the best.
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It's fused. (Seriously why the hell aren't all plugs fused!)
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Live and neutral can't be reversed.
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Holes are gated (so no kids sticking spoons in).
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High capacity, 240V at 13A gives 3kW of power.
It's only real downside is its size.
Using fuses on outlets is fake security. You can put two 10A devices on a circuit, and the fuses won't help. What's important is that you have fuses for each line.
All socket holes here are gated, too (Type F), but I have to admit there are grandfathered ones without gates in older installations. And we have 16A @ 240V.
I have to admit that the idea of switches in each outlet is in principle a good one, but it makes the outlet way larger than other types, and adds extra complications that can break (yes, I had to fight with one like this in the UK).
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.com -
Type K. I mean how can you say no to that face?
It's the only one that looks happy to be there.
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As far as I know you can push 240V device to any of those holes. Not saying it will work but ex. charger will charge, just slower.
Today many of switching mode power supplies accept anywhere between 100-250V
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Using fuses on outlets is fake security. You can put two 10A devices on a circuit, and the fuses won't help. What's important is that you have fuses for each line.
All socket holes here are gated, too (Type F), but I have to admit there are grandfathered ones without gates in older installations. And we have 16A @ 240V.
I have to admit that the idea of switches in each outlet is in principle a good one, but it makes the outlet way larger than other types, and adds extra complications that can break (yes, I had to fight with one like this in the UK).
The fuses aren't to protect the circuit, they protect the end and intermediate devices. The breakers protect the actual circuit.
E.g. you've got a thin flex for a low power lamp. You don't have to worry about a short allowing 40A to flow down a 2A cable.
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A simple lamp can demonstrate.
You have both live and neutral lines in the cable, coming up to a switch, which can either open the circuit on the live line or the neutral line. Then, the lamp itself has a single light bulb as the load.
If you place the switch on the live line, then the energy of the live line stops at the switch, with only whatever lower voltage is in the neutral line to actually be connected to the light bulb and lamp assembly.
But if you place the switch on the neutral line, you're leaving the entire lamp on the voltage of the live line, which gives the voltage more places to potentially short circuit. If you were to take a non-contact voltage detector, you'd be able to detect a live voltage in the line leading up to the bulb, even when it's not turned on.
You generally do this with the in-wall wiring and switches, too, and make the wall switches break open the circuit on the live line, not the neutral line. It's just a better practice overall.
And no, the neutral line is not totally grounded, so it can still pose a danger, too. But safety is exercised in layers, and putting the switch on the live line is the better practice.
This is an entirely theoretical problem that just doesn't exist in practice. Just to be clear, for it to short circuit, it's needs to find a path to ground. It can't just "go somewhere". Just because the line is longer didn't make it more dangerous for it to "just exist". There are regulations for wires, which include frankly absurd safety margins, regulations for the electrical devices that are not optional either (CE compliance for example). It just complicates this for basically no reason to have keyd outlets.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comThe Europlug is designed to be compatible with [Types C, E, F, and K]
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The fuses aren't to protect the circuit, they protect the end and intermediate devices. The breakers protect the actual circuit.
E.g. you've got a thin flex for a low power lamp. You don't have to worry about a short allowing 40A to flow down a 2A cable.
How many cheap import lamps do have an appropriate fuse?
And the short circuit 40A is better covered by a fast-acting breaker.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comwrote last edited by [email protected]It's type N, the one that was invented by the EU to standardize Europe into one outlet. It was literally designed to be the best. Unfortunately killed off by lazy bureaucrats but not before Brazil and South Africa adopted it anticipating Europe would join in.
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you don't have to have three phase circuit to be affected by floating neutral in three-phase substation upstream. in some places in us there are 208v interphase three-phase circuits, which give 120v phase to neutral, which is distributed as a pair of wires as single-phase circuit. this is also normal way to deliver single-phase power in europe, as it's most efficient use of conductor. (from 400v three-phase circuits) in case more power is needed than single-phase circuit can deliver, three-phase circuit is installed
if there's switch on device, it's 2p1t meaning both phase and neutral are switched. if it's permanent, non-pluggable circuit, like lightning, it's okay if only phase is switched (neutral is connected permanently)
This is entirely an US problem created by the "center tap" nonsense. Nobody else I'm aware of uses that, let alone with that other. The outlet in question (type F) I'm only aware of being in use with one phase of a there phase supply plus the neutral, or just "the" phase and neutral. Note that in the second case, even if a house or apartment only has one phase wired to it, it's still generally part of a three phase supply, but the other phases just aren't wired to that particular place (incredibly rare these days, but might be the case for very old homes/installations).
Now the real reason for it being safe: The neutral is required to be wired to ground at the main breaker panel. With installations newer than 2000-something, every circuit has to be GFCI protected. With even newer installations having even more granular requirements (not sure on the specifics).
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I'm going to imagine that this is just a single plug pictured and that each cord has 18 prongs sticking out of it.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comType K looks the happiest.
Type I looks the hauntedest. -
A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comThe safest ones (design-wise) would be the ones that are inset, like types C, E, F, H, J, and K. If there is ever a chance a plug is partially pulled out or not fully inserted, the socket being inset wouldn't allow anything to touch any of the contacts.
Fuses in plugs and the orientation are relatively irrelevant to the plug style and are more a convention choice, if not regulatory requirement.
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Fuses mean protection is localised. If the socket is good for 13A, but the cable is only safe to 5A, you can fuse at 3A or 5A, and know it's safe.
This is partially useful for extension leads. We don't have to worry about overloading a multiway extension. If we do, it will pop a 10p fuse, rather than cause a house fire.
Are you really going to change the fuse in the receptacle when you plug a different cable in?
Low amp rated extension cords are dangerous unless they have a fuse in the cable. Best practice is to always use a cable that is rated higher than the circuit breakers.
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Are you really going to change the fuse in the receptacle when you plug a different cable in?
Low amp rated extension cords are dangerous unless they have a fuse in the cable. Best practice is to always use a cable that is rated higher than the circuit breakers.
The fuse is in the plug itself. It goes with the cable. That's the point of it!
It lets you down rate your cables from the breaker rating. -
The safest ones (design-wise) would be the ones that are inset, like types C, E, F, H, J, and K. If there is ever a chance a plug is partially pulled out or not fully inserted, the socket being inset wouldn't allow anything to touch any of the contacts.
Fuses in plugs and the orientation are relatively irrelevant to the plug style and are more a convention choice, if not regulatory requirement.
Doesn't G have an insulated portion so live conductor is never exposed?
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Type K looks the happiest.
Type I looks the hauntedest.And type B just realized how insecure it is.
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A useful source:
https://worldofsockets.comClearly type K. It's such a happy lil guy
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And type B just realized how insecure it is.
It should be. after all: We Americans only use the shittiest of infrastructure. USA USA
