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There are literally no negatives it seems he feels the need to look for non existent problems. The switches means there is no need to leave plugs lying about on the floor they can stay plugged in.
Old CRT TV's would be earthed & the earth pin used/wired. I'm not sure if modern day TV's require it? Portable stereo radio cassette recorders wouldn't require earthing.
No negatives. The negatives he mentions are not real. Honestly, I've owned different houses over 30 years and have never had to think about load balancing. This is not something a user or owner needs to concern themselves with. Only if you're adding a lot more sockets or extending the ring but an electrician will make sure this is sorted and within regulations /safe. But as I said, it's never been something I've needed to think about in 30 years of owning different houses. Yes, standing on a UK plug would hurt less of a reason to unplug anything in the UK vs US
As a brit, I can say with 100% certainty that overloading has NEVER been an issue. Whilst that guy might think it is an issue in theory, in reality in the UK, it has NEVER been an issue.
Most UK houses have at least 2 separate socket circuits one for the Kitchen and one for the rest of the house, so all the really power hungry kitchen and utility room appliances have their own circuit. and the other circuit for the rest of the house, having a few extra computers, monitors a hairdryer or heater ect in one room is not going to be an issue, its certainly never been an issue I've encountered or anyone I know, if it ever was then the there is something wrong with the wiring and it needs attention. its not an issue with the circuit system itself.
In theory it's an issue if your chaining extention cords together off of 1 socking to power everything in the house. This genuinely was an issue in the early days. However now that every room has multiply sockets in it, you have to really be trying to actually make that an issue. Like trying to powering your washing machine, dishwasher, tumble drier, fridge, freezer and oven all off the same extention cord. That would cause an issue, because you've basically turned it into a US style radial circuit but with wires thin enough to catch fire.
I'm 64. I have never experienced any issue with "load balancing" nor have ever heard of it. I live in a 4 storey house built in 1875 and my loading is perfectly balanced, thankyou.
@@vereybowring I have a room with 2 PCs with two 4090s running on them, 2 LG 4k TVs etc and other rooms with little to no things running and no issues for years.
@@vidiveniviciDCLXVI Exactly, you really have to push it to overload a circuit (many kW). Only thing I've ever seen is faulty items tripping circuits, never overload. Edit: just looked it up, each ring main is supposed to be able to handle 7200W.
@@vidiveniviciDCLXVIThat would still be fairly low wattage really, you probably aren't taking more than a single kettle even if you ran all of that at the most wattage it could ever pull constantly. And it will be pulling nowhere near its maximum almost always.
I'm a U.K. Electrician of 64 years old who has been working since 1977, the load balancing thing was once an issue if wiring was done before the late '60s, areas which have larger loads, such as Kitchens will have their own circuit, fixed items again which require a lot of current like Electric Showers, Cookers Hobs and Ovens, have their own individual circuits. U.K. Consumer units (fuse boxes, breakers) are these days split load, both parts have a RCD which controls each part of the board and normal breakers for each circuit. I hope that this helps?
Had a rewiring job done a few years ago, and was a little surprised when it became clear that the run in the kitchen which supplied basically all the high load sockets had been done as a spur, especially given that the cable was far from being overspecced, and not exactly reassured by "It's OK, I'll just put bigger breaker on it". I'm not an electrician, but I do do electronics, and have a reasonable understanding of what wiring is rated to handle. Fortunately, the guy *actually* in charge was similarly surprised when he was told, and though the plasterer had already been after the first fix, it wasn't too late to run another cable back from the end to make it a ring and hide it behind the cupboards and skirting board. It's hard not to wonder what else the first guy might have done before (or since), and say a silent prayer to the gods of safety factors and many high load plug-in kitchen items not running for too long at the same time.
Yes load issues was a problem on very old conventional electric fuse boxes that was installed in houses before the 60s some houses to this day still have them old fuses boxes which are very outdated and need changing
Also pretty sure it's not as easy to rewire a plug as he mentioned as we now have sealed ends? I don't think it's taught in school anymore and we have the fuse easily accessed so you don't have to open a plug ?
Sorry also meant to say load balancing is rubbish and I use (not an election so they could be a scam 😅) those plugs that light up if a fault with the socket, also get a multimeter to check the fuse and then change lightbulb...not necessarily in that order 😅
I'm from Britain, I have never really thought about our plugs being "super plugs". I was about 7 when my Dad taught me how to wire a plug safely and I must admit changable plugs is a massive money saving. Great video! Britain gets knocked about a lot nice to see something positive for a change!
If anything the only problems I have seen in my house have been after it was rewired with a 'modern' breaker box. The breakers go off for random things, and I'm honestly wondering how much of it is cheap product, and how much is some intrinsic problem with the wiring - because we never had that problem before.
As a Brit I can say with 100% certainty, I've never had a load balancing issue, have always plugged in whatever I want, wherever I want, whenever I want, have yet to face any issues in the 15 years I've lived here and my house was built in the 1960s.
@@ritchuk Same. Never heard the phrase and I'm almost 70. I've never stood on a plug as they're always plugged in the wall. Tripping over your cables would be much more likely... Changing your house to G sockets won't be an issue with 110v or 120v, it will be more that you will need to decorate around most sockets unless you mount to a cover board, and you'll need a plug for every appliance at $3 each.
@@drcl7429 Should not be an issue where you plug appliances on a ring circuit. Radial circuit maybe. BUT If you have the correct protective device on a circuit, it will trip with an overload before damaging the cable. Fires start when the protective device has been upgraded, which will compromise the circuit design parameters.
I am an electrician in the UK for over 20 years and what he said about the ring circuits is wrong, it’s actually the opposite of what he said. The ring circuit is a superior circuit because of load balancing. You are essentially doubling up on the wire size and therefore you are able to increase the load on the circuit. Overloading is about protecting the wires so if you are doubling the cross section of the wire you are reducing the risk of overloading. The standard circuit breaker is rated at 32Amps on a domestic installation for a ring circuit and we use 2.5mm cables which is approximately the equivalent of your AWG 12 which I believe is about 2.1mm. So you would have to be using a lot of high powered appliances all at once to cause an overload and the breaker to trip. We tend to instal a ring circuit for each floor of the house as good practice but for most homes, especially in the UK, you can technically use 1 ring main for the entire house. One of the main pros for installing a ring circuit is its superior load balancing capability compared to a radial circuit, so it’s the complete opposite of what he was claiming in the video
Couldn't agree more. He was talking absolute rubbish about load balancing. When I wired my house I installed 4 rings. One for the garage, one for the kitchen, rest of downstairs, and upstairs.
The problem with ring circuits comes if a break in one of the line wires happens, if (say) close to 30A is loaded onto one side of the break you'll overload the wiring if only 2.5mm² is used. I don't know any electricians who still install rings, you're the exception. Most I know fit radials with a 20A breaker.
I've worked as an electrician for 40 years here in the UK. I also spend a lot of time on vacation in both the USA and Canada and I am familiar with your setup over there, the plugs you are referring to for washers and dryers are actually 230 volts but use two phases which your homes are supplied with as standard. The 230 volts nominal here in the UK is single phase and neutral, so when you were talking about retro fitting your receptacles with UK type outlets you said you would need to replace all your cabling, but that is not the case because our socket outlets are 230 volts line and neutral like I said. And the reason you guys make such a deal about load balancing is because you use 110 volts, since you said you used to be an electrician you will remember that the lower the voltage the higher the current!! Lower line voltage increases the current that devices need and that in turn leads to increased cable sizing, more heat and more fires.
I'm an electrician in the UK. The ring-main is a system that actually helps alleviate the load balancing problem because the electricity has two paths to the load and helps to distribute the current. It is particulary useful in kitchens where the majority of heavy load appliance are located, including washers and driers in most cases. Nowadays, a typical house usually has three ring-mains; one for the kitchen, one for the remaining downstairs and one upstairs The other 'issues' aren't issues either :)
Bullshit. You're telling me you've never stepped on one of the bastards. In all seriousness, though, I agree. These 'Issues' really aren't issues, as you said. My office has 9 27" monitors, 2 workstations, and a gaming PC running all at once a lot of the time. as well as the obvious appliances you would expect. I have never had an issue with load balancing. The only issues have been when there's a power cut/outage in the local area.
You generally don't need to in a domestic environment as most loads are resistive. Inductive or capacitive loads are typically periodic and are not continuous loads. I'm a CSE Engineer (combat systems and electrical) with degrees in electrical, electronics and software engineering for one of the big defence contractors. We spend weeks, if not months, load balancing as most loads are active the entire time and any imbalance between phases leads to a majorly inefficient system. Out of curiosity, what path does your physics degree take you down? As in what career path are you pursuing?
Hi Guys a British bloke here, a few points to make, and i love it you guys love the British way and the best way to wire your home, any plug socket in any room in the UK home can take a large load from any device, due to the ring main feature. All uk homes have different zones for electricity supply, eg we have upstairs, downstairs and kitchen zones all separate supplies to them, we have ring mains for sockets/outlets using 2.5mm twin and earth cable, and the lighting circuits have downstairs and upstairs using radial circuits using 1.5mm twin and earth cable. One more safety feature is each plug has different rating fuse which can be changed, this is for the load from the device plugged in, eg 3 amp, 5 amp and 13 amp fuse so a lamp uses 3amp and a washer dryer uses 13 amp fuses, but not all plugs have 3 wires, earth neutral and live wires, most plugs only have 2 wires live and neutral, this is because the devices are Double Insulated as they are made from mostly plastic which is non conductive
They do now, but they didn't originally. My boss in my last job only replaced his old fuse box with fuse wire for each circuit about 10 years ago! There are probably still some old buildings with fuses.
