American Reacts to British Plugs!

[@ruairidhalexander7631]

Nobody in the UK has ever thought about 'load balancing' their electrical circuits, it's just not a thing

[@Thurgosh_OG]

Well not for at least 80 years in the majority of UK buildings.

[@BenjWarrant]

Yeah, it's usually handled by giving the kitchen and/or utility room their own circuit. Then all the real power pigs - washing machine, tumble dryer, food mixer, dishwasher - are all on one higher rated circuit with the cooker and/or the hob on a separate circuit themselves - and the rest of the ground floor on another circuit and another circuit for each additional floor. Hot water and central heating boilers and pumps are always on their own circuit as well. Then the lighting to each floor also has a separate circuit, with the lowest rating. It's a good system.

[@gutinstinct4067]

@@BenjWarrant Most live in a flat ( apartment) , we only have 1 floor and a fuse box near the front door . everything gets plugged in and we have had no problems ever =-)

[@BenjWarrant]

@@gutinstinct4067 Most what live in a flat?

[@legendofmirr]

Do a big enough grow and you might have to think about it ;)

[@TheWanderingStarPlays]

I've seen this video before and this guy is 100% stretching for downsides. No one cares about the size, load balancing has never been an issue in my experience, checking that something is switched on is a no-brainer and only a chaos goblin who hates their feet would leave a plug lying around prong-side up! 😂

[@andygilbert1877]

Chaos goblin, ha! I’m using that! 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheDullMansClub]

Yeah its quite easy to find where the fault is these days, socket on, lamp on, lamp dont work = change bulb, if still no light = check circuit breaker, if everything on an no light, then there's a serious issue with the wiring, which is rare cos everything in UK is standardised. Load balancing is deffo a non issue, would've been in the 70's and 80's, but these days things use less power and if it was an issue, the circuit would trip out. And deffo, who leaves a plug on the floor?

[@stephenlee5929]

Generally agree, but the size can be an issue for posting stuff also a real pest for packing (holidays/vacations). There are some folding plugs which reduce this problem though.

[@AxR558]

@@stephenlee5929To solve the size issue, coil up the cable and push the prongs into the wires so the prongs are protected from damaging other things and surrounded by the cable to save space. Be careful with cheap folding plugs though, I've had one go pop from a cheap/thin conductor from the prong through the collapsing mechanism.

[@keithparker5125]

He's also 'stretching' it a bit regarding the gauge of wire used in a UK domestic ring main! If your wiring is not up to current standards, you definitely need your home re-wired. The heaviest load put on a circuit is probably from an electric oven and cooker hob but these are normally put on their own dedicated ring main capable of taking a 50 amp load and their own fuse/circuit trip.

[@chunkychops]

The guy complained that British plugs are bigger, but when plugged into the wall, they are much more low profile as they are flat, and the cable goes straight down, so furniture can be pushed right up against the plug socket

[@spacefanatic]

I live in the UK and have never experienced load balancing. I do not even think this is a thing. Also you are unlikely to tread on the plug as they are usually left in the socket because you can turn them off as he stated earlier in the video.

[@TheDullMansClub]

Its not so much a concern these days, but normally if there's a load balancing issue it'll just trip the circuit these days

[@deafbloke7619]

100%

[@drcl7429]

Load balancing can be an issue if the circuit path isn't thought out well. In offices, if you have dado in a large office, you will have 2 or more runs which may or may not be on different breakers. If you open them up you will find that the runs interleave, so if there are 2 runs, one is for odds and the other is for evens. This is to overcome possible load balancing issues. In a house, a kitchen can draw more power than the rest of the house. Ideally, if you have a single ring, you put the kitchen at the middle point.

[@klaxoncow]

Load balancing is not really a thing, in practice, because while the ring circuit system was invented during the war - it uses less copper wiring, you see, when resources needed to be conserved - the war is now over. And so your house will have multiple rings. Go to the mainboard - "the fuse box", though it's likely no longer actually fuses but magnetic trip switches instead - and you'll see them labelled with things like "downstairs sockets", "upstairs sockets", "lights", "cooker", "shower", etc. Each one of those is its own ring circuit. We have multiple of them these days. It's split up into multiple ring circuits. And maybe you've noticed that if the "downstairs sockets" does trip, then the lights and "upstairs sockets" still work. Different ring circuits. Therefore, that's why no-one really has any issues with load balancing - and most Brits have no idea it's even a thing - because it's all split over multiple rings. This naturally avoids there being too much on a single circuit (I mean, it's still possible - like, plug in 12 space heaters to a single "downstairs sockets" circuit and turn them all on. That'll probably trip that ring circuit. But no-one's ever doing that in reality. Half your stuff is on "downstairs sockets", half of it is on "upstairs sockets". It's already naturally balanced around 50 / 50 from that). And, anyway, there's nothing about the Type G plug-and-socket system that says you have to have it on a ring system. Think about it. The video shows an American demonstrating the UK system. He's an American, and he's hooked up his demo socket to the American grid. He's implicitly proving the point, if you stop to think about it (I wonder if he used two phases to actually raise it to 230V, or whether he just, you know, plugged a 110V lamp into the socket for the demo - actually, the frequency would be different, at 60Hz rather than 50Hz, so I'm thinking he just wired it up to the American system and that demo lamp is fine, because it's an American lamp that's expecting 60Hz 110V anyway). You can completely put the Type G plug-and-socket onto a radial system, if you wanted. The plug-and-socket cares not what system it's attached to, so long as live and neutral and earth / ground are wired up correctly.

[@dee2251]

@@TheDullMansClubas NF you just flick a switch…very rarely it must be said.

[@BinnyBongBaron_AoE]

As a Brit that spent 2 years living in America, I never could understand those god awful power plugs. Man, they just fall out, they feel flimsy : (

[@BinnyBongBaron_AoE]

Oh yeah, fun fact of the day, I brought back my American PS1 and plugged it into a British socket but the extra electrical current (that right?) blew my PS1 and it started smoking haha

[@TheDullMansClub]

@@BinnyBongBaron_AoE That would be unlikely to happen today since most power supplies use a switching system to accept different voltages, its quite a recent addition though and saves on manufacturing for different markets. Also, its not every power supply manufacture, but certainly with games consoles and PC's its pretty widespread now

[@stephenlee5929]

@@BinnyBongBaron_AoE No, it was the extra voltage not current, many devices have a switch to allow them to work at either 120 or 230 volts, there are also issues with whether the it cycles at 50 or 60 hertz.

[@rosemarielee7775]

Yes every time you pull the vaccuum along the plug comes out.

[@def_not_dan]

@@BinnyBongBaron_AoE Similar thing happened to me once with an American toaster. It burst into flames in about 5 seconds.

[@ChloeAndBetty]

There is absolutely NO downside to British electric plug.

[@CatGrindle]

Except standing on it. Seriously. That hurts! But who takes their plugs out of the wall on a regular basis?

[@penelopejane8120]

No one! 😂 🇬🇧

[@myview5840]

Only the companies that supply the electric, that's the major downside.

