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2-pin plugs


sid
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When replacing a plug on a UK appliance where the lead only has 2 cores do you...

    a) use a 2-pin plug (the type for table lamps etc or

     b) use a 3-pin plug with the earth not connected obviously.

I've converted most of my stuff now, mostly tools, but I still buy things on eBay for example or when I'm in UK. I don't like the 2-pin French plugs as the pins seem too flimsy and they're a slightly smaller diameter to the 3-pin ones and are thus a poor fit a 3-pin socket. We don't have any 2-pin sockets now.

Many appliances don't need an earth and I wonder if it's a good standard to use a 3-pin plug or not?

I've just bought a DeWalt cordless drill from a UK supplier and the charger has a 3-pin UK plug on it but it's a 2-core lead, so here I go again. Very little power drawn for the charger but I just don't feel happy with the flimsy 2-pin plug!

 

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If you feel happier with a three pin Euro plug then fit one. I have found that many UK plugs on domestic items that draw little or no current are actually a Euro two pin plug inside. My old video recorder was a typical example, went to cut the plug off and fit a two pin when I decided to take the plug off just in case I needed it for something. When I took the cover off the UK plug the cable actually had a preformed two pin Euro plug on it which fitted in to the UK three pin plug. It might pay you to check that first. Otherwise as I said, if you feel happier with a three pin Euro plug then fit one.

I ought to add that if in doubt fit a three pin just in case, wouldn't want anyone to blow themselves up.

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You are correct regarding the reduced diameter of the pins, the plugs are only rated to 6 amps and often will arc and burn when a heavier load is drawn, a point to note is that all the UK adaptor plugs have the smaller pins.

On the one hand the system prevents you from overloading a 6 amp socket  which are very rarely fitted (assuming your appliance has the correct plug fitted) on the other there is nothing to protect you from a fire should the wrong 6 amp plug be fitted to a 16 amp appliance.

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Thanks for the replies.

All of our sockets have been progressively rewired so I happy about the earthing.

I'll go with the 3-pin euro plugs then, but the cord grips are rubbish! Particularly if only wiring up a 2-core cable; I usually finish up adding a cable tie as a "stop".

Interesting point about the hidden 2-pin plug inside the UK plug, I've never looked! I always just cut them off and throw them away; I'll check next time.

 

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[quote user="sid"]

Thanks for the replies.

All of our sockets have been progressively rewired so I happy about the earthing.

I'll go with the 3-pin euro plugs then, but the cord grips are rubbish! Particularly if only wiring up a 2-core cable; I usually finish up adding a cable tie as a "stop".

Interesting point about the hidden 2-pin plug inside the UK plug, I've never looked! I always just cut them off and throw them away; I'll check next time.

 

[/quote]

My 'trick' is to wrap some nsulation tape round the cable to make it bigger for the grip or alternativly with some that have the metal grip to take it off and put it back on the wrong way round.

Re the UK plugs, it's normally 'electronic' type stuff like for computers, DVD's, VCR's etc. that have the Euro two pin inside.

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Cable ties, reversing the metal "U" bracket, been there done that, great minds think alike but clearly great minds dont design plugs [6]

The other day whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, pondering the universe, my navel and the prises murale behind the worktop it struck me that an incompetent or someone just having a bad day could easily wire up a French socket so that the exposed earth pin was live without the remainder of the circuit showin any fault or tripping the breaker[:-))]

I think on reflection that I prefer the UK 3 pin plugs [:D]

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I think I prefer the UK 3-pin plug too, although it seems a bit cumbersome now in comparison to a euro version, it has a more "solid" feel. Anyway, that's not going to get accepted Europe-wide now is it!

 

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[quote user="AnOther"]You might find it worthwhile checking that your 3 pin outlets actually have an earth connected to them, 50% of mine didn't ![/quote]

Can second that......

The house that we bought had a number of newish looking three pin outlets in one of the lounges. However, most of the rest of the iring was dire and did not conform to the Norms.

When I started stripping out the nice newish three pin outlets had been run from an old two pin outlet and hence no earth. The couple we bought from would not have done it themselves so there is a 'tradesman' out there who is quite happy to carry out what is a fairly dangerous practice.

In the UK you can get a device using LEDs to check that the wiring is correct, have never seen anything like this in France.

Paul

PS when 'replugging' I always use a three pin plug as I do not like the two pin ones

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Slightly OT but the UK square 3 pin plug could be soon discontinued. There have been murmours from the UK regulatory bodies for some years now, and "ring main" needing the 13A fused plug is now considered 'old school'. I understand the French/Euro plug is most likely to replace it. The old (arguably better) UK 15A round pin plug is still not 'dead', however, even after 50 years, so I'm not holding my breath yet.
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Paul, I have one of those testers for UK plug sockets; I used it when we used to come here caravanning. I used to worry about L & N being reversed, which they often are on campsite bollards. I had two connectors, one wired the "wrong" way so that everything was correct inside the caravan.