Mike & Jess - to answer your question (as an electrician) regarding surge protection devices, in all new installations within the UK we have our surge protective devices installed at the consumer unit (fuse box) so our systems are protected at the source and do not require secondary surge protection devices
As a British person who is conversant with this, let me just add that the negative regarding the ring main is really a "red herring". When you wire up a house, you do not just have one ring main, but many which goes back to your circuit breaker. For example, if you have an electric shower which uses a 8KW load, you may want to put that on its own circuit breaker. Circuit breakers are normally 15A or 30A. Many lights can utilise a single circuit breaker. The good thing about the ring main is that you can easily add extra sockets easily since the wiring is normally robust and for a 15A circuit breaker, you only utilise half its load leaving the rest for expansion. In kitchens where there is water and the chances of electrocution is higher, we put special sockets with RCD (Residual Current Protection) protection. This means if someone ever touches a live wire the system automatically switches off the power. Sometimes, RCD is fitted on the main circuit breaker to switch off the power to all sockets in the house. Safety is at the heart of the 230V supply since it is much more dangerous than 115V. By the way, construction sites in the UK use 115V due to the fact that it is safer than 230V and where the chances of accidents are higher. Hope this helps.
Only an American would suggest that the length of the plug is a disadvantage whilst ignoring how far out from the wall the plug projects - in which case, the American plug is LONGER!
The part about stepping on a plug is the reason I appreciate on and off switches on sockets. No need to plug most things out and leave them lying on the floor for you to step on, just switch off by the socket.
Hi from the UK, been a Electrician since 1980 and load balancing in the context he's inferring isn't really a thing and never been something considered in the 1000's of houses i've wired/rewired, In theory you can have as many sockets on a ring main as you like but practicality and area usually dictate a separation, you would have absolutely no issue with what you have in your studio, all plugs have individual fuses in them from 3 to 13 amp depending on it's use and all circuits are also protected from the the Consumer unit/fuse board with a RCD (Residual Current Device) which will trip the power in 30 mili seconds faster than you'd feel it, Ring mains are usually split to do the down stairs sockets on one, upstairs sockets on another, maybe Kitchen on another, Radial circuits would usually be used for one point use usualy on larger cable for Cookers and Showers etc, Lighting circuits are generally radial circuits again split into downstairs/upstairs depending on size of property , Lighting wired in 1.5mm Twin & Earth, Ring mains in 2.5mm Twin & Earth, Cookers in 6mm T&E, Showers depends how many KW but 6mm to 10mm T&E, there are always variations to individual property and customer requirements but in general as above, Hope this answers a few questions at least, Andy
Yeah we have different circuits for the lighting, the main living area & bedroom sockets, a separate one for the kitchen, individual ones for other key systems - boilers, electric fires etc.
Yep, and keeping the lighting separate has the added advantage that if you trip the kitchen ring (for example), you've still got light while you figure out what went wrong (and time to comfortably fetch a torch if you have to turn it all off, which is rare).
I'm not an electrician but I have experienced load balancing issues at my office, which is an only building and a nightmare to keep warm during the winter. We'd get constant power trips during the colder months and were eventually told by multiple electricians that it was down to people in offices plugging in multiple space heaters. 4-5 heaters, running at 2.5kW each and drawing 13amps each will play havoc on the circuit. Thankfully we got the our main heating system revamped a couple of years ago so it's not so much and issue now.
Yep - upstairs lighting, downstairs lighting - upstairs sockets, downstairs sockets and individual ones for cooker and boiler. Going on holiday - put all the breakers off for the upstairs & downstairs lighting and the upstairs sockets. Switch off cooker and boiler. Only things working then are phone, router and fridge.
Do you know why the design is so good? Well on the 20 person team assembled to redesign how household electrics worked in UK there was only 1 household safety expert, and she was also the only woman on the team, Dame Caroline Haslett who was a renowned electrical engineer, after her death instead of a statue she had an enormous electricity pylon near her home dedicated to her memory, how cool is that? 🤣
UK electrician here! A Few more things to add if you’re interested: You cannot have our sockets anywhere near a sink or bathroom (only shaver outlets) We do use radials for less load consuming areas such as bedrooms or living rooms where you’ll only be using the tv, consoles, chargers and maybe a vacuum. Rings are pretty much mandatory in kitchens due to the load of them but wiring all areas on their own rings is also very common I’m very glad he mentioned the circuit types and the voltage difference!
We can have sockets in a bathroom. They need to be quite far from the bath etc and most uk bathrooms aren't big enough to accommodate it but it's allowed in a big enough room.
I agree with some of the other comments. As a 42 year old Brit, i have never encountered a load balance problem before. In fact, in the twenty years i've lived in my house, i have never had any problems with my electical sockets or plugs. Greetings from the UK by the way. I love the channel.
Living in the UK since 2002 and I can tell you we have never once had a balance issue with loads on the plugs, whether thats because of the way they build the houses or not but thats not an issue at all. Another thing is the trouble shooting.. we have the switch on the socket, the fuse in the plug and then a fuse box somewhere in the house if things trip.. thats it.
lol enjoyed that. In my living room i have four double outlets, the bedrooms have either two doubles or three. I only have one single outlet in my hall and there is never an issue about overloading. Instead of building a home there and fitting it like ours, just move over here :D simples ;) great vid again. brill reaction. cheers.
I'm 73. I had never even heard of load-balancing before I saw this video. It is seriously not a problem. I have the tumble dryer and the washing machine going next to each other, right under the counter where the kettle is on for making a drink next to where the toaster is making my breakfast toast. The confusion as to whether something is not working due to the appliance itself or the switch on the socket also doesn't exist. If you can't remember where you switched something off, it takes two seconds to check... You're never going to tread on a plug. The only time you need to unplug anything is when you want to put it away. Otherwise, you simply switch it off at the socket.
UK electrician here (or sparks as we're commonly known). You would really have to go out of your way to purposely cause a load balancing issue. All plugs have to have the Earth pin even if it's plastic otherwise you can't open the shutters to get the live & neutral pins in. Because we have switches on our outlets we hardly ever take the plugs out, so stepping on a plug is more rare than rocking horse shit. If we're going away for a while we just flip the switches off. Lights + 5 amps Sockets = 15 amps Electric cooker / stove = 30 amps. The wiring in the walls is always the right gauge for use. You could replace all your sockets in your house with type G but your load ability wouldn't change. However I believe there is some US legislation preventing you from doing so. I was taught how to wire a plug when I was 7.
But won't electricity run the shorter path on the ring regardless? Do resistance change with load so it will eventually take the longer way around to even out the load? I guess the cabling always have to be able to carry the full load for that ring regardless? But then there is no point in using a ring as there is no cost saving? I am no electrician so I have only basic understanding of this.
@@Gazer75 The ring final circuit was introduced for various reasons after WW2, principally with a view to saving copper. I'm also a qualified UK electrician (don't practice anymore) and would agree with all of coot1925 comments apart from the issue of standing on a plug. On that rare occasion when you take one out it will fall on the floor 'pins up' like an electrical caltrop, and treading on it is about 1000 times more painful than standing on a lego brick.
@@StevenRusling Never done it in 63 years [standing on a plug]. The person who would do this would be very stupid then to pull out a plug over an area of traffic [walking].
@@StevenRusling And most plugs are going to be removed and land near the wall. I think most people are aware that it looks painful if you tread on one, so would move it to a safe place anyway. Plus leaving cables spread across the floor is a trip hazard!!
To clarify the purpose of the fuse in the plug - it's there to protect the appliance cable. For lower current devices such as a TV or stereo, lighter cables are generally used and you need to use a 3A fuse in the plug; for heavy-load appliances such as a kettle, heavier-gauge cables are used and you'd use a 13A fuse in the plug. In all cases, if there was a disastrous fault in the appliance such as a dead short, the plug fuse prevents overheating of the appliance cable - the main fuse at the consumer unit on power circuits is 32A, significantly higher than what the appliance cable for a stereo would be able to cope with, so having a fuse in the plug is an extra safety feature.
Most of the time though, once an appliance is plugged into the wall socket then there is no need to unplug it when if need be, you can turn it off by the switch on the wall socket plate. And even if you do unplug it if say going on holiday, you would just drop the plug on the floor near to the wall socket, as opposed to having it pins side up on the floor in the middle of the room.
My house is over 200 years old and I’ve never had any issue with load balancing. In fact until this video I had never heard of load balancing and I’ve been using plugs for 56 years. I have an office with 2 desktop computers, 2 laptops, a tv, internet and NAS all running in the same room and never had an issue. Yes we have surge protectors that are normally in the form of extension cords. The only appliances that don’t use the G plugs are hair shavers/electric toothbrushes (ie love voltage items) which are 2-prong and we just use a 2-prong to 3-prong adapter to plug them into our normal sockets. Because we use 240 in the UK it is illegal to have sockets in the bathroom apart from the previously mentioned 2-prong sockets. So hairdryers and straighteners are used in our bedrooms instead of in bathrooms.
Has an electrician ever advised you what can or can't be added to a ring circuit? Or told you that an addition to the wiring you asked for needs to be added to a specific circuit or a new circuit added?
We have the same office setup, but I installed some dado trunking above the desks with two sets of socket outlets, 4 x double (white) sockets fed directly from the mains for general stuff and also three red double sockets for the computers, which are fed from the 3kVA UPS that also powers the network rack, router and phone system, so we have an hour or two of backup power if the mains fails. There are also several RJ45 sockets for the computers. Makes things a lot neater, no extension strips.
British electrician here. Load balancing for domestic supply is only an issue for supplier's these days (across the entire grid) same as in the USA and everywhere infact. In an individual house, not an issue, not even really a thing anymore. Just don't turn on your kettle, washing machine, dishwasher, oven, and use plug in power tools all at the same time. (Same as everywhere else)
As a Brit ive never had to worry about load balancing. All off our electrical appliances have a 3 pin plug including irons, kettles, toasters, hairdryers, lamps, basically anything that is electrical has a 3 pin plug.
Load balancing is resolved at the breaker box which splits the load with multiple circuits (i.e. ceiling lights upstairs, ceiling lights downstairs, wall sockets upstairs, wall sockets downstairs, etc).
