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Appliance Ratings and 13A plug tops

Hello

I looked last year for portable heating and not surprisingly there was little above 2.5kW rating.  All the old 3kW stuff has long gone.

I was surprised however to find a wide range of steam irons rated at 3000W and even 3100W.  (that's almost 13.5A at 230V).  I realise of course that irons are likely to be much more intermittent than heating and that 13.5A is very unlikely to blow a 13A fuse but it cant be good practice to overload plug/ socket like this.  A decent ironing session can still be hours ……   OFC at 240v its under 13A but 230v has been the standard for ages now.   In my experience many socket/ plug combinations are marginal approaching their rating so deliberate overloading will only make matters worse over time.  I would have thought that these appliances wouldn't qualify for CE marking and couldn't be sold legally?  Does anyone know if there is a BS or EN for small appliances?


Thanks


Peter
Parents

  • All electrical heaters are 100% efficient.



    Only when viewed in the narrow context of electricity in vs heat out. Looking at the wider context (say power station fuel in, to comfort levels achieved) it may appear somewhat less favourable. Just look at the latest efficiency standards for things like storage heaters (Lot20) -  which try to ensure that no more heat is produced than is actually needed - from better thermostats to 'open window' detection to the ability to turn them off if you're unexpectedly away from home - so using less electricity to achieve the same comfort level.

       - Andy.
Reply

  • All electrical heaters are 100% efficient.



    Only when viewed in the narrow context of electricity in vs heat out. Looking at the wider context (say power station fuel in, to comfort levels achieved) it may appear somewhat less favourable. Just look at the latest efficiency standards for things like storage heaters (Lot20) -  which try to ensure that no more heat is produced than is actually needed - from better thermostats to 'open window' detection to the ability to turn them off if you're unexpectedly away from home - so using less electricity to achieve the same comfort level.

       - Andy.
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