I found a similar product just now but with Euro pins, I think I may invest in one! http://www.audiophonics.fr/testeur-securite-phase-electrique-pour-prise-230v-p-4332.html

From the picture it's got English instructions printed on it but the site is French and the pins looks "Euro" style.

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I use my UK one in an adaptor to check both my own work and the existing, well I cant bring myself to call it wiring!

Often it will show up a reversed phase/neutre, occasionally on my own work, I believe that on some double sockets that is the norm (not norme!) but I have never been rich, extravagant or stupid enough to buy and fit any.

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Chancer, I must admit to having used mine in the house with an adapter, but it plugs into the adapter upside down because of the position of the earth pin, so I presume that if it says the L & N are reversed they are in fact the right way round!!?? I used it to test for earths before we had the wiring upgraded; it seemed to work, but I wasn't sure whether some internal electronics might be affected by the adapter. Much better to have one specifically designed for French/Euro sockets that you can plug straight in.

All the double sockets we have fitted have the second socket chained from the first (unlike the UK ones where you make only one connection for both sockets) so you can actually determine which way the pins are connected.

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I think that, for France, but not necessarily for other countries that use this socket, with the earth pin at the top, the live is on the left, unlike the UK where the live is on the right. As travel type adaptors bought in the UK are not for UK use they are not required to conform to any particular standard, so a UK tester in an travel adaptor would likely indicate the incorect polarity.

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This is not so.  I've pasted in a bit below I wrote elsewhere that explains all.......

"One of the most frequent questions I hear is

"I need to swap the plugs on my UK appliances to French ones, but

there's no indication which side of the plug is live or neutral - what

do I do?". Until recently this would have opened a large can of worms as

even the French couldn't seem to agree on the matter. However, I have

always had a belief as to which side is correct, which has now been

proven right.

Anyway,

if you look at the front of a French socket (assuming it is the right

way up, with the sticking out earth pin at the top), the LIVE (phase) is

on the right (or clockwise from the earth if you like). Translate that

to the inside of a plug, & it's the same. Put another way, it's the same

as a UK 13 Amp plug. More to the point it's the same principal as the

Europe-wide standard (CEE17) for industrial & weatherproof connectors

that most people will have seen in the form of the blue 16 Amp

plugs/sockets used for caravan hook-ups, or the yellow (110 Volt)

version used for building site power tools. Although this standard also

encompasses three-phase connectors & goes up to 125 Amp capacity, the

live connection in a socket (viewed from the front) is always clockwise

from the earth.

So, how do I know what's right? Well, in recent

times Legrand & other major manufacturers of fittings for domestic

installation in France) have introduced colour coding to their ranges.

Lo & behold, the live is on the right! In the absence of any more

official information this move is as good as it gets.

Whilst

agreeing that in terms of physics the polarity does not matter it is

really bad practice to mix things up in the same installation. What

leads, adaptors etc. then do is whatever they do, but at least an

installation should be correct."

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Clearly anything with a 2 pin plug fitted doesn't care which way round the L & N are, equally anything with a two core cable (no earth), even if originally supplied with a 3 pin plug, doesn't care as the item will be double insulated.

A tip on 13a to 2 pin adapters, do NOT assume that they carry through the earth from the 13a plug as most cheapos don't. If you do need an earth then physically check your adapter to see that it does connect through, you'll easily see it.

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[quote user="Badger LX"]... Well, in recent

times Legrand & other major manufacturers of fittings for domestic

installation in France) have introduced colour coding to their ranges.

Lo & behold, the live is on the right! In the absence of any more

official information this move is as good as it gets.

Whilst

agreeing that in terms of physics the polarity does not matter it is

really bad practice to mix things up in the same installation. What

leads, adaptors etc. then do is whatever they do, but at least an

installation should be correct."

[/quote]

I always thought so too and I an gratefully corrected as I thought I was losing it. The 5 year old Norvika (modular) ones I connected up a few months ago were clearly marked 'N' on the right but no 'L' mark to be found. So I went around the village and tested sockets using a decent 16/17th edition UK MFT in 2 other houses to find mixed polarity in both. Norvika have since changed the moulding on these and the new ones appear to have no marking at all.
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[quote user="Badger LX"]l.......

"......

....Legrand & other major manufacturers of fittings for domestic

installation in France) have introduced colour coding to their ranges.

Lo & behold, the live is on the right! In the absence of any more

official information this move is as good as it gets.

Whilst

....."

[/quote]

Sorry Should have checked the quote before posting......

I always thought so too and I an gratefully corrected as I thought I was losing it. The 5 year old Norvika (modular) ones I connected up a few months ago were clearly marked 'N' on the right but no 'L' mark to be found. So I went around the village and tested sockets using a decent 16/17th edition UK MFT in 2 other houses to find mixed polarity in both. Norvika have since changed the moulding on these and the new ones appear to have no marking at all.

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