Our main wring comes from a fused board with individual trip switches. A surge would trip the main board first. A local power surge from a device would blow the plug fuse and/or trip the switch to that section of sockets/lights etc. We do have surge protectors, mainly used on outside plugs for electric lawnmowers, strimmer etc. We also tend to have a built in surge protector if we are using a extension lead, these can have three or more spare sockets with a lead coming off and a fused plug that goes into the outlet. Great video, enjoyed it.
Love your reaction to this. As a Brit I've never had trouble with load balancing. I've had rooms with loads of workshop tools running and there's no problem. We have MCB for overloads on the distribution board plus RCB's and RCBO's for earth leak detection protection.
We live in Kent just outside London and have never has issues with overloading the system, we have surge protection and you can set up an entire studio in one room without compromising the electric circuit. Hope this helps! Love watching ❤
17:09 I've never had an issue with load balancing in the UK and I don't know anyone who has. I should also point out that whilst the individual runs of wire are thinner than they may be in the US for the same wattage, overall they're rated to 32A when all wires are correctly connected in the ring circuit. This means that you should be able to draw 32A through the wiring spread around your various sockets (since each individual socket can support 16A and the maximum plug fuse in the UK is 13A that 32A would need to be over at least 3 sockets) without issue.
I eas thinking the same thing. My kitchen as multiple large appliances as well as many smaller and i can have the full room running without issues of power cutting out.
I'm a retired electrician, the UK has had the longer Earth pin since the days of Bakelite round pin plugs, when 2 pins changed to 3 pins. Square pin fused plugs where introduced in 1947, still bakelite until proper plastics where known. The 'type G referes to the black insulator on the live & neutral pins, & was introduced in 1974. The UK's voltage is twice that of America, 240, which is why the safety was needed. All kids stick things into holes so this safety feature is a result of learning the hard way. UK lighting circuits are 6A, sockets are 32a, the main inut is 100a. The Main fuseboard (Consumer Unit) is fitted with MCB's (miniture circuit breakers) for each different circuit run from the board to act as a safety measure against faults greater than just blowing a fuse in a plug. The different circuits are; Lights, Sockets, Cooker, Hot Water Heater, Shower, Storage Heater. For two storey houses there is a Lights U & Lights Down, & Sockets U, Sockets Down. The only 2 pin plug still used is for shaver sockets in bathrooms. Uk bathrooms also have a ceiling mounted pull switch for the light so you won't be touching a normal light switch with wet hands.
Mike & Jess, I am an electrician from the UK. Checking the equivalency tables for cable, your 12 gauge cable is fine as it is for power outlets, the physical problem is that you use wire nuts, we got rid of those over 50 years ago. Its false in what he says about load sharing, but I will say this, if you are using a what we call a two gang socket, dont have 2 heavy loaded plugs, it will cause a fire eventually. Our sockets are rated to be 13 amps, but if you read the leaflet of a double socket, it is 20 amp (2 x 10 amp) max.
Nobody takes any notice. They use a chinese made extension lead that is certainly not BS1363 on each one too. Most kitchens are a load potential load balancing problem.
As you probably know, though, from diversity calculations most heavy demand appliances don't actually draw the maximum continuously. If you ran two washing machines plugged in side by side you might run into issues eventually, but it's extremely unlikely that both appliances would be drawing the maximum. In any case modern consumer units would kick in with their overload protection and trip the circuit. Of course though it's a problem that's easily avoided - just don't plug in two appliances that are likely to draw 13 amp each into the same two gang socket.
It depends upon the manufacturer. Years ago, I drew up the datasheets and packaging for a well known range of electrical items. In that range, a 2-gang socket was actually designed and rated for 29A and it was actually moulded into the rear of the faceplate.
Every UK home has a multi ring circuit system. The kitchen, the cooker, the lounge sockets, the lighting for each floor, the wall sockets for each floor, the central heating/hot water system, burglar alarm system etc. With each circuit being separately fused via a trip switch. The fuse/trip switch box is also equipped with spare circuit outlets to enable new ring circuits to be installed to supply electricity to a garage, tool shed, workshop or other outbuilding so as add more load to an existing circuit The fuse/trip switch box also has every circuit clearly labelled, so if a switch does trip the location of the problem can easily be identified. Thus saving forever checking every room & every piece pf electrically powered gizmo I live in a 2 bedroom, fairly large apartment which has a trip switch box with 8 circuits equipped with trip switches, 6 of these circuits are in use with 2 spare. The trip switch box also has the capacity to add another 5 trip switches by removing a plastic cover & inserting trip switches as required, thus i could add a separate circuit to supply power to 4 tool sheds & 3 garages & not worry about circuit overload, or should i buy a high power lathe & a very large air compressor i could put each of them on their own circuit without any overload issues or switches tripping I hope that cleared up any confusion about UK home electrical circuitry
Prior to this video, I was never aware of "load balancing" in a home. Here in the UK, we don't have a separate laundry, so our kitchen has a cooker, fridge, freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, kettle, coffee maker etc. Never had a problem. If something was to cause a short circuit then either the fuse in the plug would blow or the surge protector in the main fuse box would trip out. Also, you could retrofit your plug and socket system as the UK style plugs themselves will still work for your 110v appliances. It's just that appliances manufactured for the 230v UK market won't run on 110v. 👍
I'm 40 but I remember in school being taught all about connecting plugs as, until the early 90's, it wasn't a legal requirement for appliances to come with plugs pre-attached. It was still an important life skill when I was a kid.
I'm 77 and have never...never stepped on a plug! WTF is load balancing, never heard of it, never a problem. His issues are utter bollocks, really, he's scraping the barrel. Cheers from Blighty! Love you channel!
I have stepped on a plug a couple of times, but as a messy electronics hobbyist I've also stepped on a couple of upturned DIL integrated circuit chips, and I'd take the plug (or Lego) every time - at least they don't embed themselves in your foot.
As a Brit we learn to wire plugs at school. For extra load appliances such as cookers and washers we have a separate circuit its own fuse and tends to be beefier.
@@grumpyhale821 :O seriously? we were taught that young! but then i'm gen x lol so mibi they stopped it? no idea why they would? i never waited for school so i taught my children how to wire a plug young, just assumed we still did?
Possibly not these days, as all electrical appliances come with a plug fitted (moulded or with screw disassembly). In the 70s/80s a lot of cheaper/unbranded things like toasters and table lamps did not have a plug fitted.
Hi peeps, we moved to Canada 10 years ago and we finally got rid of our last UK plug only 2 years ago and never had any load balancing issues in 50 years also common UK house the majority of lekie used would be in kitchen and living room which are usually next to each other keep up the great content Pikles
Never had load balancing issues in UK - I'm 59 yrs old! I have Marshall valve guitar amps etc. etc. We have trip switches which trip if the load is greater than it should be on that circuit. These are easily reset. I did get electrocuted in the US in the 70s...my finger slipped between the 2 prongs of the US plug.......Thanks guys!
I'll throw in my tuppence from the North of England... Load balance? I never had to know it was a thing. Until living off grid, plugging a four socket adaptor with perhaps a couple of double adaptors in it into one socket, running umpteen appliances at times, similarly wasn't given a thought. Treading on an upturned plug, usually in the dark and half asleep does certainly happen, to a cacophony of curses at this painful and rude awakening, but this is thankfully extremely rare. I'd never think to unplug something, or turn off the switch, on anything that was used in situ or daily. Appliances that were used only on occasion were generally plugged in, used, and put away. No plugs lying about. Surge protector?? I enjoyed this, it was a fun and informative watch for you to share your reaction to. Thanks for another good 'un.
Remember we also have lights switches that control ceiling lights. Ive got 3pc, 5 monitors, 2 3d printers and a 70 inch TV in my living room. We also have a fuse box and/or trip switches with one switch for each section (like upstairs sockets, downstairs lights etc).
It takes A LOT of power, from one socket, to flip a trip in england. Plus we have (since the 70) we realised we need sockets in every corner of the room. We only have a tiny house, and still have a double socket in every corner. And they, in turn they have 4 way extenders in them. In our kitchen we have the kettle, toaster and fridge in the same socket. Never had a problem. Great video guys!
Hi from the UK, I love your channel. I have worked in the electric utility business for 40 years and have never come across an overloading issue with a ring circuit. However I do agree radial is better and modern UK installations are often radial nowadays. As a matter of interest the ring circuit came into play after world war 2 because of the huge amount of rebuilding work and a shortage of copper
I have an extension lead with 4 sockets in one plastic housing, each socket with its own on/off switch, and a light to tell you when they are all switched off. Its genious, as i can switch one off without affecting any others or having to unplug it.
Load balancing is generally an unheard of concern in any domestic or office place in the UK as the basic spec of any modern or re-wired house takes account of the load balancing and ,made more effective by having a comprehensive well apportioned fuse box with surge protection which shuts of individual fused sections or the whole system if theres a massive overload or major earthing issue. Surge protraction is mandatory on UK house builds and rewiring projects.- the plug size while bigger is jut accepted as normal of course and the benefits far outweigh the size issue. You can use G style plugs on US style 110V power systems - you dont need 230V for them to function -
The best part about the fuses on every plug is that the fuse in every lead is rated to the same current as the lead itself can handle. If you overload it, the lead on the extension cord itself will blow preventing a potential fire in your home. With US sockets the fuse is only meant to be rated for the wires in your wall. (until someone decides they need a bigger fuse for a circuit but doesn't re-wire the socket)
I am 62. I have never even heard of anyone standing on a plug. Never ever experienced any load balancing problems either. Jess is right, you can put furniture right to the walls even if sockets are there.