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

its too bulky

[@corneliussmiff2773]

@@CatGrindleStanding on one in your socks seems to hurt way more.

[@G02372]

We need the type of person/people that designed our plugs to run the country now 🇬🇧

[@dougalportree603]

Apparently invented by a committee in the 2nd World War electrical.theiet.org/media/1688/the-origin-of-the-bs-1363-plug-and-socket-outlet-system.pdf

[@irene3196]

Never was a truer word spoken - ever!

[@CEP73]

Ooh best comment I've seen today!!

[@julianbarber4708]

Probably a Scotsman.

[@marvinc9994]

AND a _fully-awake_ and _informed_ Electorate to DEMAND such a change! But, as long as Voters treat 'their' party of choice with the same misguided loyalty with which they support their local football team (even when it's useless), the Establishment will continue to run rings around us, employing our Pseudo-Democracy as a simple _safety-valve_ to keep The Great Unwashed in check. What's more, I'm willing to bet that at least a third of the Electorate can't even _name_ their MP, let alone tell you what 'good' they've done during their parliamentary careers, either for their constituency or for the Nation (which should be their _highest_ priority)!

[@Tass...]

Load balancing is a problem of yesteryear. Unless you live in a place with very old wiring in the UK and in that case it's time to have new electrics fitted anyway. It's not a problem for 90+% of UK homes.

[@RockGift9]

The plugs a larger for safety and I can't remember standing on a plug in many many years. Love the show✌🏽❤

[@bigfrankfraser1391]

as someone who live in a 100 year old house, i know what you mean

[@babalonkie]

Correct. And i would say 99%, being the health safety laws required better minimal wire gauging and better fuse/short protection a decade back. We also have circuit breakers attached to the individual circuits ontop of the plug fuses. Making the circuit and mains double protected from shorts and overloads. Basically... This video is out of date and British circuits have got even better since.

[@Tass...]

@@babalonkie I was going to put 99% but because I didn't actually know the real percentage I just went for a safe 90+ 😄 But yeah, it probably is closer to 99% in reality.

[@KenFullman]

@@Tass...Load balancing is not a problem at all. Wherever your outlet is in the ring it draws 50% of it's current from one end and the other 50% from the other. Distances have nothing to do with it. The guy has totally misunderstood how electricity works. Every part of the ring has identical load at all times. It's always balanced. If the wiring is old, you'd have a problem whether it's a ring or radial layout. In fact it gets even worse with radial because the entire load will be travelling down that one cable that connects the outlet to the consumer unit.

[@joecroft3993]

When I was a kid at school in the UK in the late 80s, they actually taught us how to wire a plug, and all about electrical systems. The idea was that anyone could replace a plug or cable.

[@madabbafan]

A question on the wiring of a plug was (actually still is) compulsory on a GCSE Physics exam, even though we don't actually need to wire one anymore as everything comes with a fitted plug.

[@captvimes]

Yea my dad taught me how to wire a plug way before our first physics class where the teacher gleefullly yanked at the cable ripping out everyones wiring till he got to mine, my day of glory . That was when you screwed down a clamp on the wire though which has been improved shown here with the inserts stopping it being pulled out.

[@reecerl3831]

I’m currently in Year 11 in the UK and my science teacher taught and allowed us to wire a plug for me it was fun and simple

[@andygozzo72]

@@madabbafan you may need to replace a broken one sometime, though...

[@npkiv]

Still a thing in the 90s. I learned out to wire a plug, wire a socket, wire new light fittings, and basic car maintenance. Also how to sew and cook but I didn’t grab my attention as much. Life skills I still use 30 years later (even sewing).

[@Aengus42]

It was a long flight from the UK to Vancouver so when I got to my mate's house I put the kettle on... And waited, and waited... It took forever to boil a couple of mugs of water. Then I remembered, 110V! Dire, absolutely dire! Edit at 13:40, I'd never heard of load balancing before he said it & I'm a 59 year old Brit. Not once, ever! And the size isn't a problem because the cable runs down the wall & doesn't protrude into the room like American ones do. For instance, we can push chairs, cupboards, bookshelves ect. up flush to the wall even with an occupied socket there, can you? And as for standing on them, we rarely unplug them because of the switch. He's thinking of how he has to pull American plugs out to make sure appliances are off. It's not something we do here l. I think his bad points about our plugs is him trying, and failing, to save face. As for the ring main system it was introduced after WWII because do many homes were bombed into rubble or damaged that a massive rebuilding was taking place & the ring main uses much less copper, which was scarce, than the American profligate radial system. Oh! And the fuses in the plugs doesn't mean we don't have a fusebox. We do, on top of the fuses in every plug. Redundancy!

[@KathyBarnett-mv5vg]

His arguments against were pretty weak, I've never trod on a plug in my life, they're always in the socket! And as for American plugs I never felt safe plugging one of those in.

[@carolharris8167]

@@KathyBarnett-mv5vg I agree I think his negatives about our plugs were pretty lame.

[@myview5840]

​@@KathyBarnett-mv5vgcan confirm, they really do make you praise the lord.

[@johnburns4017]

The ring was not adapted to save copper. That was a welcome side effect.

[@CanuckGod]

As the OP pointed out when referring to their destination, yes, Canada (and Mexico), being located in North America, does use the 110V-120V mains system and also the A/B type plugs [some heavy appliances have special socket types, but these aren't as common], and as such, we here in Canada do suffer from the issues that entail from using those standards. Having said that, I've lived my entire 45+ years of life in Canada, so we're used to our "inept" systems by now 😅, and it'd be difficult to switch at this point.

[@auldfouter8661]

Electric kettles in the UK boil in jig time thanks to the higher voltage ( allowed by all the safety features).

[@pouf6463]

Electric kettles everywhere except the US ^^ not a lot of countries are still using 110 instead of 220-230 :)

[@kantpredict]

2kw+ kettles ftw!

[@gkspud206]

Running a us kettle on uk voltage means extra quick boil i found, 5 kw.

[@CanuckGod]

@@pouf6463 Not just the US - Canada (where I live) and Mexico use the same 110V system that the US uses.

[@ops-uk]

Higher voltage means lower current. A 2300 watt UK kettle is 10Amps. A 2300 Watt kettle in US is 20Amps. That is why we have 2300watt kettles boiling quickly and us has 1200w kettles boiling slowly.

[@archiebald4717]

Never heard of a problem with overloading.

[@Snarnler]

Was just coming to say that. And we still have fuse boxes

[@fayesouthall6604]

Yep no overload

[@Millennial_Manc]

It does overload if you put a multi plug Into a multi plug and have lots of power hungry appliances on. At best it’ll blow the fuse in the multi adapters (esp if it’s not a 13A) and at worst it’ll burn your house down.

[@HT-io1eg]

I’m nearly 60. Not once in my life have I ever tried to space out devices on the circuit. I nearly choked on my chicken soup when he said you can have a hairdryer AND something else running. Kettle, washing machine, 2kw space heater, TV, computers, charging my e-bike, I just plug it all in and it works. And there’s a breaker box protecting everything. When I first went to the US I thought the plugs were garbage, like a ‘kids first electricity set’. So flimsy, the prongs bend, fall out of the wall socket and everything takes an age to charge with the dribble of electricity 110V provides

[@matthewfranklin7541]

Yep, and we have 30A spurs for ovens etc...

