Re: American and British (English)

Roland Hutchinson <my.spamtrap@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

James Silverton wrote:

Roland wrote on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:46:42 -0400:

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?

I admit that the British grounded plug with a fuse is an impressive
object but I tend to agree that making a ground prong necessary to
insert a plug is a sensible idea, especially if you are talking about
220v.

Thank you. I forget to add that detail to the list. I agree with you that
it's very sensible.

Mind you, I have seen still alive US electricians check for power
in a 110v circuit by lightly touching wires.

There seems to be some room to debate about which voltage is safer to come
in contact with. Either can fry you to a crispy death (well, more of a
smoldery one, actually) if you stay in contact with it, but apparently the
230v may more likely to induce a muscle spasm that will throw you free of
contact with it.

Actually the North American system at 110 V
appears to be much more dangerous than the European 230 V.
Very few people get killed by electrocution,
many more die in electricity related fires.
It seems likely that at twice the current
the risk of fires must be greater.

Impossible to quantify though,
for there many other incomparable factors,
like different building styles.

Still, I can't help thinking that North America is one enormous waste of
copper (and you can't get a decent kettle).

It is, and it should have been updated to 230 V long ago.
(which is not too hard, for they have centre-tapped 220 V anyway)
Americans are of course much too conservative for that.

Jan

.

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