The ring breaker is 32A so at 230v nominal that's 7kw on a circuit. Each plug is rated up to 13A, so max 3kw per appliance. If you're using 7kw in a single room, you're going to get uncomfortably hot really quickly! Another way to think about it is a circuit could supply roughly 9 800w PC power supplies running flat out. Having a standard plug is great; from a USB wall-wart to a (small) welder you're good. Also our wall-warts don't fall out. While not common "Commando" style sockets are available for heavier loads (and three-phase if you've got/need that). The fuse in the plug is to protect the flex/cord to the appliance. Without it you'd have to have really thick flex to handle the current needed to trip the breaker. With it is the flex only has to be think enough to break the plug's fuse (which can be as low as 3A) - so a lamp flex/cord is actually thinner than the USA equivalent. It also means chaining extension multi-gang leads isn't a fire risk (just a potential under-volt problem). RCDs, arc prevention, and surge protection (where needed) are standard in the fuse box these days protecting the whole installation, not on a per-outlet basis. Load-balancing is only really an issue during design/installation. A kitchen (where most high current devices live: dishwasher, washer, drier, toaster, kettle) will have it's own 32A ring circuit, and a separate radial for the cooker/hob. Stepping on the plug, while painful, is also a non-issue when you can leave things plugged in but switched off at the socket.
Yes we use surge protection, usually via an extension leads to give more sockets, and would recommend for higher value items like audio/visual, computer equipment etc. As for the loop/ring circuit he is showing this works to evenly distribute power both ways on the loop, so something at the end of the radial (looks similar to what we call a Spur system) doesn't get less power because a higher load item is plugged in before causing lets say a lamp to dim/flicker. And with the Load balancing that he was talking about, i would go with 1 ring circuit to each area of the house, not just an upstairs and downstairs ring back to consumer unit for socket and light circuits, as was case years ago, before we got so much Tech. I have my kitchen, living room, computer room, bedrooms, bathrooms, outside, garage all on separate rings for sockets and lights back to a trip/breaker switch at consumer board, and split load balanced via RCD's as now required when upgrading our systems
as someone who has qualifications as an electrician im going to break down his flaws a little here as i think its lack of experience on his end 1ST the size of the plug doesn't matter due to the fact its pretty flush to the wall and so your overall profile is smaller than one that has a cable sticking straight out of the wall 2ND load balancing isn't a issue the only time I've experienced an issue here is in a very old house for example i have 2 pcs 2 monitors 1 set of speakers 1 Xbox 1 standing desk running form one plug right now and i have ethernet running through my house wiring in the socket next to it and I've never had problems 3RD installation maintenance testing i have to disagree with as well for example to test our circuit all you have to do is check the power with a little device coming through the 2 plugs in the house which takes about 2 minutes and that will tell you if your system is working properly 4TH is a none issue if you cant figure out if your plug is turned on or if you product is turned on you probably shouldn't be left alone lol 5th i agree standing on these are painful however due to switches on the wall there's no need to ever unplug from the wall if necessary get a extension lead
This may be quite technical, so I'll make it as simple as possible: 'load balancing' does not apply to a 'ring main'. Regarding the second point about wiring gauge, the standard for UK sockets is 2.5 square millimetres, doubled, which totals five square millimetres. Essentially, you have all the live, neutral, and earth wires connecting to their respective terminals in each socket. There is one set of wires entering the socket and another set exiting, linking to the subsequent socket, and so forth. From the consumer unit (known as the fuse board in America), a 2.5 millimetre wire extends from the fuses to your first socket, then links to the next socket, and so on, connecting each subsequent socket in the circuit. No matter how many sockets are included in that ring, the wire from the last socket will loop back to the originating fuse in the consumer unit. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings about the gauge of wiring and load balancing.
Hi Mike, load balancing is not something that I've ever had an issue with, and numerous British TH-camrs have fancy studio set-ups with no problem. Surge protection is built into the main fuse box, and not many people leave a plug upside down in the middle of the floor, why bother when you can leave it plugged in the socket and switch the socket off. Something he didn't mention, lights and power sockets are on different circuits, a 15amp circuit for lights, and a 30amp circuit for power, with a separate 30amp circuit solely for the cooker.
all surge protectors are built in either on the main board as trip switches or within the power socket itself, most with a surge protector also have a visible light indicating it has that protection built in
For protecting items plugged into existing, non-protected supplies, there are also plugs with MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) in for surge protection. They are usually just like normal 13A, re-wirable plugs, but the top half is twice as deep).
In the UK here. I loved watching this video, both for your beautiful reactions to our system, and to remind myself of just how great this system is, as I think we take that for granted. The overload point is just not a thing. Maybe in some inappropriately wired houses? We have a fairly large house with a LOT of electics running - the house IDLEs at 1.5kW, and runs at c.2.5kW when we're all on computers, TV, etc. Each OUTLET can handle 3kW on its own (i.e. what high powered kettle might draw) and a typical ring will be on a 30A or 32A MCB or RCBO (i.e. breaker), so the ring can technically handle well over 7kW before tripping. Put another way, I have about 6 separate rings in my house just for the wall outlets, however each ONE could handle the power draw of the entire house. Balancing is NOT a problem unless you have a lot of high wattage items all connected to the same ring and running simultaneously. For intensive and ultra high requirements, we have 3 phase available. BTW, the last downside... 100% feel that, literally. I stood full force on a plug many years ago, and I still have the faint remains of 3 prong scar tissue in the sole of my foot where it fully went through the skin!
i had a feeling this video was coming lol, british plugs are the best in the world to be fair! hope you guys are well, i really enjoy your chemistry and smiles.
Great video. Load balancing has never been an issue in the UK with ring circuits also with regards to surge protection, we do use it in the UK but mainly for things like computers which we would mainly use an extension lead with built in surge protection (similar to the picture you showed us) or you can get it hard wired in at the circuit breaker end and have it protect an entire circuit instead. With our plugs/sockets running on 230v doesn't mean you cant use them in the US you could change every socket and appliance plug and it would happily run on 110v no problem.
He was really reaching with his negatives lol. Simply not a problem. As for standing on them, most people aren't daft enough to unplug them and leave them pins facing up where people walk.
@@adrianmorton4262Not if the plugs have always stayed in the wall. I've stood on other things which have hurt, one even needed me go to hospital, but never a plug.
@@anglosaxon5874 strange that. I just asked my partner if she'd ever stood on one and of course she has, "more than once and they bloody hurt too!" (I established usually hair dryers or curling tongues) She continued "I wouldn't like to stand on an American plug.. They're like knives!" Who have you asked?
About the load that he mentions, put it this way lol: All coming from one socket (using an extension for more plugs), I have my gaming PC, 3 monitors, microphone, mobile charger, sound system, lamp, and fan. lol No issues at all.
Monitors don't draw much, neither do mobile chargers. The gaming PC and sound system are probably the only serious draw. On the other hand, if you were using a couple of 2KW heaters, a dual socket server with multiple gfx cards and a mini fridge then you are talking a whole different level in power draw.
@@mnomadvfxTo be honest I've run a 2kW heater, 400W dehumidifier, PC which draws up to 500W under load, and 2 3D printers from the same extension without issue. I've also run a 2kW kettle, washing machine, toaster and fridge freezer simultaneously from the same extension as well without issue. I know you're not supposed to of course :)
Just to clarify the Load balancing discussion. Each UK mains ring typically has its own 16 Amp breaker (which when you consider the calculation of volts * amps = watts, you have a massive amount of power available at 16 Amps. Additionally, things like Showers and Cookers are almost always on their own circuits. We also typically have at least 1 upstairs and 1 downstairs ring at a minimum. Lighting is also on separate rings as well.
I'm 48 years old and never heard of anyone I know, family, friends or work colleagues ever have a problem with load balancing. You can literally put electrical devices where you like around your house in the UK and it isn't a problem with the exception of a UK bathroom. The only power outlets allowed in a UK bathroom is a 110v shaver outlet, even then that has to be located a minimum of 3 meters away from the bath. This is a UK law to minimise the risk of electrocution which actually means most UK bathrooms don't have any power outlets at all because it is rare a UK bathroom is large enough to be able to have a 110v shaver outlet located 3 meters distant of the bath.
Speaking as a 'non-electrician' We do have on the consumer unit (fuse box) a sort of surge protection as when something happens and we blow the fuse on that circuit we can go and flip the switch and it should deal with the surge. If its continues, we get an actual electrian out. Also if we use extension cords, and some wall sockets with their own fuses, and lets be honest most homes over here have extension cables in use, they too can have surge protection built in. The thing is our plugs in the UK, have fuses of different amps (the brown one in the demonstration, is only one) for different types of appliances, and the wall sockets are usually more tolerant of the differences than the demonstration implied. But, we still could overload them, if we put too many appliances in the same socket. I think that is why since the 1980s homes in the UK having electical work done on them, have to up date the consumer units. I worry if I visit a house and its got the old type fuse box, and yes there are a few out there! The newer ones are less likely to have an electrical fires. I think? It was interesting to see how different the UK and USA plugs are.
load distribution is done by having ring mains, Lighting, Sockets, Shower and cooking main, they are protected by consumer trip switch...... its simples!
One of the many practical things I was taught in school when I was around 12 years old was how to wire a plug safely. Mind you, that was in the early 1980s! I imagine things have changed quite a bit since then. I also lived in the US when I was slightly a older kid and I don't remember that fixing plugs was a thing, but also that we never had any problems whatsoever with electrical safety. Maybe we were just lucky! The UK seems to be a real belt and braces system - which is great of course ;)
Most 'areas' in houses which draw max load would be the kitchen - electric oven, built-in grill, extractor fan, electric hob, kettle, dishwasher, washing machine, toaster et al. We've had all of these on at the same time, no troubles at all. Depends on how your how was wired and what 'loads' were planned for usage.
Almost all UK plugs a type G. The only exception is a 12V DC outlet in a bathroom. Load balancing is not an issue at all. You can have lamps, washing machines, cookers the whole lot on one ring.
What do you use 12V for in a bathroom..? Never seen one in any UK bathroom I've ever been in. Shaver/toothbrush outlets, yes, but they're mains fed via an isolating transformer.
Wow - When this showed up on my feed I thought it was gonna be boring - I was wrong. I'm a Brit and plug anything in anywhere without issues... I do use surge protectors on my PC and TV equipment but only as extra protection... Finally - I now appreciate UK plugs in a way i have NEVER done before... Thanks.