[@andyonions7864]

In the UK, we have radial circuits as well as ring circuits. Lighting is usually radial. Cookers are radial. We also have 'fuse' boxes where the power comes into the house. Every circuit (radial or ring) has a mini circuit breaker (electronic fuse). The whole lot (sometimes groups of circuits) have an RCD (small current trip to stop you killing yourself (even if you stick your finger in the socket). Nowadays, in new installations, usually every circuit has a combined MCB/RCD. It's almost impossible to kill yourself now. EDIT: NOONE load balances in the UK. A radial circuit generally carries less juice than a ring. The MCB is downrated accordingly. We don't umplug stuff so you don't tend to stand on plugs. We sometimes switch things off at plugs, but mostly leave things 'on' but in standby.

[@tommcewan7936]

The ring circuit is really a historical relic; it was invented as a way to reduce the amount of copper needed to wire new builds due to metal shortages after WWII. These days, copper isn't in such desperately short supply, although it is still expensive, so a ring circuit is probably still preferable to save a bit of money on an installation.

[@klaxoncow]

The circuit breakers are magnetic. Ingenious design. When electricity flows through a wire, it creates a magnetic field (and vice versa - because, really, electricity and magnetism are two sides of the exact same force: electromagnetism. And doing it the other way around, spinning a magnet to cause electrons to flow in a wire is how the electricity is generated by a dynamo in the first place). So, when there's a surge of electricity, the magnetic field also surges, and the magnetic trip switches are designed to disengage the circuit and "trip" it, when there's a sudden surge in the magnetic field. But the beauty of this system is that you can just flip the switch to reset it. Whereas fuses rely on resistance, which heats the wire and you have thin "fuse wire" that melts. So if there's a surge, the wires heat up and melt the fuse wire, breaking the circuit. As such, fuses react slower. It's got to build up the resistance and heat to melt it. And it involves allowing the wires to get hot - that could already be causing some melting and damage. The magnetic trip switch, on the other hand, is pretty much instant (well, no faster than the speed of light, of course, but you know what I mean). Can be reset, without needing to replace the fuse wire. And it does not rely on wires heating up - in fact, it should trip before that happens, reducing damage.

[@johnburns4017]

In the UK care homes, high-rise blocks, etc, need to AFDDs protection on any circuit with a socket on it. AFDDs are _recommended_ on circuits with sockets. An AFDD is four in one protection: *1)* Arc fault; *2)* Current overload; *3)* Fault; *4)* Earth leakage;

[@johnburns4017]

A 32A final ring circuit delivers _power_ at the sockets. 7.4kW from the circuit.

[@78vinyl97]

I think the only thing I unplug is the vacuum cleaner.

[@chrisellis3797]

Seen a lot of reactions to this and I never fail to laugh at how hard he reaches to find "flaws". Just making stuff up at that point😂

[@kevingraham3957]

I am 75 years old and have never stepped on a UK plug. I also do not know of anyone who ever has. Love your videos JJLA Kevin

[@CatGrindle]

I'm 67. I think I stood on one just the once! It was bloody painful, marginally worse than a piece of lego! But I didn't die.

[@head_like_an_orange]

I have. My plug awareness since then has never been less than 100%.

[@klaxoncow]

@@CatGrindle You've stepped on a UK plug? Good. I can ask you the important question: Was the plug still 100% intact and undamaged? Was it still perfectly safe to plug back into the socket? I know the answer is "yes". And that's proof positive that the safety system is exactly doing its job. It's a win for the UK design. Whilst your hurting foot might not appreciate it, the point is that the plug design is so robust, you just stood on the pins - possibly placing all your weight on them - and yet it was your foot, not the plug, that yielded. Your foot breaks first, not the plug. Those big beefy pins did not bend nor buckle a millimetre, did they? Still 100% intact and ready to plug in. You see, a matter of perspective. It's a win for the UK plug design, exactly because it's your foot, not the plug, that breaks first. (And this is the correct priority. Your foot'll hurt like buggery, sure, but only temporarily. You'll get over it. But if the plug were damaged and you plugged it in and got a fatal shock, that's permanent. You won't get over that. So the design is doing its job exactly to order, and it has chosen the correct priority. Better a hurt foot than dead, right?)

[@dee2251]

I have and it is painful, but totally my own fault. I’d still rather pay that price and have our system any day. We are incredibly lucky!

[@dee2251]

And BTW, stepping on a plug isn’t going to cause any lasting damage. It’s not life threatening 😂

[@MrChewy79]

Bro was reaching with his reasons they suck. Never heard of overloading in UK. You plug in anything you want, where you want

[@myview5840]

Multiple extensions cables in one socket will overload a single socket

[@Station9.75]

@@myview5840- So don’t do that.

[@myview5840]

@@Station9.75 i don't, duh

[@Station9.75]

“Sticking a fork in the socket will electrocute you”

[@anthonyschofield7807]

Wait until RCBO’s are mandatory

[@gotmygoodelf]

we are taught in school how to change a plug and how to service it etc

[@fayesouthall6604]

Exactly

[@carltaylor6452]

Yup. I don't understand electricity at all, but I can change a fuse if I need to.

[@THE-THATCH]

My school too, It was actually my dad who sat me down in our shed & explained exactly how to wire a UK plug, bless him.

[@croissantpower]

Odd I never was. Is that an old thing or current?

[@siloPIRATE]

I was never taught. Not in school anyway

[@Sci-fi_Hack]

He really reached for those negatives, 1. Why un-plug when you have a switch. 2 size its part of the design it has grip assists in the sides for people with arthritis. Plus the wire going down, how many type A’s have you wrecked when something (furniture) is banged against it.

[@CatGrindle]

Ah yes, the guy didn't mention the grip assists for people not typically abled.

[@npkiv]

The size is mostly grip, as you said and also helps accessing the inside easier. When we get new PCs at work they come with moulded plugs. They are really slim and have such a lower profile from the wall socket.

[@Kerazzy.]

I am 40 and have never had any load balance issues in the uk. The curcuit system isn't just one curcuit. There are many for different areas of the house so balancing isn't an issue. My son has an extremely power hungry pc and he charges his phone, has his fans running and all his rgb lights whilst our washing machine, dryer is on and my daughter is blow drying her hair. I might even be use the electirc kettle whilst my husband is ironing.

[@robertchinnery9806]

In the UK we also have fuse boxes/circuit breakers in addition to the fuses in the plugs themselves.

[@charliecosta3971]

Just need to point out that load balancing is not an issue. It may have been in the 70s but the national grid deal with it very easily.

[@stephenlee5929]

No I think its the balance on a circuit in the property, but it is done at installation and is not a big deal.

