Standard 3 Pin UK Plug 3A, White

Product Information

The standard UK plug is like no other in the world; it has three chunky, metal pins when most others just have two, and the plug in the main is bigger than elsewhere in the world – how can they get their electricity on such a smaller unit than us?

I am happy to be proved wrong but it is my understanding that the fuse rating was to ensure that the cable did not take more current than it was capable of and thus presented a potential fire risk. Any electrical equipment requiring overload protection should have its own current overload protection. In the UK, the majority of domestic appliances can stay with a pre-fitted moulded plug. The plugs have either a 3 amp or a 13 amp rated fuse - It is very rare that you find anything inbetween although there are other fuses available. The plug with its fuse for the appliance make the minimum protection required for your piece of equipment/appliance. An incorrect fuse however will continually blow if it is incorrectly rated or fail to protect your equipment from a catastrophic meltdown if it is too high. AC fuses are specifically designed for use with alternating current circuits. They are more resistant to electric arcs when the fuse blows than DC fuses and more compatible with standard voltage power supplies. They can usually cope with higher voltages, too. DC FusesIf you have a plug embossed on the fuse carrier on your plug, there will be the fuse rating for your appliance. I.e. 13 A or 3 A. Striker fuses are fuses fitted with a spring-loaded striking device that can trip adjacent switches and also indicate that a fuse has blown. Type C Fuses Switch fuse units distribute current while shielding cables and devices from the damage that would be caused by power fluctuations along a particular electrical circuit. Switch fuse units are used in industrial and commercial buildings as well as domestic properties. How to avoid Christmas light hanging mistakes which can prove to be a festive fire hazard in your home

Protection against overload, i.e. limiting the current flowing in the cable due to an overload fault in the appliance or connected load, or a short circuit between live conductors, to the overload rating of the nominal capacity of the fuse (which is a funciton of current vs time). Well, in fact, the UK plug may be bigger but it is designed that way on purpose to be safer than any other plug in the world. HRC Fuse Types High rupturing capacity (HRC) fuses feature a transparent capsule around the central resistor.

The size of fuse depends on the appliance or equipment that it is feeding.

Thermal fuses have both a holding temperature rating and functioning temperature rating, both measured in celsius. The holding temperature is the range in which the fuse will hold without blowing. Meanwhile, the functioning temperature designates the lowest temperature at which the fuse will blow and break the circuit. It’s bigger than in other countries on purpose; the designer didn’t do that to annoy or frustrate – its size makes it safer, how? The fuse is designed to protect your equipment/appliance and also you in the case of an overload due to a mechanical or an electrical fault.

In other instances, where an electrician may have found that there is no lighting circuit cables to the area where customers require lights, a fuse spur may have been introduced to feed the new lighting circuit. This fuse spur might have a three amp or a five amp fuse in it depending on the amount of lights within the circuit. You will typically find this when there has been an extension such as a conservatory, or you have installed garden lighting. However a 13 amp fuse would be fitted as standard into the plug by the manufacturer, any fuse lower than even the 10 amp would fail.Fuses and circuit breakers serve a very similar function - both break electrical circuits in the event of a current surge or short circuit. However, there is a crucial difference. Circuit breakers are switches, and like all switches, they can be reset once they have been flipped. Most fuses, though, can only be used a single time. Once they have blown, they must be replaced. They are, by definition, a weak link - entirely by design. A Type C fuse is actually a type of miniature circuit breaker (MCB). MCBs are a type of circuit breaker used with lower-powered circuits to cut off current in the event of an overload. Type C fuses trip circuits when the current exceeds the rated one by between five and ten times - i.e. at 100-500 amps for a 20amp device. Type D Fuses If required, you can calculate the fuse rating for each device by looking on the information plate which usually gives a power rating. You already know the mains supply is 240v and this will be on the information plate too. An electricity cable (or flex) used for connecting an electrical appliance to the plug will usually contain two or three wires wrapped in coloured insulation. These are commonly called “ two core“, or “ three core” cables; not to be confused with “ twin and earth” which is the term used for mains wiring cables, although there is no real reason why the terms can’t be interlinked. So from this calculation the ideal fuse would be the one amp fuse, but again, most manufacturers will have put in a three amp fuse. Typical example: A Kettle.

Are the 3A fuses blowing on power on of the equipment? Are they blowing in normal use? OR, are they just wanting to reduce the possibility of the fuse blowing? Resettable SMD fuses, by contrast, can be used multiple times. They function in a similar way to resettable thermal fuses and are available in multiple sizes and capacities. Striker FusesA mains plug takes a 25.4 mm (1.25 inch) BS 1362 fuse, these fuses are available from any local supermarket or DIY store. They are cheap so don’t risk stealing a fuse from another appliance just to get your appliance going, unless you are using a fuse of the same rating.