We've got a single socket in the garage, which I run the fridge/freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer and various power tools off...sometimes all simultaneously. What's the guy talking about load balancing for?
When I was young (probably about 8 or 9 ) an electrician (friends dad) saw me putting a plug on and said let me give you some pointers (I was having trouble getting the wires the correct length inside the plug) so he walked me through what he did and once he did that he showed me how to test that both plug and socket were correct. He brutally tugged on it then plugged it in to the socket, then stepped on the top of it (they are not very wide when you are trying to step on them) he said if it pops out, either the plug or socket needed replacing. When I still lived in the UK I would often do this just to prove my work was up to snuff. I no longer live in the UK (I'm in the US) but my understanding is they now have molded plugs for a lot of items. They are not as serviceable with only the fuse being removeable. Back in my day (let me shake my stick here a min at the youngsters) few items even came with a plug attached. It was common practice to either buy a new plug when you bought a device or reuse an old one (if you were doing a replacement) but it was a mostly universal skill that when you got old enough you were taught how to wire a plug. I originally learned from my dad when I showed an interest in repairing a record player. I'm not a sparky by trade (I went in to electronics and computers) but by the time I was 12 I could and did rewire an entire house to above code. When installing the mains in the UK it is typically multiple loops depending on room usage. For instance the kitchen where there could be large draw items would be a separate loop just to itself while if you have 2/3 bedrooms they would probably be on there own loop and that goes throughout the house (living room + dining room). US plugs and sockets are by my standards awful and I have thought often though about replacing them to UK style (I would keep the house wiring just replace the sockets) throughout my house, however insurance says it's not US code, it's not allowed. Maybe once my house is paid off.
Yes, this is the standard plug in the UK for everything. Phone chargers, toasters, computers, fridges, etc. The only single exception that comes to mind is for electric shavers in the bathroom by the sink.
I was taught this at my first day of secondary school in 1988. Unfortunately non of my kids were taught this in school so I had to show them instead. It's sad that schools today seem to bypass these simple lessons like wiring, sewing etc. I can even remember having a couple of lessons in household budgeting.
@@steve3231 Am 75, my old man was a sparks so at the age of 10 I could already change a plug and was crawling under floorboards pulling string to help him rewire houses
So was I but I don't think they teach it now. Probably because in today's dumbed-down world a lot of new appliances come with sealed non-serviceable plugs - no doubt so manufacturers can't be sued if somebody rewires the plug incorrectly.
Most Uk houses have dedicated 32 A circuit breakers (MCB or RCBO) for downstairs sockets and one for upstairs sockets. Like wise a dedicated 6A circuit breakers for downstairs lights and upstairs lights. If you need more then you just add a dedicated fuse for that circuit in the consumer unit. Surge protectors can be installed in the consumer unit and /or at the main switch they protect every circuit in the house. Alternatively/or additionally you can purchase type 3 surge protectors for individual plugs. Most Uk houses have dedicated 32 A circuit breakers for downstairs sockets and one for upstairs sockets. Like wise a dedicated 6A circuit breakers for downstairs lights and upstairs lights. If you need more then you just add a dedicated fuse for that circuit in the consumer unit. Surge protectors can be installed in the consumer unit and /or at the main switch they protect every circuit in the house. Alterinively/or additionaly you can purchase type 3 surge protectors for individual plugs.
Hi Jess and Mike, Brit here. I love your channel. Never miss it. I just wanted to say the negative sides are not true. Especially the load balancing, it's just not a thing, ever. We have lots of large items in one room, the kitchen, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, fridge freezer, oven as well as microwave toasters, etc. This has never caused any issues ever. All products use a type g plug and just plug straight into the normal socket on the wall. No special extensions are needed. 😊❤oh and if anyone who leaves the plug in the middle of the floor is an idiot 😂❤🇬🇧
Load balancing is really never an issue, and that’s partly because during the building process, if electricians expect (or are told) that one room will experience a significantly higher load output, a separate ring system can be put in place for the room. In domestic cases this is usually rooms that are designated as an office for example. The only time I’ve ever really had to think about it was when I was planning my restaurant building and we had to ask for a separate system in the back room so that 2*30W fryers could be put in alongside everything else. It took the electrician an extra hour
For a large commercial installation, I'd be using a three-phase system. Then you do need to worry about load balancing, but plan it carefully and you won't have an issue.
Yes we do have surge protectors over here in the UK. Every house has a mains fuse box or consumer unit with usually about half a dozen trip switches in it. So if we do get a surge, the fuse for the circuit concerned will trip out first protecting the wiring in the house. As for overloading, that's never been a problem.
I had no idea everyone doesn't do this until I saw this video and others like it. Years ago I was visiting the states and could not understand why your plugs were so flimsy and unstable. Of course our electricity supply is far stronger as well (so kettles - that essential to British life - boil quickly. Cannot have our tea delayed -and do not mention Microwaving tea unless you want a war).
@@CazPea if ‘worst things about the plug’ was on family fortunes and you said ‘load balance’ les would say ‘if it’s up there I’ll you the money myself’ 😂
12:52 With very few exceptions, like sockets for shavers, every appliance in the UK is fitted with a 13amp rated plug to fit the standard socket. The plug may carry a 3, 5 or 13 amp, depending on the load. And you'll never overload the plug/socket. The plug/socket might get warm if it is old and you're really pushing the limits with a heavy load, say a big domestic welder, but before anything bad happens the fuse in the plug will fail. Some modern plugs are sealed completely apart from the little fuse box. If ever that plug gets physically damaged and does not work or is not safe anymore, you can cut it off and replace with a standard Type G the electrician shows. Even damaged double insulated ones can have the standard plug replacement. You don't have to throw any appliance away when the plug is at fault. And to Brits who don't know how to wire up a plug - the safety of modern UK plugs has meant that you've probably grown up never having to wire up a plug. Look it up on the Net. It's really easy.
16:12 Nobody has a problem with load balancing in reality. We just don’t…I’ve got entire multimedia systems and a whole setup for powering multiple computers at once as well as multiple other things…just no, it’s not a thing. The load balancing thing is completely BS guys. Maybe if you put 10 sockets and then plugged in 10 massive appliances for some reason. His ‘not knowing whether the product is switched on or off is actually just embarrassing for him.’ Yeah we do have surge protectors btw…and yes they also have individual switches unless you get a dirt cheap one.
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Do Frankie Boyle please mock the week or audience annihilation
There are literally no negatives it seems he feels the need to look for non existent problems. The switches means there is no need to leave plugs lying about on the floor they can stay plugged in.
Old CRT TV's would be earthed & the earth pin used/wired. I'm not sure if modern day TV's require it?
Portable stereo radio cassette recorders wouldn't require earthing.
No negatives. The negatives he mentions are not real. Honestly, I've owned different houses over 30 years and have never had to think about load balancing. This is not something a user or owner needs to concern themselves with. Only if you're adding a lot more sockets or extending the ring but an electrician will make sure this is sorted and within regulations /safe. But as I said, it's never been something I've needed to think about in 30 years of owning different houses.
Yes, standing on a UK plug would hurt less of a reason to unplug anything in the UK vs US
The only surge protectors Ive seen are in extension cords.
As a brit, I can say with 100% certainty that overloading has NEVER been an issue. Whilst that guy might think it is an issue in theory, in reality in the UK, it has NEVER been an issue.
Unless you're growing weed in every room, but even then it's more your neighbours problem. ;)
Most UK houses have at least 2 separate socket circuits one for the Kitchen and one for the rest of the house, so all the really power hungry kitchen and utility room appliances have their own circuit. and the other circuit for the rest of the house, having a few extra computers, monitors a hairdryer or heater ect in one room is not going to be an issue, its certainly never been an issue I've encountered or anyone I know, if it ever was then the there is something wrong with the wiring and it needs attention. its not an issue with the circuit system itself.
I have 20 plugs in 1 extension lead no problems
Load Balancing, never had an issue and I dont know anyone who has had the issue either.
In theory it's an issue if your chaining extention cords together off of 1 socking to power everything in the house. This genuinely was an issue in the early days. However now that every room has multiply sockets in it, you have to really be trying to actually make that an issue. Like trying to powering your washing machine, dishwasher, tumble drier, fridge, freezer and oven all off the same extention cord. That would cause an issue, because you've basically turned it into a US style radial circuit but with wires thin enough to catch fire.
Honestly, every issue he mentioned is not an issue. The load issue is something I've never had, ever.
been an electrician for 10 years now and ive never had or seen a load balancing issue.
@@tommarshall9755 Guy was struggling to find a negative so he must have made it up lmao.
all heavy current items like cookers , showers etc are on separate Radial circuits not the Ring - that's why most UK have few overload problems .
Come on now, we’ve all stepped on a plug before! 😂
@@philtreman9944 Thats a good point now that I think about it the cooker is indeed on its own special little switch...
I'm 64. I have never experienced any issue with "load balancing" nor have ever heard of it. I live in a 4 storey house built in 1875 and my loading is perfectly balanced, thankyou.
I'm 71 and have never heard of load balancing until I watched this guy last year. Greetings from UK 🇬🇧
I`m 61 and neither have I .
Yeah you have to be seriously pushing a circuit with multiple high wattage heaters to overload in nearly all cases.
@@vereybowring I have a room with 2 PCs with two 4090s running on them, 2 LG 4k TVs etc and other rooms with little to no things running and no issues for years.
@@vidiveniviciDCLXVI Exactly, you really have to push it to overload a circuit (many kW). Only thing I've ever seen is faulty items tripping circuits, never overload. Edit: just looked it up, each ring main is supposed to be able to handle 7200W.
@@vidiveniviciDCLXVIThat would still be fairly low wattage really, you probably aren't taking more than a single kettle even if you ran all of that at the most wattage it could ever pull constantly. And it will be pulling nowhere near its maximum almost always.