[@micheleedwin4004]

It wasn’t a problem in the 70s. Never heard of it. Load of rubbish. I certainly would have. My husband is an electrical engineer and is completely boring on the subject. At one time I could have named all the power stations in the NW. shall I start? Heysham1, Heysham2, Agecroft, Warrington, Wylfa, Trawsfynydd, Dinorwig, Ffestiniog, Fiddler’s Ferry, Drax….etc etc.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

It was a problem in the 1940s-50s, till they got used to installing the Ring Mains.

[@stephenlee5929]

​@@micheleedwin4004 Hi folks, There are 2 uses (that I know of) of the term 'Load Balancing' when taken in regards to Electric power. There is the term used to balance the load on the grid. This happens when there is a surge in use for a country (or state), you might need to add extra power stations, in UK we can add the pumped hydro power from Wales and Scotland this is what I believe @micheleedwin4004 is referring to. There is also 'load balancing' within an electrical installation such as a house ring main, this is to prevent excessive loads running in parts of a circuit. It is normally only done at installation or major change of usage patterns. Its part of the reason for having separate circuits for (predicted) heavy use areas such as garages, workshops, kitchens. In a normal installation it is not an issue, but someone needs to be aware of it (in design) The video was talking about the 2nd type. I believe in US electrical installation can be DIY, this is no longer normal in UK. A DIY installation would need to take this into account, note it is a feature of ring circuits as opposed to radial circuit.

[@hazelriley1357]

All conductors in a ring circuit carry the same load

[@heatherrobertson6110]

The size of the plug is mitigated by the downward facing power cable - it all fits snugly against the wall and is less obtrusive overall than the other type plugs which have the cable poking into the room. As for treading on them, because of the switched sockets it isn't necessary to routinely unplug things and leave the plugs lying around as traps for night walkers. Which isn't to say that we haven't all trodden on one at one point or other in our lives!

[@sarahharding5197]

Nope in 50+ years I have never stepped on one, tripped over a cable in a daft place I'll give you. Also if something doesn't work the first thing to check is is it plugged in and then is it switched on at the wall. But I guess that is just having lived all my life with them!

[@penelopejane8120]

British people don't do stupid things like these... 🇬🇧

[@sorcerykid]

That assumes you are plugging directly into the wall. Nowadays with all of the devices people want to plug in, most Americans use power strips which often come with flat connectors anyway. So this really is only an issue in cases of things like a lamp or certain kitchen appliances, which can be annoying but not nearly as much of a nuiscance as it used to be before the advent of power strips.

[@Eddy0042]

In the last 20 years moulded uk plugs have become common on new items. Before that (grandma and grandpas day) appliances were bought with no plug and you had to wire the plug yourself. That's why schools used to teach how to wire them, but often don't nowadays. Because back then things were intended to be reused and fixable (better for the environment and waste). Oh, and say you want to get a wire through a tiny hole, maybe one you've drilled, being able to remove and reconnect the plug is really handy.

[@rachelpenny5165]

My (half) sister who is almost 25 was still taught to wire a plug in a class at school. She had been previously taught to do so by her father.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

I always remove, reusable plugs from items that are broken and cut off molded plugs, replacing them with ones I've wired and fused myself. I don't trust a lot of the gadgets and white goods that come from China.

[@markjones127]

I used to be a product designer and quality auditor, I worked with countries across the globe and international standards made my life a lot easier, I could converse with factories in any country in the world and we'd all be singing from the same hymn sheet, except the US, if you even mentioned the term international standards they'd spit in your face, we do things our way, and by their way usually meant the most time consuming and inefficient way possible, which always confused me as when I was training to be an auditor they taught us that the US were actually the original pioneers of a system of international standards anyway, they just decided not to adopt them themselves. I wouldn't be surprised if the real reason you guys never adopted our plugs, was because of sheer bloody mindedness! This is tongue in cheek btw, I'm not knocking the states, it's just I never get why they blindly refuse to acknowledge any system of international standards when every other country in the world does, except for North Korea maybe! 🤣 It's probably because all International Standards use metric measures as standard?!?!

[@sjbict]

Thailand uses the American plugs and they are bloody awful loose in sockets easily dislodged, etc.

[@davidmotoole]

The British Standards Institution was the world's first national standards body, established in 1901.

[@markjones127]

@@davidmotoole I was talking International, not National, love BSI though, great company to work with, as an auditor we always used BSI as our notified body.

[@angeladormer6659]

We don't pull our plugs out normally, unless they are temporary use items, then we put them away. I'm over 70 and never in my life have I known anyone stand on a plug. Also because all our sockets have an On/Off switch too. We do not allow sockets in our bathrooms except shaver points and all light switches inside the bathrooms must be string pulls, light switched are on the wall outside the bathroom. We also have fuse boxes in case one of those ring circuits gets tripped. Our inside walls are not just plasterboard either. British houses are strongly built. The older the house, the stronger the house.😊👵🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🌹🌹

[@CatGrindle]

That's a good point about bathrooms. Down to our super-high voltage, eh? But we're Brits, we're used to that. If we really did want to unalive ourselves we could always use an extension lead! My house is super, duper, extremely, unbelievably strongly built! It's 650 years old! Walls are two feet thick (with obligatory pointy doors!)!

[@angeladormer6659]

@CatGrindle wow bet it is cosy in winter and cool in summer. In Cyprus the old houses are built that way to withstand earthquakes. Our history and little island is great isn't it?

[@josefschiltz2192]

@@CatGrindle My old house had flagstone floors - early Victorian and build into a hill. Those walls were two feet thick. This new place - 1930s - not so great.

[@angeladormer6659]

It really is a marvel, potential invaders beware. You don't want to unleash the beast that is British 😆

[@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis.]

As an Electrician I found this interesting to me, as it shows me more about the American system. Load balancing isn't an issue these days as rooms with higher consumption such as Kitchens often have their own circuits, the same is true with the highest consumption appliances like Cookers and Showers which have circuits dedicated to them alone, it wasn't a bit issue even many years ago in the '60s as at that time few homes had appliances which had high consumption, in fact there were fewer sockets (outlets) as there wasn't the range of equipment that we have these days.

[@Peterraymond67]

Hi. In 1967 I started as an apprentice for British Telecom, then Post Office Engineering Department. Within 6 months on a training course, I was trained to fit these plugs safely. The wiring is simple but the plug needs to be wired correctly to make the safest system complete. Not in 50 years have I heard about balancing the 30 amp feeds. Any qualified electrician would have taken this into account designing the houses layout. My house, being a small 2 bed house has 2 X 30Amp ring circuits, basically 1 circuit for downstairs living room and kitchen and the other for the two bedrooms and bathroom. I have a gas supply but if I wanted an electric cooker/oven a separate circuit has been provided. Each of my circuits has it’s own fuse when I get around to changing everything a new distribution box with earth trip detector and trip switches will be fitted. You must realise that the UK supply is 240 volt AC at 50 Hz, not the lower 110 Volt AC 60 Hz supply as in the US. At more than double the voltage we are not prepared for the risk. That’s the reason for our plugs and sockets. Also our bathrooms have separate rules, no sockets (except isolated shaver points) or light switches, all light switches are pull cord operated.

