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Total load capacity of twin 13 amp socket ?

broadgage
What is it ?

I understood that twin 13 amp sockets are designed for a total load of 20 amps, and that the approval test is done with 14 amps one one side and 6 amps on the other side.


However recent posts on these fora and elsewhere have stated or implied that the maximum permitted load is only 13 amps in total.


So which is it ?


I appreciate that these sockets are marked "13 amps" on the back, but feel that this MAY be a red herring. The marking MAY mean "intended for 13 amp plugs" rather than "maximum total load 13 amps"


MK brand metalclad twin 13 amp sockets USED to exceed the minimum standard and be suited for a total of 26 amps, is this still the case ?
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    Chris Pearson:

    I have previously been put in my place here by GK, the pair is rated at 13 A.


    That said, we have had washing machine and tumble drier plugged into one double socket and kettle and toaster into another for 20-odd years. Not always one load of clothes out and another in whilst the first are dried; but every breakfast time the bread is toasted whilst the kettle is on. No harm done! ?


    IMHO, the bottom line is that Joe Public would rightly expect to put 13 A in both sides.


    These days, even manufacturers who said "13 A per outlet" in their literature now say "13 A" full stop. There may well always have been some confusion between whether "socket-outlet" referred to a single or double version, and we still call a double socket-outlet a single "point".


    Certainly, the temperature rise test now is no different than it was back in 1984, perhaps even earlier ... but it's worth noting that the temperature rise test has a maximum duration of 8 hours, so it is not really intended to simulate repeated overload of the accessory, just a one-off occurrence lasting a single typical "working day"


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  • 0
    Chris Pearson:

    I have previously been put in my place here by GK, the pair is rated at 13 A.


    That said, we have had washing machine and tumble drier plugged into one double socket and kettle and toaster into another for 20-odd years. Not always one load of clothes out and another in whilst the first are dried; but every breakfast time the bread is toasted whilst the kettle is on. No harm done! ?


    IMHO, the bottom line is that Joe Public would rightly expect to put 13 A in both sides.


    These days, even manufacturers who said "13 A per outlet" in their literature now say "13 A" full stop. There may well always have been some confusion between whether "socket-outlet" referred to a single or double version, and we still call a double socket-outlet a single "point".


    Certainly, the temperature rise test now is no different than it was back in 1984, perhaps even earlier ... but it's worth noting that the temperature rise test has a maximum duration of 8 hours, so it is not really intended to simulate repeated overload of the accessory, just a one-off occurrence lasting a single typical "working day"


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