I'm a U.K. Electrician of 64 years old who has been working since 1977, the load balancing thing was once an issue if wiring was done before the late '60s, areas which have larger loads, such as Kitchens will have their own circuit, fixed items again which require a lot of current like Electric Showers, Cookers Hobs and Ovens, have their own individual circuits. U.K. Consumer units (fuse boxes, breakers) are these days split load, both parts have a RCD which controls each part of the board and normal breakers for each circuit. I hope that this helps?
Had a rewiring job done a few years ago, and was a little surprised when it became clear that the run in the kitchen which supplied basically all the high load sockets had been done as a spur, especially given that the cable was far from being overspecced, and not exactly reassured by "It's OK, I'll just put bigger breaker on it".
I'm not an electrician, but I do do electronics, and have a reasonable understanding of what wiring is rated to handle.
Fortunately, the guy *actually* in charge was similarly surprised when he was told, and though the plasterer had already been after the first fix, it wasn't too late to run another cable back from the end to make it a ring and hide it behind the cupboards and skirting board.
It's hard not to wonder what else the first guy might have done before (or since), and say a silent prayer to the gods of safety factors and many high load plug-in kitchen items not running for too long at the same time.
I love the electric talk now lol
Yes load issues was a problem on very old conventional electric fuse boxes that was installed in houses before the 60s some houses to this day still have them old fuses boxes which are very outdated and need changing
Also pretty sure it's not as easy to rewire a plug as he mentioned as we now have sealed ends? I don't think it's taught in school anymore and we have the fuse easily accessed so you don't have to open a plug ?
Sorry also meant to say load balancing is rubbish and I use (not an election so they could be a scam 😅) those plugs that light up if a fault with the socket, also get a multimeter to check the fuse and then change lightbulb...not necessarily in that order 😅
I'm from Britain, I have never really thought about our plugs being "super plugs". I was about 7 when my Dad taught me how to wire a plug safely and I must admit changable plugs is a massive money saving. Great video! Britain gets knocked about a lot nice to see something positive for a change!
Not trying to dismiss the load balancing issue, but after a lifetime of using this system, I've never encountered a problem caused by it.
Was going to say the exact same thing
If anything the only problems I have seen in my house have been after it was rewired with a 'modern' breaker box.
The breakers go off for random things, and I'm honestly wondering how much of it is cheap product, and how much is some intrinsic problem with the wiring - because we never had that problem before.
Same!
@@mnomadvfx Its not because its cheap, more a case of the electronics in the consumer unit itself being a lot more sensitive.
It never happens, it's nonsense.
As a Brit I can say with 100% certainty, I've never had a load balancing issue, have always plugged in whatever I want, wherever I want, whenever I want, have yet to face any issues in the 15 years I've lived here and my house was built in the 1960s.
Same here with a 1948 house.
@@ritchuk Same. Never heard the phrase and I'm almost 70. I've never stood on a plug as they're always plugged in the wall. Tripping over your cables would be much more likely... Changing your house to G sockets won't be an issue with 110v or 120v, it will be more that you will need to decorate around most sockets unless you mount to a cover board, and you'll need a plug for every appliance at $3 each.
Same here and I have lived in my house since 1986.
Yep!
As long as your not exceeding 13 amp on a socket your fine lol
I'm from London, and i've never been so proud of Plugs. Thank you for this video. Subscribed :)
NO ONE in the UK has EVER had to worry about load balancing! The various fuses take care of everything.
Maybe qualified electricians do.
@@Paul-yh8km no they dont, unless your house is like nasa and space x together, the fuses in the plugs even out the load balancing.
@@Paul-yh8km Nope. Asked my uncle who is an electrician and he said it isn't even an issue in UK homes.
@@ptb2008 Was an issue in mine. Depends on where appliances with high loads are located on a circuit. Its not an issue until a fire starts.
@@drcl7429 Should not be an issue where you plug appliances on a ring circuit. Radial circuit maybe. BUT If you have the correct protective device on a circuit, it will trip with an overload before damaging the cable. Fires start when the protective device has been upgraded, which will compromise the circuit design parameters.
I am an electrician in the UK for over 20 years and what he said about the ring circuits is wrong, it’s actually the opposite of what he said.
The ring circuit is a superior circuit because of load balancing. You are essentially doubling up on the wire size and therefore you are able to increase the load on the circuit.
Overloading is about protecting the wires so if you are doubling the cross section of the wire you are reducing the risk of overloading.
The standard circuit breaker is rated at 32Amps on a domestic installation for a ring circuit and we use 2.5mm cables which is approximately the equivalent of your AWG 12 which I believe is about 2.1mm.
So you would have to be using a lot of high powered appliances all at once to cause an overload and the breaker to trip.
We tend to instal a ring circuit for each floor of the house as good practice but for most homes, especially in the UK, you can technically use 1 ring main for the entire house.
One of the main pros for installing a ring circuit is its superior load balancing capability compared to a radial circuit, so it’s the complete opposite of what he was claiming in the video
Absolutely spot on... 👏🏽
Couldn't agree more. He was talking absolute rubbish about load balancing. When I wired my house I installed 4 rings. One for the garage, one for the kitchen, rest of downstairs, and upstairs.
@@stephenprice7502Yeah most modern houses now have 3-4 rings. One for the kitchen alone is pretty normal in a large house.
Ring circuits are a unneassary and costly complication compared to European radial circuits.
The problem with ring circuits comes if a break in one of the line wires happens, if (say) close to 30A is loaded onto one side of the break you'll overload the wiring if only 2.5mm² is used. I don't know any electricians who still install rings, you're the exception. Most I know fit radials with a 20A breaker.
I've worked as an electrician for 40 years here in the UK. I also spend a lot of time on vacation in both the USA and Canada and I am familiar with your setup over there, the plugs you are referring to for washers and dryers are actually 230 volts but use two phases which your homes are supplied with as standard.
The 230 volts nominal here in the UK is single phase and neutral, so when you were talking about retro fitting your receptacles with UK type outlets you said you would need to replace all your cabling, but that is not the case because our socket outlets are 230 volts line and neutral like I said.
And the reason you guys make such a deal about load balancing is because you use 110 volts, since you said you used to be an electrician you will remember that the lower the voltage the higher the current!! Lower line voltage increases the current that devices need and that in turn leads to increased cable sizing, more heat and more fires.
I'm an electrician in the UK. The ring-main is a system that actually helps alleviate the load balancing problem because the electricity has two paths to the load and helps to distribute the current. It is particulary useful in kitchens where the majority of heavy load appliance are located, including washers and driers in most cases. Nowadays, a typical house usually has three ring-mains; one for the kitchen, one for the remaining downstairs and one upstairs
The other 'issues' aren't issues either :)
Bullshit. You're telling me you've never stepped on one of the bastards. In all seriousness, though, I agree. These 'Issues' really aren't issues, as you said. My office has 9 27" monitors, 2 workstations, and a gaming PC running all at once a lot of the time. as well as the obvious appliances you would expect. I have never had an issue with load balancing. The only issues have been when there's a power cut/outage in the local area.
I am a Brit and I have a Physics degree. I never worry about load balancing; that is nonsense.. All the guy's negatives are really feeble.
You generally don't need to in a domestic environment as most loads are resistive. Inductive or capacitive loads are typically periodic and are not continuous loads.
I'm a CSE Engineer (combat systems and electrical) with degrees in electrical, electronics and software engineering for one of the big defence contractors. We spend weeks, if not months, load balancing as most loads are active the entire time and any imbalance between phases leads to a majorly inefficient system.
Out of curiosity, what path does your physics degree take you down? As in what career path are you pursuing?
Hi Guys a British bloke here, a few points to make, and i love it you guys love the British way and the best way to wire your home, any plug socket in any room in the UK home can take a large load from any device, due to the ring main feature. All uk homes have different zones for electricity supply, eg we have upstairs, downstairs and kitchen zones all separate supplies to them, we have ring mains for sockets/outlets using 2.5mm twin and earth cable, and the lighting circuits have downstairs and upstairs using radial circuits using 1.5mm twin and earth cable. One more safety feature is each plug has different rating fuse which can be changed, this is for the load from the device plugged in, eg 3 amp, 5 amp and 13 amp fuse so a lamp uses 3amp and a washer dryer uses 13 amp fuses, but not all plugs have 3 wires, earth neutral and live wires, most plugs only have 2 wires live and neutral, this is because the devices are Double Insulated as they are made from mostly plastic which is non conductive
Our fuse boxes have built in surge protectors, if you put dodgy plug it, it will trip out in the fuse box instantly.
They do now, but they didn't originally.
My boss in my last job only replaced his old fuse box with fuse wire for each circuit about 10 years ago!
There are probably still some old buildings with fuses.
RCD or RCBO yes it is such a safe system
@@Paul-yh8km even though i am electrician my house still has rewireable fuses 🤣
@@R3ED3R If it works, it works.
@@Otacatapetl And if it doesn't tough.
Mike & Jess - to answer your question (as an electrician) regarding surge protection devices, in all new installations within the UK we have our surge protective devices installed at the consumer unit (fuse box) so our systems are protected at the source and do not require secondary surge protection devices
As a British person who is conversant with this, let me just add that the negative regarding the ring main is really a "red herring". When you wire up a house, you do not just have one ring main, but many which goes back to your circuit breaker. For example, if you have an electric shower which uses a 8KW load, you may want to put that on its own circuit breaker. Circuit breakers are normally 15A or 30A. Many lights can utilise a single circuit breaker. The good thing about the ring main is that you can easily add extra sockets easily since the wiring is normally robust and for a 15A circuit breaker, you only utilise half its load leaving the rest for expansion. In kitchens where there is water and the chances of electrocution is higher, we put special sockets with RCD (Residual Current Protection) protection. This means if someone ever touches a live wire the system automatically switches off the power. Sometimes, RCD is fitted on the main circuit breaker to switch off the power to all sockets in the house. Safety is at the heart of the 230V supply since it is much more dangerous than 115V. By the way, construction sites in the UK use 115V due to the fact that it is safer than 230V and where the chances of accidents are higher. Hope this helps.
his negatives are ridiculous.
Not really. It fucking hurts.