[@heraklesnothercules.]

Yes, but it's the current that kills, not the voltage. And a higher voltage means a lower current draw for the same wattage.

[@duncanmcbean7403]

It's the 50 Hz that kill

[@Peterraymond67]

@@duncanmcbean7403 Sorry, it's the amperage that kills. a high voltage with ver low current (ampere) is something we all get ok. When i was a telecomm technician a 50 volt shock was a daily event, if there was an inductive circuit like wnen someone dialled the old fashioned way then that was worse, we called it a BELT. a ringing current belt of 50volt AC was just another belt. the ampereage is very low. If it was dangerous every BT & Openreach employee would have thick rubber gloves.

[@wrorchestra1]

Cable (cord/flex) comes out the bottom for a number of reasons. 1 - It saves space in the room by having the cable run down the wall rather than out into the room. 2 - It does stop you pulling them out though they are far harder to pull out than type A or B. 3 - Fluids on the cable will run down the cable and not into the plug, as they're often designed to be taken apart and thus, not sealed.

[@sorcerykid]

Having the cord come out the bottom can also be a disadvantage too. If I'm connecting into a power strip which I have situated behind a desk or a console for example, then I would want the cords to come out upwards so the overall power strip and what is connected to it takes up the least amount of space.

[@jamiewilson9280]

We DO care about plugs. We DO care about electricity!

[@Thursdaym2]

Plug on floor doesn't happen because of switch socket, we leave plug inserted no need to remove.

[@THE-THATCH]

Only recently I'm seeing more & more of these vlogs from American KZbinrs, I'm 64 and these plugs have been in existence since I can remember. How proud am I to be British, with so many of our amazing inventions that have changed & shaped the world as we know it.

[@astrecks]

I'm 68; the house I was born in was built in 1927 and had unfused, round, three-pin plugs and sockets. The wiring was meagre! There was only one power socket in each room. My mum connected the electric iron with a bayonet plug to a double light socket.

[@sorcerykid]

To be fair the first electrical outlets were actually invented in America. Britain simply adapted the existing concept of electrical outlets to their own needs. Not unlike how airplanes and traffic signals and elevators and escalators and personal computers and microwaves and air conditioners and credit cards and cell phones and record players and televisions and LEDs and the Internet were all invented in America. So nearly everything we depend on to live in modern society (with perhaps the major exception of the automobile) originated in America. Britain then came along afterward and improved on American ideas.

[@sj-30000]

​@@sorcerykid Who invented the internet, that you're now commenting on?

[@cedriclynch]

The insulation on part of the length of the plug pins was introduced in about the 1970s. Before that the pins were bare metal for their whole length, and kids had to learn not to put their finger tips round the back of the plug while inserting it. The insulation on part of the length appeared on plugs made in the USSR before it was on UK plugs. The standard plug in India is a design that originated in the UK but it is an older design that has round pins and does not incorporate a fuse; the fuse is on the distribution board with the meter.

[@ronturner9850]

When I visited relatives in the US I couldn’t believe how long a kettle took to boil. Pathetic 😉

[@Sci-fi_Hack]

Yeah, 120v vs 240v

[@fayesouthall6604]

Awful, probably why Americans generally don’t have kettles.

[@drcl7429]

You're lucky they had a kettle.

[@dogwithwigwamz.7320]

`Never thought I`d be proud to be British on account of the electric plug.

[@jerry2357]

The plugs with a plastic earth pin and a two concentric square logo are actually DOUBLE INSULATED, not double grounded. Because there are two levels of insulation, the chance of a user coming in contact with live electricity are minimised, so earthing of the appliance's case isn't needed. They are very common on things like wall warts etc.

[@myview5840]

What's a wall wart??? Asking for a friend 😊

[@jerry2357]

@@myview5840 A charging device for a battery-powered device. The plug part of it is inserted into the socket, and it connects to the battery-powered device via a low-voltage cable, these days quite often USB.

[@delithnutkins6017]

@@myview5840you can tell your friend now and I can tell mine too

[@Janeswhitfield]

They are neat against the wall aswel 🌹🇬🇧🌹

[@wobaguk]

Chance of a plug laying around in the middle of the night... significantly less because you dont have to unplug it in the first place because its switched at the wall.

[@jonhodges6572]

My other half always insists on unplugging the hair straighteners for peace of mind, so there's been a couple of occasions where I've been hopping around the bedroom cursing!

[@fleurcloche]

​@@jonhodges6572I do that as well cos sometimes i just can't remember if I've switched it off before going to bed/leaving the house in case the house burns down😂

[@binkbonusgbr]

I haven't ever heard of anyone struggling with load balancing. I think he might have been really scraping the bottom of barrel for down sides. Great channel..

[@GrafindeKlevemark]

You've been very hard on Granma and Granpa - lol

[@alfieanderson9225]

Hi, because the switch is in the outlet, the plug is never taken out of the wall. It just never would be lying around for someone to step on. Love your videos!

[@ay2257]

You have no idea how weirdly proud we are of our plugs

[@Thurgosh_OG]

It's not weird to be proud of the best and safest plugs and sockets on the planet, that are also used in about a dozen other countries.

[@hmpeter]

@@Thurgosh_OG They are neither the best nor the safest, though. They are good at solving UK specific problems, but that is no benefit outside the UK. I'd say it has no advantage over a CEE 7/7 plug, but is more bulky. Without ring circuits but with proper individual fusing, no fuses in the plugs are needed. There is also no reason to have the phase coded on one specific pin. On the downside, it sits flush on the socket, which I think makes it inherently worse than a recessed one. Outside the UK or places with similar installations, CEE 7/7 is overall a better choice I think.

[@madyottoyotto3055]

NEVER KNOW ANYONE TO WORRY ABOUT BALANCING A LOAD i frequently use heavy machinery lathes welders etc etc The two most heacy power drawing equipment i own will work on the exact same double socket

[@mathiasosiriswoodhal]

we rarely unplug stuff just turn it off at wall im 46 and only ever stood on one plug in my life lol and as its been said every one gets shown how to change plugs at school not sure about now a days but did when i was a kid lol

[@fayesouthall6604]

Exactly I use the switch never unplug. I have almost stood on one recently my husband took out and cursed him.

[@petereastwood1]

I remember being taught to wire and fix plug when I was 10 years old at school. And, I think you're going to owe Grandma and Grampa a humble pie each :)

[@curran429]

As a footnote. You might be interested in Caroline Haslett, who either headed or was on the committee that designed the Type G. An amazing woman who just wasn't prepared to be seen as anything but an equal to other engineers even in the 1920's.

[@geoffreynolds8835]

I'm not a youngster and I have never stood or stepped on a british plug ... 😊

[@artrandy]

He's really struggling for negatives, just protect some American pride............

[@stephenlee5929]

Load balancing is done at installation, also not really difficult (I believe). I think it can in rare cases be an issue if a room changes use, start using a bedroom as a kitchen, not very likely. Often heavy use areas (kitchens and garages) are no separate circuits for this reason. We generally have 2 thickness of wire 1 for lighting the other for power, all sockets are on power circuits except shaver points in bathrooms. Our circuits have either fuses (rare these days) or trip switches which can be MCB or RCD.

