Re: American and British (English)

On Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:46:42 -0400, Roland Hutchinson
<my.spamtrap@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Fred Springer wrote:

J. J. Lodder wrote:


Back to the point.
The subject of the inherently unsafe UK system of home supply
(despite their ridiculous clunky plugs with fuses in them)
with ring mains has come up there several times.
Of course my comments on it were that it is backwards,
and should be abolished gradually.
OK, technical discussion on merits results.

I missed the earlier discussion about this -- I guess it first appeared
in one of the cross-posted groups now snipped from the follow-up line.

I know it's OT for AUE, but I'd be interested to hear more about the
grounds for your opinion, having heard an expatriate British electrician
proclaim the superior safety of British domestic electricity regulations
over those of other countries. I hasten to add I know very little
about the topic, though I do know how a ring main works, and how to
rewire a plug and all that (not that it's often necessary these days).

I certainly agree that the British 13A plug is a clunky object compared
(say) with the tiny flat two pin device used in Japan and the US, for
example. Could we safely make do with something a bit flimsier?

Oh, I don't know. The total-paranoid approach to electricity seems such a
vital part of the British identity and personality: Ring mains (so there
are TWO paths to ground at every outlet), a plug massive enough to supply
electrical service to an entire village, a fuse in every plug, and a switch
on every outlet, and then, in the unlikely event of an electrical fire
starting, houses that aren't built of wood, so they won't burn down.

The truly paranoid can turn off the appliance, turn off the switch at the
outlet, and remove the plug from the outlet just to be sure. Some will
probably remove the fuse from the plug as well.

Yes, you could make do with less, but it just wouldn't be Britain, would it?

Not sure this is limited to Britain.

The mother of a childhood friend of mine in the USA went around the
house making sure that none of the extension cords had sharp bends
when she learned how fast the electricity was traveling. She just
could not believe those little electrons would be able to make those
sharp turns.

She also put those childproof plugs in every unused outlet so that the
electricity would leak out onto the floor like water from an open
faucet.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Newbie question re power
    ... Most of us learned by age 6 that we can plug an electric cord into an outlet, and that a fuse, (now a breaker) will keep us from burning down the freaking house. ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • Re: American and British (English)
    ... expatriate British electrician proclaim the superior safety ... I certainly agree that the British 13A plug is a clunky ... Some will probably remove the fuse from the plug ... many more die in electricity related fires. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: American and British (English)
    ... electricity regulations over those of other countries. ... I certainly agree that the British 13A plug is a clunky object ... fuse in every plug, and a switch on every outlet, and then, in the ... Some will probably remove the fuse from the plug as well. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: American and British (English)
    ... with ring mains has come up there several times. ... I certainly agree that the British 13A plug is a clunky object ... fuse in every plug, and a switch on every outlet, and then, in the ... when she learned how fast the electricity was traveling. ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: American and British (English)
    ... The total-paranoid approach to electricity ... a plug massive enough to supply electrical service to an entire ... village, a fuse in every plug, and a switch on every outlet, and ... And until a few years ago, appliances that were sold with a separate ...
    (alt.usage.english)