@@ConnorEllisMusic
I have to admit, I've stepped on a plug 😢
ONCE
I dont know who's ever had a problem with load ballance
Indeed! Apart from standing on it of course 😂 but just leave it in the wall 🙄
@@oopsdidItypethatoutloudCertainly no one I've ever heard of.
Tom Scott did a great video on this topic. This American guy really reaches for 'disadvantages'.
Yes, the Tom Scott video is so much better.
Only an American would suggest that the length of the plug is a disadvantage whilst ignoring how far out from the wall the plug projects - in which case, the American plug is LONGER!
@@GrumpyOldGit-zk1kwI disagree. He dives into more of the features here.
The part about stepping on a plug is the reason I appreciate on and off switches on sockets. No need to plug most things out and leave them lying on the floor for you to step on, just switch off by the socket.
Hi from the UK, been a Electrician since 1980 and load balancing in the context he's inferring isn't really a thing and never been something considered in the 1000's of houses i've wired/rewired, In theory you can have as many sockets on a ring main as you like but practicality and area usually dictate a separation, you would have absolutely no issue with what you have in your studio, all plugs have individual fuses in them from 3 to 13 amp depending on it's use and all circuits are also protected from the the Consumer unit/fuse board with a RCD (Residual Current Device) which will trip the power in 30 mili seconds faster than you'd feel it, Ring mains are usually split to do the down stairs sockets on one, upstairs sockets on another, maybe Kitchen on another, Radial circuits would usually be used for one point use usualy on larger cable for Cookers and Showers etc, Lighting circuits are generally radial circuits again split into downstairs/upstairs depending on size of property , Lighting wired in 1.5mm Twin & Earth, Ring mains in 2.5mm Twin & Earth, Cookers in 6mm T&E, Showers depends how many KW but 6mm to 10mm T&E, there are always variations to individual property and customer requirements but in general as above, Hope this answers a few questions at least, Andy
Nobody ever steps on the plugs because they're left in the sockets as we have the switch! 🤦♂️
If you need to "troubleshoot" a lamp and it takes more than 3 steps (10 seconds) then you've got more to worry about 🤣
Following Lego, you know if you do.
I've stepped on a plug before. I'll never erase that pain from my memory
@@nathanlane407 Me too, I can testify you only do it once. It's unforgettable.
I have, my straighteners, but that was my own fault
Love this, been working nights in UK & watching this. Great content and they really don't ever pull out by accident I gotta admit.
Load Balancing Bollocks, we have multiple ring circuits for different things, the Lighting Circuit is completely different..
Yeah we have different circuits for the lighting, the main living area & bedroom sockets, a separate one for the kitchen, individual ones for other key systems - boilers, electric fires etc.
Yep, and keeping the lighting separate has the added advantage that if you trip the kitchen ring (for example), you've still got light while you figure out what went wrong (and time to comfortably fetch a torch if you have to turn it all off, which is rare).
I'm not an electrician but I have experienced load balancing issues at my office, which is an only building and a nightmare to keep warm during the winter. We'd get constant power trips during the colder months and were eventually told by multiple electricians that it was down to people in offices plugging in multiple space heaters. 4-5 heaters, running at 2.5kW each and drawing 13amps each will play havoc on the circuit.
Thankfully we got the our main heating system revamped a couple of years ago so it's not so much and issue now.
Yep - upstairs lighting, downstairs lighting - upstairs sockets, downstairs sockets and individual ones for cooker and boiler. Going on holiday - put all the breakers off for the upstairs & downstairs lighting and the upstairs sockets. Switch off cooker and boiler. Only things working then are phone, router and fridge.
Do you know why the design is so good? Well on the 20 person team assembled to redesign how household electrics worked in UK there was only 1 household safety expert, and she was also the only woman on the team, Dame Caroline Haslett who was a renowned electrical engineer, after her death instead of a statue she had an enormous electricity pylon near her home dedicated to her memory, how cool is that? 🤣
UK electrician here! A Few more things to add if you’re interested:
You cannot have our sockets anywhere near a sink or bathroom (only shaver outlets)
We do use radials for less load consuming areas such as bedrooms or living rooms where you’ll only be using the tv, consoles, chargers and maybe a vacuum. Rings are pretty much mandatory in kitchens due to the load of them but wiring all areas on their own rings is also very common
I’m very glad he mentioned the circuit types and the voltage difference!
We can have sockets in a bathroom. They need to be quite far from the bath etc and most uk bathrooms aren't big enough to accommodate it but it's allowed in a big enough room.
@ best to just avoid it and there’s really no need for it
I agree with some of the other comments. As a 42 year old Brit, i have never encountered a load balance problem before. In fact, in the twenty years i've lived in my house, i have never had any problems with my electical sockets or plugs. Greetings from the UK by the way. I love the channel.
Living in the UK since 2002 and I can tell you we have never once had a balance issue with loads on the plugs, whether thats because of the way they build the houses or not but thats not an issue at all.
Another thing is the trouble shooting.. we have the switch on the socket, the fuse in the plug and then a fuse box somewhere in the house if things trip.. thats it.
lol enjoyed that. In my living room i have four double outlets, the bedrooms have either two doubles or three. I only have one single outlet in my hall and there is never an issue about overloading. Instead of building a home there and fitting it like ours, just move over here :D simples ;)
great vid again. brill reaction. cheers.
I'm 73. I had never even heard of load-balancing before I saw this video. It is seriously not a problem. I have the tumble dryer and the washing machine going next to each other, right under the counter where the kettle is on for making a drink next to where the toaster is making my breakfast toast.
The confusion as to whether something is not working due to the appliance itself or the switch on the socket also doesn't exist. If you can't remember where you switched something off, it takes two seconds to check...
You're never going to tread on a plug. The only time you need to unplug anything is when you want to put it away. Otherwise, you simply switch it off at the socket.
UK electrician here (or sparks as we're commonly known).
You would really have to go out of your way to purposely cause a load balancing issue.
All plugs have to have the Earth pin even if it's plastic otherwise you can't open the shutters to get the live & neutral pins in.
Because we have switches on our outlets we hardly ever take the plugs out, so stepping on a plug is more rare than rocking horse shit. If we're going away for a while we just flip the switches off.
Lights + 5 amps
Sockets = 15 amps
Electric cooker / stove = 30 amps.
The wiring in the walls is always the right gauge for use.
You could replace all your sockets in your house with type G but your load ability wouldn't change.
However I believe there is some US legislation preventing you from doing so.
I was taught how to wire a plug when I was 7.
But won't electricity run the shorter path on the ring regardless? Do resistance change with load so it will eventually take the longer way around to even out the load? I guess the cabling always have to be able to carry the full load for that ring regardless? But then there is no point in using a ring as there is no cost saving?
I am no electrician so I have only basic understanding of this.
Sockets are 13 amp.
@@Gazer75 The ring final circuit was introduced for various reasons after WW2, principally with a view to saving copper.
I'm also a qualified UK electrician (don't practice anymore) and would agree with all of coot1925 comments apart from the issue of standing on a plug. On that rare occasion when you take one out it will fall on the floor 'pins up' like an electrical caltrop, and treading on it is about 1000 times more painful than standing on a lego brick.
@@StevenRusling Never done it in 63 years [standing on a plug]. The person who would do this would be very stupid then to pull out a plug over an area of traffic [walking].
@@StevenRusling
And most plugs are going to be removed and land near the wall.
I think most people are aware that it looks painful if you tread on one, so would move it to a safe place anyway.
Plus leaving cables spread across the floor is a trip hazard!!
To clarify the purpose of the fuse in the plug - it's there to protect the appliance cable. For lower current devices such as a TV or stereo, lighter cables are generally used and you need to use a 3A fuse in the plug; for heavy-load appliances such as a kettle, heavier-gauge cables are used and you'd use a 13A fuse in the plug. In all cases, if there was a disastrous fault in the appliance such as a dead short, the plug fuse prevents overheating of the appliance cable - the main fuse at the consumer unit on power circuits is 32A, significantly higher than what the appliance cable for a stereo would be able to cope with, so having a fuse in the plug is an extra safety feature.
Trust me stepping on a 3 pin plug barefoot is something you only do once, it really really hurts lol,
The sole of my left foot was black and blue for 2 weeks because of stepping on a plug in the dark. Never ever again!
It's worse than Lego bricks!
I've had nail in the bottom of my foot, the initial pain of a three pin is much worse, there's nothing like it.
This
Most of the time though, once an appliance is plugged into the wall socket then there is no need to unplug it when if need be, you can turn it off by the switch on the wall socket plate.
And even if you do unplug it if say going on holiday, you would just drop the plug on the floor near to the wall socket, as opposed to having it pins side up on the floor in the middle of the room.
My house is over 200 years old and I’ve never had any issue with load balancing. In fact until this video I had never heard of load balancing and I’ve been using plugs for 56 years. I have an office with 2 desktop computers, 2 laptops, a tv, internet and NAS all running in the same room and never had an issue. Yes we have surge protectors that are normally in the form of extension cords. The only appliances that don’t use the G plugs are hair shavers/electric toothbrushes (ie love voltage items) which are 2-prong and we just use a 2-prong to 3-prong adapter to plug them into our normal sockets. Because we use 240 in the UK it is illegal to have sockets in the bathroom apart from the previously mentioned 2-prong sockets. So hairdryers and straighteners are used in our bedrooms instead of in bathrooms.
You can have sockets in a bathroom as long as they are 2.5m or more from a bath/shower.
Has an electrician ever advised you what can or can't be added to a ring circuit?
Or told you that an addition to the wiring you asked for needs to be added to a specific circuit or a new circuit added?
@@RobinLoxley-fn8ex
True.
But most British bathrooms are to small to fit any sockets legally.
😊
We have the same office setup, but I installed some dado trunking above the desks with two sets of socket outlets, 4 x double (white) sockets fed directly from the mains for general stuff and also three red double sockets for the computers, which are fed from the 3kVA UPS that also powers the network rack, router and phone system, so we have an hour or two of backup power if the mains fails. There are also several RJ45 sockets for the computers. Makes things a lot neater, no extension strips.