[@The.Android]

As others have rightly said, load balancing is absolutely not a problem.

[@amandalewis1003]

Never had problems with load balancing in the uk

[@fayesouthall6604]

It’s such a simple system inside too. My dad taught me how to change the fuse amp and if it needed rewiring too. Load balancing isn’t a thing anymore only on badly wired circuits.

[@XMan-tu4iu]

In UK houses we have a very safe fuse system at the distribution board and each circuit in the house is protected by a 30 milliamp fuse. This is ultra low and designed to trip with a very small change in the load on the circuit ie if a bulb blows the entire circuit tends to shut off which can be a bit aggravating but is safe. The fuses in the plugs very rarely blow nowadays as the 30 milliamp fuse in the board is far more sensitive and it blows first. It’s actually years since I replaced a fuse in a plug. Also I’ve never stood on a plug - only Lego!!!

[@brendandunleavy1399]

What you need to know that the voltage in Britain is 240v, in the states it's 110v

[@sorcerykid]

In the U.S. houses provide both 120V sockets (bedrooms, living room, bathroom, kitchen, garage) and 240V sockets (basement, laundry room, and kitchen). The supply line that comes into the side of the house to the main breaker box is 120V.

[@davidb1038]

Whenever I've had electrical work done in my house here in the UK in all my years I've never had an electrician say anything about load balancing to me,it's not an issue here.

[@allyking84ify]

Load balancing is not an issue anywhere other than heavy commercial applications.

[@animalian01]

Never had a problem with the size of the plugs, never had a problem with load balance and never in my 62 years have I ever stepped on a plug

[@davidfoster9526]

With the switches and fuses etc, hardly anyone leaves plugs just on the floor to stand on :)

[@jonathanware4096]

Never had a load balancing problem. Never stood on a plug fully, the prongs are far enough from where the floor is that you can shift your weight quick quickly.

[@airgun10]

what he fail to mention is the British plug because the wire comes out of the bottom means they sit closer to the wall this means that you can put furniture in front of the plug but closer to the wall

[@davebaker138]

Load Balancing has never been an issue in my 37 years as UK Native

[@scrappystocks]

I've never stepped on a plug in my long life 🙂 No need to pull them out if you can switch them off at the outlet/socket.

[@stephenlee5929]

You are tempting the plug fairies.😒😒 Just saying

[@jemmajames6719]

Oh god I have, you shout swear words you didn’t know you knew. After that you make sue plugs are out the way.

[@seanoreilly4350]

The whole ring circuit can be checked in about 30 seconds, from the exterior of the house, and as for not knowing if your appliance or socket is malfunctioning, you'd simply plug another appliance in, and I have lived 52 years and have NEVER stepped on an UP-TURNED plug, probably because I turn the socket off, but leave the plug in, probably because I don't want to stand on an UP-TURNED plug

[@philtreman9944]

High power items like cookers ,showers etc are not on a ring circuit - they are on separate individual radial circuits.

[@PINACI]

I've never stepped on a UK plug because they are always plugged into the wall, there's no need to unplug them to turn them off as the plug socket has a bloody switch !!!

[@giteausuperstar]

Don’t know who told him about load balancing but it’s not a thing Size - they look big but the fact the cable comes out the bottom means they actually fit better behind furniture etc

[@chrisyoung9653]

The pain of stepping on these is legendary

[@JustMe-ks8qc]

Tom Scott also does a very informative video on this. Worth a watch. I was taught to change a plug aged about 6 (using abutter knife, no less), as it was a necessarry skill back in the 70's. Not so much now, but I could still change a plug if I needed, and I could do it without tools.

[@r3cy]

you don't step on British plugs, because they don't get pulled out of the wall, and you don't need to unplug them to cut the power.

[@jamesgreen2346]

No issues with load balancing....you have 6, 16, 20, 32 and 40 amp breakers in a consumer unit....absolutely plenty to run anything in a domestic installation

[@robtyman4281]

The UK plug CANNOT fall out of the socket accidentally. Nor can it be pulled out by the cord. It's locked into the socket, tightly. You cannot beat this desogn - it's the best designed, safest, and most dirable plug design of any plug, anywhere in the world. Once the plug goes in, you hear that reassuring heavy click sound that tells you, this plug ain't going anywhere....until I unplug it. Then there's the switch, thst also makes a very reassuring definite sound as you turn the appliance on. Great design doesn't date, it just improves further as the world changes.

[@BadMoonandStars]

We also have fuse boxes in the UK for different circuits...lights, wall sockets, kitchen, bathroom etc. The plug fuses, as well as helping to protect the whole system, mean that if an appliance has a serious fault, the fuse blows and instantly cuts power to that appliance, so it's a great safety feature.

[@fayesouthall6604]

If I use my cooker oven and my husband is in the shower it turns off the shower 🚿 it’s on the same circuit

[@BadMoonandStars]

@fayesouthall6604 pretty sure that shouldn't be happening! Sounds really annoying!

[@fayesouthall6604]

@@BadMoonandStars it’s rare both are in operation at the same time

[@BadMoonandStars]

@fayesouthall6604 well that's good but I need to ask...does the shower ever switch off when your in it and your husband is using the cooker? 🤔😁

[@Jimmy_Jones]

​@@fayesouthall6604Is that within code? I think my oven is wired separately from everything else. I doubt that the wires are rated for that sort of amperage.

[@Fifury161]

7:33 - actually the fuse in the plug is to protect the wire, not the user or appliance - most standard UK ring mains can provide around 32Amps.

[@boreilly82]

Load balancing is not a serious thing in the UK. I've never even thought about it.

[@mattpotter8725]

Your reaction and grandma-grandpa comments cracked me up. Just to clarify one thing though, even in our UK system we do so have fuse boxes and you can still trip them, I think when using high consuming appliances, so there is double redundancy built in there as well. It's also useful to be able to turn the power off to a certain part of your house if you need to do some work on the electrical system like changing an old or adding a new socket, or changing a light fitting. One other thing that wasn't mentioned, but I have heard it's the case, is that our higher voltage is a reason why we have, and the US mostly doesn't have, electric kettles, because they need this higher voltage to work. I don't know how I'd survive without boiling the kettle for a pot of tea quickly and effortlessly (you know a cup of tea solves every problem right?). I know you could boil water on the stove or in the microwave but it either doesn't taste the same or it seems a lot of effort. I think the main reason your plugs sockets are the way they are is the reason most things are the way they are over there, cheapness the throwaway society that we've all become accustomed to. One final thing, who leaves their plugs in the middle of the floor during the night. My grandpa, who's house was old, I think he wired it himself when he bought it, old school but not exactly a great idea, did go around unplugging everything when he went to bed, I think mainly because he was worried if lightning struck or there was a power surge all his appliances and goods would get fried (he also unplugged everything during thunderstorms). I know our plugs are bigger but surely this is offset by not having to replace them as much and the safety features in them.

