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Installing a French electrical socket in a UK house?

Hi all


I've recently seen in one of the Facebook groups I'm a member of, someone asking for advice on installing a french electrical outlet in his home in the UK.


I'm guessing that it's because he has some European plugged equipment that he wants to be able to plug in without using some form of adaptor, because he says it "reverses the polarity".


Is this safe? Or even allowed? ?
  • I was thinking the same ?
  • Chris Pearson:
    gkenyon:

    Legrand do shuttered versions of NFC 15-100 compliant socket-outlets (to NFC C 61-314), but because NFC C 61-314 is neither an HD nor an EN, you'd still need the confirmation paperwork conforming "not a lesser degree of safety". 


    I suspect that the opinion may depend upon who is giving it. Would the French really admit that their sockets are less safe than ours?




    Agreed - it's just that BS 7671 demands a piece of paper (or its digital equivalent I guess) from the Designer of the installation, or the person specifying the product, confirming such.


  • Curiously 511.1 seems to be a little at odds with 133.1 - the latter seems to accept an 'an apprioriate standard of another country' without any special declarations.


    In the case of something intended to accept a French plug, it would seem that a French socket would be safer on just about every count than a BS 1363 one.

       - Andy.
  • AJJewsbury:

    Curiously 511.1 seems to be a little at odds with 133.1 - the latter seems to accept an 'an apprioriate standard of another country' without any special declarations.


       - Andy.


    That's not quite what it says, Andy.


    An appropriate standard of another country is only accepted in the absence of an appropriate British or Harmonized Standard ... otherwise, in the absence of all standards, 133.1.2 is invoked.


    133.1.2 requires some form of agreement ... and of course 511.1 covers that.


    However, in this particular case, we are discussing something "not in accordance with 133.1.1" (as there is an appropriate British Standard for a standard socket-outlet) and therefore 133.1.3 applies, which actually requires the use to be recorded exactly as 511.1 says.


    So, overall, I don't quite see the conflict in this case.