ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Motel Electrical Pics (NZ)

OK, so I _can_ plug in my cheapo Chinese mains-operated transistorradio so I can listen to music while I wash up!!!

Add to the fact that it uses a two flat-pin plug, and we're in business...

Those upside-down breakers do look funny. In fact at first glance I thought you'd turned them all off to take the photo, and was wondering why!

Contrary to our usual practice of light switches being down for on, circuit-breakers are most always up for on here. The only exceptions I've ever seen are the old-style main earth-leakage breakers intended for domestic use up to about the 1960s, which used up for off.

They sure like hard-wired appliances there, don't they?

Hi there Guys,
Sorry I haven't responded earlier, but it's hard to use a computer that has no HDD.
Andy, I think everything was hard-wired in here because of the theft factor, but then again I suppose it also prevents kids from poking things into sockets, which removes a certain amount of liability on the part of the moteliers.
Having said that, the TV actually did have a plug on it, now, which would you sooner steal, the bedside lamp or the TV?.
Kent, BTW, that's my house key for at home here.
No need to bring anything like that to these flash digs, WiseOwl, the unit features it's own Free-standing range!.
I was wondering about them breakers myself, there does seem to be a lot of them for such a small unit, but it has it's own Hot Water cylinder, an electric fan heater, a range.
BTW, the Residual Current Device pictured, is actually called an RCBO, meaning that it has a Thermal/Magnetic trip mechanism in it as well, like a normal CB.
Electure, The Breakers are Federal branded, but just above the actual Federal marking on the breakers you can just make out a small 'N', this stands for Nilsen, I'm not sure how these 2 companies became associated.
Paul, These breakers do look a little wierd withe the toggles pointing downward in the on position, as all our other brands of breakers over here, point upward in the on position.

Sorry, I missed these bits.
Would a US razor have a ground pin on the plug?.
Ours have one, but only a 2 Core curly flex.
I suppose it saves us plugging into the wrong voltage on these sockets, though.
A 110V shave probably wouldn't be the most comfortable experience!.
Actually Scott, this was not the course that I was led to believe it was, I thought we'd be learning "real" things like Fire-ground control and other important such things.
But no, this was an exercise in "Team-building" and yes, I nearly had to hire a truck to bring all the written material home after that one.
Mind you, who pulls a set of books out while some guys house is on fire?.
Kent,
There were 2 sockets in the kitchen, one for the underbench fridge and another single point to plug the supplied electric kettle from.
I must say, the coffee in this place was amazing, I drank the place dry!. (Of coffee I mean).
By the way, am I using the correct term here, as in Bathroom?, I know that you guys in the US use the term for a Toilet room don't you?.

No. Neither do British shavers with their round-pin plugs.

Why? I know Aus/NZ plugs come in 2-pin versions with no ground pin as I've seen them, and it's not like the British 13A plug where the ground pin is needed to open the shutter mechanism. I can't see any advantage to using a 3-pin plug.

Paul,
On any Aus/NZ plug the Neutral pin actually opens the access to the Phase and Neutral contacts on a socket here.

Hi Trumpy,

All the shavers and hair-clippers I've seen sold in the Western hemisphere (110-volt countries) use two-wire flex with a two pin plug.

Some of them use wall-warts (AC/DC adapters) instead of regular power cords.

Trumpy, couple things.
In the states we use the term bathroom unless the room just had a toilet in it...then we might call it a toilet room.
OK, just what is an electric kettle????? Is it an electric perculator coffee pot? Here all this time I thought you guy's just drank tea.

Electric kettle is an electric teapot.

A kettle, with a heating element at the bottom...you use it to simply boil water.

Great Call Sven,
I couldn't have said it any better!.