ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades US plug in Aussie powerpoint

I would bet that the use of American-style parallel-blade devices is a legacy of WWII-- Japanese, not American, influence. Not sure how they got the crowfoot, though.

I agree it would make sense to standardize on the Aus/NZ configuration, since that is reportedly the most common in China. It is an enormous and increasingly affluent market. We're not talking some small island here. At least the voltage and frequency are the same all over the country.


[This message has been edited by yaktx (edited 01-03-2006).]

So there are no unswitched versions in Australia then? I hadn't realized that.

Although it's just become convention in Britain for regular outlets to be the switched type, there's never been any requirement for such, at least not on A.C. systems (the IEE Regs. specified that outlets on D.C. must be controlled by an integral or adjacent switch).

Unswitched BS1363 outlets are available widely, although most often only used these days in inaccessible places, like under kitchen tops for a washer, fridge, etc.

Paul,
As far as I know, both Clipsal and PDL make an unswitched version of thier socket outlets.
Only used for fridges and other appliances where the socket would be in-accessible later after the appliance is installed.
Here's the PDL version:





[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 01-03-2006).]

Those plugs I showed are usually designed for small things that don't draw much power: electric blenders, radios, fans, etc.

The one I have at home is rated to just 10 Amps, I believe....and I doubt anyone that uses these ever runs them anywhere near that.

The pins are actually held in little plastic holders that pivot (and they're geared together, so they moved together and stay aligned). They're actually very easy to shift from one position to the other.

I'll take apart the one in my box-o-junk and put some pictures sometime later.

Unswitched sockets do exist, but as far I know it is not legal to have them directly connected to a permanently live circuit. In other words you couldn't just wire up a house with unswitched GPO's instead of normal switched ones. I don't have the book here, but I think the rule was that it has to be controlled by a switch within 1 or 1.8 metres (something like that) from the socket. As Trumpy says, they're used in out of the way locations but also on things like inverters or generators where the switch is elsewhere.
There is also a Clipsal GPO that is self switching; as the plug is inserted it pushes the contacts to the side where they make with the live connections. We have them at the back of our laboratory benches, behind locked panels but I have never seen them used for domestic use and not sure they would be approved for that.
I do recall something about home made multi outlet powerboards years ago which weren't legal because they had no switches. The first commercially made generation of these powerboards I recall (made by Kambrook in the late 70's) did indeed have one switch per socket but for quite a while now switches have been non existant. Has the regulation changed, or are they relying on the fact that the mains lead on these powerboards is actually less than the legal distance between socket and switch, and thus rely on the GPO switch into which said powerboard is plugged into?

Aussie,
You're right, Section 4.9.4.3 of AS/NZS 3000:2000 calls the maximum distance as 1.5m from the socket.

There's absolutely no requirement to have switched sockets here in Ireland. However, like in the UK, they're popular.

They're by no means the norm though. Maybe 50% or so.

Shutters are very much compulsary though.



[This message has been edited by djk (edited 01-03-2006).]

Hmmm...... Unswitched outlets aren't permitted in some countries and are the norm in others. It's a funny old world, ain't it?

On the subject of power strips, surely as these are not part of the fixed wiring of the house they wouldn't be covered by the rules anyway?

What's the reasoning behind requiring wall sockets to be switched in Australia?

I don't know the official explanation, but I can think of two reasons. Firstly, from a historical perspective, years ago portable appliances often had no switches and some still don't. I'm thinking of things like electric jugs and old toasters with flip down sides.
Radios also didn't have switches, the reason being that because double pole switches did not exist as part of the volume control potentiometer and it was illegal to have a single pole switch in a portable appliance. This is because with no live/neutral polarity guaranteed in the GPO at the time, an appliance could still be live with the switch off. Switching by the GPO only would guarantee the live is switched.
The second reason I can think of is it is far safer to insert and withdraw a plug with the power off. Think of gradually removing the plug of a 2.4KW radiator with the power on and the arcing that will occur between the plug pins and socket contact. Worse with inductive loads. It may not be such an issue with 110V, but with the 210-250V that has been used here it is far more safer and sensible. Australians have often been horrified at some overseas electrical safety practices...non earthed domestic wiring, live chassis radios/televisions and live train tracks are some of things that come to mind.