[@user-bx2gz6to1w]

British standards are some of the highest standards of safety in the world. These plugs and sockets are all about safety. Also I've never trodden on one. 😅

[@Xesh001]

Really stretching for the disadvantages here! The size of the plug means that it's easier to grip.

[@johnburns4017]

It is designed for a human hand.

[@jeffreyprice773]

From uk) > There's no need to remove the plug from the wall outlet, just turn it off at the wall socket switch, simple, never heard of anyone stepping on a plug, how can you step on it if in the wall sockets, we mainly use 15 amp fuses but on some low energy things a 5 amp or a 3 amp fuses are used. Cheers mate.

[@VieVentar]

Something that might be of interest - the type G was designed in the middle of WWII, by a group lead by a female engineer who went on to be made a Dame for her work. Give Citroen suspention system videos a look some time - the well known DS/SM/CX/XM/BX systems are all very impressive, but even the humble 2CV had a really clever and cheap system.

[@Orion3T]

When he said double grounded he meant double insulated. The earth is primarily there to ensure that if the appliance breaks down internally and a live cable or component touches the appliance casing, you don't get electrocuted when you touch the casing. An appliance which has 2 layers of insulation between the user and the live components doesn't need to be earthed as the user can't touch anything which could be electrically live. Usually things that are entirely plastic on the outside with another internal casing on the inside.

[@phoenixtalon100]

In the UK we have fuse boxes and breakers too; though they're generally only tripped in very extreme conditions, such as if a much older device that lacks a fuse breaks or if there's an overload or lightning strike. In my twenty six years i've only seen a breaker trip or fuse blow thrice.

[@MarkH87]

it's very nick picky about the negatives I know no one ever to have load balancing issues in over 30 years the switch negative is dumb and I've never stepped on a plug lol

[@ops-uk]

A couple of things wrong with this: 1. We do have a lot of moulded plugs which cannot be taken apart, although they do have removeable fuses) 2. We do use lots of ring circuits but also plenty of radials. Rings are normally wired in 2.5mm and fused at 32A, radials are generally wired in 2.5 and fused at 16amps. By having two paths for current means you can have much thinner cables. 3. Load balancing on rings is not a thing. You can put devices anywhere on the circuit without a problem. Load balancing is for 3 phase supplies. You need to ensure each phase has more or less 1/3 of the total load. 4. One other disadvantage on rings is that if the ring gets broken, all the appliances will continue to work. However, you will now have two radials protected by a 32Amp fuse but wired in 2.5mm cable. A 32Amp radial is fine but it must be wired in 4mm. 5. When you get taught to do testing and inspection, one of the key tests is testing a ring for continuity. Every qualified electrician knows how to do this. DIY electricians do not know how to test and do not have the equipment (my tester cost around £700). 6. You do get sockets without switches. Often these are for things like washing machines and dishwashers. You do need local isolation for appliances so they would typically have a remote switch either above the worktop or in a cupboard. You can then isolate the appliance without having to remove the device. 7. Just to clarify, running at 230v means you have half the current for the same power. A 2300 watt kettle is 10amps in Uk a requires a relatively thin flex (cord). In the ZuS the same kettle would need 20amps, which is a very thick one. That is why YS kettles are slow to boil and many people boil water in the microwave. 8. One other advantage is that if you have a plug bar for multiple plugs to be fed from one socket, it is fed by a plug with a 13A fuse. You can therefore daisy chain as many plug bars as you wish. The worst thing that will happen is the fuse in the first plug bar will blow if the load becomes too high. In US, the worst is your house catching fire. Generally a good, well presented video, just a few inaccuracies.

[@greypilgrim228]

Houses in the UK will have a separate ring circuit for both the upstairs and downstairs, as well as another 3rd one for heavy duty items like kitchen appliances, cookers, washing machines etc.. Also we have built in fuses at every stage of the ring circuits, so even if a plug fuse fails, there's always a way to protect people, but also keep the majority of the system intact. What the guy in the video is talking about when he mentions overloading the circuit is with commercial use buildings as it's never a problem in household builds, it's only if the circuit is used for stuff it wasn't originally designed for or the builders didn't account for when placing the circuits, which again pretty much still never happens.

[@johnburns4017]

Rings came into their own in the late 1950s. They were not to save copper. My mother's house was built in 1954 with 13A G Type plugs. It had radials. Ring circuits have been widespread in the UK for 75 years. They have been found to be *very safe.* The British G Type fuse-in-plug was to protect appliance flexes. And to standardise on one plug and socket as previosusly there were different sized plug & sockets and cable for different types of current draws and appliances. I was common to have three different types of socket on one room. However the fuse-in-plug became an _enabler_ to use final ring circuits. The final ring circuit is ingenious in its simplicity.When used with the British G Type plug the ring is a busbar run around the house with distributed fuses at each appliance. There are many *advantages* to rings: *1)* Cheapness, as smaller easier to install wires can be used; *2)* A large number of sockets can be off one cheap to install ring; *3)* Having the same number of sockets using radials would mean multiple radials and multiple extra breakers at the main panel. Far more cable, expense, labour and hassle; *4)* The 32A breaker and 13A fuse in the plug ensures safety; *5)* Portable plug-in appliances on a ring cannot exceed approx 3kW. Some plug-in ovens are on rings; Rings usually have a 32A breaker at the main panel - can be a lower value; Using push-fit *maintenance free* Wago type connectors to connect up the ring adds safety, as not being screwed connections they do not work loose. The ring's current does not run through the socket terminals (this applies to radials); The British plugs enable rings having a _max_ 13A fuse in them - can be as low as a 1A fuse in the plug to suit the appliance and flex/cable. Small flex and appliance? Then a smaller fuse; Rings in the UK are limited by square metres of floor space, with no limit to the number of sockets on the ring. 100 square metres of floor space with 2.5mm cable for a 32 amp final ring. The cable can be 4mm, which is advisable in an unbalanced ring drawing high current loads; Less voltage drop on long cable lengths as voltage comes from two ways; Two ways for the earth wire back to the main panel, increasing safety levels. Radials are also used in the UK. Rings are not mandatory, but used because they have proved to be generally trouble free and safe. They can be installed using *rule-of-thumb.* These days a ring will be on an RCD, RCBO or AFDD - these now are becoming DP, so safer again. AFDDs are now mandatory in some socket installations and _recommended_ in all installations. AFDDs raise the safety level. If an office wants more socket outlets for extra desk computers. It is a simple matter of extending the existing ring with the extra sockets as the current draw is low. Cheap and easy. If radials are used many radial circuits would be needed, which may mean an extra consumer unit, breakers, wire etc, then far more labour. Some *disadvantages* are: *a)* Rings are more difficult to fault find. But electricians have no problem once the ring is fully understood. The ring can be split at a socket then tested as two radials; *b)* Another is that if a number of high current drawing appliances are on one side of the ring, say nearer to the main panel, most of the current draw may be down one cable leg of the ring with the cable rated below the main 32A breaker. An unbalanced ring. 2.5mm cable is rated at 27A max. Although tests have proven the cables do not exceed their current capacity in the vast majority of cases, just an imbalance in distribution of the two cables from the main panel (consumer unit). *Good circuit design will prevent this, negating this* *_disadvantage._* Balanced rings can be installed by daisy chaining to _alternative_ socket outlets on the ring. That is the first appliance will draw from one side of the ring, the second socket will draw from the other side, and so on round-robin. Or use 4mm cable to the point where heavy current drawing appliances are, then 2.5mm for the rest, if it is that troubling for some. Using 4mm cable on one side of a ring and 2.5mm on the other, is still cheaper than a bunch of radial circuits. Overall one ring is superior to a bunch of radials needing their own breakers at the main panel. They are simpler, cheaper, being proven to be safe and worked well over the past 75 years. Using the new AFDDs on rings, which are _recommended_ and mandatory on some installations, gives a *far higher* safety level. You will have to give a very convincing argument against rings. I have not heard of one yet.

