Tex:
That is from a 'blow-off' valve to relieve water pressure in the heater. The pipe going down extends any discharge down to the floor
Ah, thought the fittings didn't really look like gas!
In case of the rice cooker the rationale is probably similar to what we have in Europe - if the appliance needs a fuse, it has to be built into the appliance itself and if it doesn't the appliance will limit the current under normal operating conditions in order to protect the cord. The household breaker/fuse only needs to protect the cord in case of a short. That's why you can connect a table lamp with 0.75 mm2 flex and Euro plug to a 230 V/16 A circuit.
Of course power strips with Euro plugs are illegal because they could draw well over 2.5 A from a socket only designed for that current.
Doesn't work in the UK since 32 A isn't suitable for short-circuit protection of 0.75 mm2 and BS1363 power strips aren't designed for 32 A.
