ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades List of american plug systems

PaulUK:

The BS546 system seems to be the only one with complete incompatability between plug ratings.

Most European countries also employ a variety of plugs with ratings of less than 16A all of which usually fit their 16A sockets.

e.g. Europlug fits Schuko 16A outlets as well as small 2-pin 6 and 10A outlets. However, Schuko plugs won't fit into the lower rater outlets as the pins are fatter.

The Italian system allows the 10A plug to be plugged into the 16A outlet but not the other way around.

BS546 was just weird.. i think it had a lot to do with the use of very thin flex on lamps and radios in the UK coupled with the IEE being a little over conservative.

In reality 2A and 5A plugs were rarely connected to 2A or 5A circuits as they were used with adaptors on 15A circuits.

Good point about the Europlug/Schuko etc. I believe that the smallest flex size specified in most of Europe is 0.75 sq. mm, whereas in the U.K. we also have 0.5 used on some small devices (or a near equivalent in pre-metric days). This has certainly gone on for many years, and I don;t like to think about how many old table-lamps were wired to BS546 plugs on 15A circuits with such thin wire.

Andy,
The NEC in the U.S. allows 15A receptacles to be fed from either a 15 or a 20A branch circuit.