Who's rewired their house for this hobby?

[Holm Tiffe]

Johnny Billquist wrote:

> On 2014-11-23 13:21, Holm Tiffe wrote:
> >Johnny Billquist wrote:
> >
> >>On 2014-11-23 12:45, tony duell wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>>No, instead your table lamp is protected by a 15A breaker in the
> >>>>>distibution panel. Hmm.. I am told that in some continental
> >>>>>European countries it's common to have a pair of 16 A (230V)
> >>>>>outlets protected by a single 32A breaker. And no other protective
> >>>>>device. So a table lamp is effectively fused at 32A. No thanks.
> >>>>
> >>>>No. That's hearsay and forbidden everywhere.
> >>>
> >>>I've not seen all the electical regulations for all EU countries... Until
> >>>I do I will not be convinced that such
> >>>wiring doesn't exist anywere..
> >>>
> >>>What is the typical German wiring ? A 16A breaker for each outlet?
> >>
> >>Typical is probably 10A. Same in Sweden, and Switzerland (which
> >>admittedly is outside the EU).
> >
> >No. 16A is typical for actual installations. Nevertheless there are 10A and
> >6A circuit breakers too, but each outlet and each plug is rated 16A.
> >10A is history.
> 
> Really? All my circuits both in Sweden and Switzerland have 10A breakers 
> on them.
> I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the actual wiring might be 
> designed for more, but that's what *all* my breakers are at.
> 
> I don't know what the actual plugs are rated for. But for computers, the 
> part that plugs into the computer are rated for 10A. There is a 16A 
> rated model, which you might find on tea kettles, but every computer 
> item I own (or even have owned) have the 10A version.
> 
> (And Sweden use the same SHUKO plugs you have in Germany.)


Have a greyish standard computer cable with "Schuko Stecker" and angeled
IEC320 C13 connector at he other end in my hands now. On the "Schuko Stecker"
I read this:

  10-16
  -----
  250V

Nothing like this on the other end.

Schuko is the short form of "Schutzkontakt" Stecker which means the 3rd
contact for grounding purposes. I've googeled and learned now that this Plug
is also known as CEE 7/4 and when it has a hole for the france type ground
contact pin additionally it is called CEE 7/7.
It seems to be rated 10A steady and 16A short time. Nevertheless the now
standard circuit breakers are B16 Type and they are much cheaper then all
other variants since they are the mostly used ones.

> 
> >>You might have several outlets on the same 10A breaker. However, all the
> >>wiring can take the full 10A, so there is no possibility of actually
> >>draw more than the breaker allows, and no way to have more than 10A
> >>flowing through the wires.
> >>
> >>But if your lamp is only designed for 1A, then yes, the house wiring can
> >>still deliver 10A to it. How on earth the lamp would be able to draw
> >>more than 1A though, would be a mystery.
> >
> >Even if the lamp is designed to for 1A it's wiring has to be able to
> >withstand 16A so if a short occurs the fuse is blown with no risk at all.
> 
> Hmm. Possible. I don't know what the regulations are around that. I know 
> that some wiring for small lamps seem to have pretty thin wiring. But as 
> Tony remarked - if something actually breaks, it's normally a short 
> circuit, so it will immediately trip both 10A and 16A breakers anyway, 
> and the lamp wiring never have a chance to even start heating up.
> 
> 	Johnny

Yes, exactly like this it was meant.

Regards,

Holm
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