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Appliance Ratings and 13A plug tops

statter
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
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    Chris Pearson:

    This plug (with bottom, sides, and top) was on a 3 kW heater. I suspect that the over-heating may have been in part due to inadequate insertion leading to arcing. I cannot see why the pins would run so much hotter than the cable.

     



    The problem with 13A plugs is that they have a built-in heating element, in the form of a BS1362 fuse.  At currents that would cause any other design of plug to get a bit warm, the fuse in a BS1363 plug can produce a significant amount of heat, which is then trapped inside a well-insulated enclosure.
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  • 0

    Chris Pearson:

    This plug (with bottom, sides, and top) was on a 3 kW heater. I suspect that the over-heating may have been in part due to inadequate insertion leading to arcing. I cannot see why the pins would run so much hotter than the cable.

     



    The problem with 13A plugs is that they have a built-in heating element, in the form of a BS1362 fuse.  At currents that would cause any other design of plug to get a bit warm, the fuse in a BS1363 plug can produce a significant amount of heat, which is then trapped inside a well-insulated enclosure.
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