[@deafbloke7619]

Also in the plug is colour coded, (yes with the U, 😅) bLue left, bRown right, earth middle.

[@raky76]

We also have fuses in the electric box, and a house generally has multiple circuits, 1 for sockets per floor, 1 for house lights per floor and extra ones for continual heavy appliances, that was if a circuit shuts off at the box you don't generally lose everything.

[@pjaj43]

As for load balancing, a non-issue, most houses in the UK have multiple ring mains for general power, a spur system for lighting (like the US) and dedicated spurs for high power items such as cookers and immersion water heaters. We don't normally mix power and lighting on the same circuit. My house has 4 dedicated spurs, hob, oven immersion heater and EV charging point, 7 ring mains one dedicated to the kitchen and the others various groups of sockets upstairs and down. This is exceptional, but probably due to the house being extended several times and a new ring being installed each time. Finally there are two spur lighting circuits one downstairs and one upstairs. Each of the 13 circuits has its own circuit breaker back at the distribution board rated according to the expected maximum load, 15A for the lighting and 32A for all the others (other ratings are available). I note that he caught the "double earthed" error, it's double insulated, meaning there are two separate layers of insulation between you and the live parts of the equipment. I would warn you that many cheap import electrical goods save costs by installing a solid plastic earth pin but not being double insulated (neither do they display the symbol) this is a no-no.

[@njnyboer9264]

If stepping on a plug is the only flaw he could find to a far more superior design, its laughable. British engineering wins the day again.Safety first, not dumb enough to step on a plug

[@lewistaylor1965]

I wonder how much it would cost to buy UK sockets and plugs for a US house?...I can't imagine it would be a lot...UK folk have all had to re-plug a foreign electrical device to fit a UK socket at some point...It's easy to do and takes 10 to 15 minutes with a knife, scissors, screwdriver and a cheap or used plug...You can do it with a leatherman or swiss army knife...and if you buy an adapter guess which part will unplug itself first...Your foreign plug will come out of the adapter...but the the adapter won't come out of the UK socket....

[@davidb3979]

The thing everyone forgets is that the UK had this all standardised back in the 1950s... the US and EU are only this century catching up and still have a massive inferior design!

[@johnburns4017]

In the UK care homes, high-rise blocks, etc, need to have AFDD protection on any circuit with a socket on it. AFDDs are _recommended_ on circuits with sockets. An AFDD is four in one protection: *1)* Arc fault; *2)* Current overload; *3)* Fault; *4)* Earth leakage;

[@ryandarkes3280]

I've always found it easy to wire a plug in the UK as the wires are the same colour inside and using the first 2 letters of the word Brown goes bottom right Blue goes bottom left Leaving one left for the yellow/green wire to go in the remaining hole

[@CMJ1964]

There is one more feature that is genius. The contacts to the pins are made on the wider faces on either side of the pin. The arrangement of the pins means that the positional tolerance can be looser than the older round pin plugs but without any compromise to the quality if contact, making them cheaper to manufacture.

[@platinumnitrocharge4218]

When I was a youngster, I was staying over at a friends' house, I was running around his bedroom and vaulted over his bed, landing heel first directly onto an upturned plug. I passed out instantly it hurt that much.

[@Fifury161]

Being taught how to wire a UK plug in school was something that was essential back in the day as most if not all electrical goods were sold with bare wires. It was only when they (the manufacturers) figured out how to perform the moulding that it was no longer considered a training exercise in schools - it was phased out after 1992 as it became a legal requirement for all new UK consumer electrical goods to come fitted with a plug...

[@JJ-of1ir]

Never had any problem with 'load balancing'. Never heard anyone who did. He was having to 'stretch' with his disadvantages me thinks!

[@DlcEnergy]

Before WW2 the UK also used a radial system, with various sizes of plugs/sockets to suit the appliance. The main reason for using radial is if a socket trips its circuit breaker, just that one socket goes off. (note: radial can also chain sockets meaning that whole chain would go off too) However, having more individual control of outlets obviously requires more wire. And in 1940-1941 the blitz destroyed 1.1 million homes. So with many houses to rebuild, in 1942-1947 the Electrical Installations Committee developed a new system to save on copper. They also designed the new fused plug, which is why they're bigger. So it makes sense America hasn't had any reason to be more efficient and make it more safe to protect lives. But even so, it'd still make more sense to go with a more efficient system anyway to save resources/money/lives, particularly in a much larger nation. The ring system also has the benefit of safely supporting much more sockets. And also if there's a fault in the chain, it draws power from both sides so the rest isn't cut off. Whereas with a radial unlooped chain, a fault will cut off the rest of the chain. Also incase this wasn't made clear yet, there's several ring circuits in UK homes, not just one. Every single room could have its own circuit. But again, more circuits = more wire. The consumer unit/fuse box has switches for downstairs sockets (living room), upstairs sockets (bedrooms), kitchen sockets, fridge, shower (if you have an electric shower), upstairs lights, downstairs lights, outside lights, alarm, etc. And of course a master switch to just turn everything off. So the only disadvantage of a ring system is not having individual control of all sockets, but you don't really need that much control anyway. (a circuit for every bedroom would be most you'd need) And radial systems also have that disadvantage where they're being efficient. All they need to do is finish the loop really and it'd basically be the same system. The only difference would be how efficient we are with circuit breaker to outlet ratio. If there's a circuit breaker for every outlet then it's the most inefficient. If there's a circuit for every main section, then it's very efficient.

[@johnburns4017]

The ring was not designed to save on copper. A myth.

[@wotsitjimbob2271]

Never known of a load balancing problem. Most of our plug sockets here have an extension cord plugged in with 3 or 4 plugs for appliances plugged in.

[@5688gamble]

If you don't load balance, and it is very rarely an issue, the circuit breaker pops ad you remove the appliance you just plugged in, reset the breaker ad either try a different socket, or if you must, unplug something else!

[@ggenie7489]

I'm 50 never stepped on a plug or had to worries about load balancing. These "downsides" were a complete reach.

[@pepejw]

Also, recently, I've seen smart home sockets which, instead of switches, have buttons which can be turned off or on like any other smart plug, without the bulkiness.