@@Paul-yh8km I love you put "legally" there :)
British electrician here. Load balancing for domestic supply is only an issue for supplier's these days (across the entire grid) same as in the USA and everywhere infact.
In an individual house, not an issue, not even really a thing anymore. Just don't turn on your kettle, washing machine, dishwasher, oven, and use plug in power tools all at the same time.
(Same as everywhere else)
As a Brit ive never had to worry about load balancing. All off our electrical appliances have a 3 pin plug including irons, kettles, toasters, hairdryers, lamps, basically anything that is electrical has a 3 pin plug.
Load balancing is resolved at the breaker box which splits the load with multiple circuits (i.e. ceiling lights upstairs, ceiling lights downstairs, wall sockets upstairs, wall sockets downstairs, etc).
Our main wring comes from a fused board with individual trip switches. A surge would trip the main board first. A local power surge from a device would blow the plug fuse and/or trip the switch to that section of sockets/lights etc. We do have surge protectors, mainly used on outside plugs for electric lawnmowers, strimmer etc. We also tend to have a built in surge protector if we are using a extension lead, these can have three or more spare sockets with a lead coming off and a fused plug that goes into the outlet. Great video, enjoyed it.
Love your reaction to this. As a Brit I've never had trouble with load balancing. I've had rooms with loads of workshop tools running and there's no problem. We have MCB for overloads on the distribution board plus RCB's and RCBO's for earth leak detection protection.
Well that was a 22 minute geek out lol, it's just so normal for us over here, most of us don't even think about it. Good reaction as always guys :)
When the guy was showing the wires being pulled out, did you think what I thought.... loosen the bloody screws man 😂
❤ from Northeast England ❤️
We live in Kent just outside London and have never has issues with overloading the system, we have surge protection and you can set up an entire studio in one room without compromising the electric circuit. Hope this helps!
Love watching ❤
17:09 I've never had an issue with load balancing in the UK and I don't know anyone who has. I should also point out that whilst the individual runs of wire are thinner than they may be in the US for the same wattage, overall they're rated to 32A when all wires are correctly connected in the ring circuit. This means that you should be able to draw 32A through the wiring spread around your various sockets (since each individual socket can support 16A and the maximum plug fuse in the UK is 13A that 32A would need to be over at least 3 sockets) without issue.
Yes and we plug extension plugs in and see how many appliances we can plug in to one socket lol. Never know any issue with load balancing!
I eas thinking the same thing. My kitchen as multiple large appliances as well as many smaller and i can have the full room running without issues of power cutting out.
We don't step on the plugs, because we never need to unplug them from the wall, thanks to the switch!
Why do American sockets never have switches?? It's so inconvenient!
I'm a retired electrician, the UK has had the longer Earth pin since the days of Bakelite round pin plugs, when 2 pins changed to 3 pins. Square pin fused plugs where introduced in 1947, still bakelite until proper plastics where known. The 'type G referes to the black insulator on the live & neutral pins, & was introduced in 1974. The UK's voltage is twice that of America, 240, which is why the safety was needed. All kids stick things into holes so this safety feature is a result of learning the hard way. UK lighting circuits are 6A, sockets are 32a, the main inut is 100a. The Main fuseboard (Consumer Unit) is fitted with MCB's (miniture circuit breakers) for each different circuit run from the board to act as a safety measure against faults greater than just blowing a fuse in a plug. The different circuits are; Lights, Sockets, Cooker, Hot Water Heater, Shower, Storage Heater. For two storey houses there is a Lights U & Lights Down, & Sockets U, Sockets Down. The only 2 pin plug still used is for shaver sockets in bathrooms. Uk bathrooms also have a ceiling mounted pull switch for the light so you won't be touching a normal light switch with wet hands.
Mike & Jess, I am an electrician from the UK. Checking the equivalency tables for cable, your 12 gauge cable is fine as it is for power outlets, the physical problem is that you use wire nuts, we got rid of those over 50 years ago. Its false in what he says about load sharing, but I will say this, if you are using a what we call a two gang socket, dont have 2 heavy loaded plugs, it will cause a fire eventually. Our sockets are rated to be 13 amps, but if you read the leaflet of a double socket, it is 20 amp (2 x 10 amp) max.
Nobody takes any notice. They use a chinese made extension lead that is certainly not BS1363 on each one too. Most kitchens are a load potential load balancing problem.
@@drcl7429then you have only your own stupidity to blame?
@@drcl7429 I've never heard of any UK house having a load balancing issue, The guy in the video is stretching for disadvantages.
As you probably know, though, from diversity calculations most heavy demand appliances don't actually draw the maximum continuously. If you ran two washing machines plugged in side by side you might run into issues eventually, but it's extremely unlikely that both appliances would be drawing the maximum. In any case modern consumer units would kick in with their overload protection and trip the circuit. Of course though it's a problem that's easily avoided - just don't plug in two appliances that are likely to draw 13 amp each into the same two gang socket.
It depends upon the manufacturer. Years ago, I drew up the datasheets and packaging for a well known range of electrical items. In that range, a 2-gang socket was actually designed and rated for 29A and it was actually moulded into the rear of the faceplate.
In uk we use this plug on everything including power tools and compressors at home.
Every UK home has a multi ring circuit system. The kitchen, the cooker, the lounge sockets, the lighting for each floor, the wall sockets for each floor, the central heating/hot water system, burglar alarm system etc. With each circuit being separately fused via a trip switch.
The fuse/trip switch box is also equipped with spare circuit outlets to enable new ring circuits to be installed to supply electricity to a garage, tool shed, workshop or other outbuilding so as add more load to an existing circuit
The fuse/trip switch box also has every circuit clearly labelled, so if a switch does trip the location of the problem can easily be identified. Thus saving forever checking every room & every piece pf electrically powered gizmo
I live in a 2 bedroom, fairly large apartment which has a trip switch box with 8 circuits equipped with trip switches, 6 of these circuits are in use with 2 spare. The trip switch box also has the capacity to add another 5 trip switches by removing a plastic cover & inserting trip switches as required, thus i could add a separate circuit to supply power to 4 tool sheds & 3 garages & not worry about circuit overload, or should i buy a high power lathe & a very large air compressor i could put each of them on their own circuit without any overload issues or switches tripping
I hope that cleared up any confusion about UK home electrical circuitry
Prior to this video, I was never aware of "load balancing" in a home. Here in the UK, we don't have a separate laundry, so our kitchen has a cooker, fridge, freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, kettle, coffee maker etc. Never had a problem. If something was to cause a short circuit then either the fuse in the plug would blow or the surge protector in the main fuse box would trip out. Also, you could retrofit your plug and socket system as the UK style plugs themselves will still work for your 110v appliances. It's just that appliances manufactured for the 230v UK market won't run on 110v. 👍
In the UK heavy current items like cookers ,showers etc are on Radial circuits not the Ring - so few if any overload problems .
Ah yes but it's the electrician and the regs that make sure of that!
It is an issue that the home owner doesn't have to worry about.
Electric showers and cookers run off 30mm twin and earth while ring mains have 2.5mm twin and earth
I'm 40 but I remember in school being taught all about connecting plugs as, until the early 90's, it wasn't a legal requirement for appliances to come with plugs pre-attached. It was still an important life skill when I was a kid.
I'm 77 and have never...never stepped on a plug! WTF is load balancing, never heard of it, never a problem. His issues are utter bollocks, really, he's scraping the barrel. Cheers from Blighty! Love you channel!
I have stepped on a plug a couple of times, but as a messy electronics hobbyist I've also stepped on a couple of upturned DIL integrated circuit chips, and I'd take the plug (or Lego) every time - at least they don't embed themselves in your foot.
As a Brit we learn to wire plugs at school. For extra load appliances such as cookers and washers we have a separate circuit its own fuse and tends to be beefier.
Yip, we're taught in school how to rewire plugs in school. after about age 10 this was my job in the home lol.
As a Brit we did not learn to wire plugs at school.
@@grumpyhale821 :O seriously? we were taught that young! but then i'm gen x lol so mibi they stopped it? no idea why they would? i never waited for school so i taught my children how to wire a plug young, just assumed we still did?
Possibly not these days, as all electrical appliances come with a plug fitted (moulded or with screw disassembly). In the 70s/80s a lot of cheaper/unbranded things like toasters and table lamps did not have a plug fitted.
Yeah I'm 41 and lived in the UK since birth, I was never taught at school how to wire plugs. My dad took 2 mins out of his day once to show me
Hi peeps, we moved to Canada 10 years ago and we finally got rid of our last UK plug only 2 years ago and never had any load balancing issues in 50 years also common UK house the majority of lekie used would be in kitchen and living room which are usually next to each other keep up the great content Pikles
Never had load balancing issues in UK - I'm 59 yrs old! I have Marshall valve guitar amps etc. etc. We have trip switches which trip if the load is greater than it should be on that circuit. These are easily reset. I did get electrocuted in the US in the 70s...my finger slipped between the 2 prongs of the US plug.......Thanks guys!
I'll throw in my tuppence from the North of England... Load balance? I never had to know it was a thing. Until living off grid, plugging a four socket adaptor with perhaps a couple of double adaptors in it into one socket, running umpteen appliances at times, similarly wasn't given a thought.
Treading on an upturned plug, usually in the dark and half asleep does certainly happen, to a cacophony of curses at this painful and rude awakening, but this is thankfully extremely rare. I'd never think to unplug something, or turn off the switch, on anything that was used in situ or daily. Appliances that were used only on occasion were generally plugged in, used, and put away. No plugs lying about. Surge protector??
I enjoyed this, it was a fun and informative watch for you to share your reaction to. Thanks for another good 'un.
Remember we also have lights switches that control ceiling lights. Ive got 3pc, 5 monitors, 2 3d printers and a 70 inch TV in my living room. We also have a fuse box and/or trip switches with one switch for each section (like upstairs sockets, downstairs lights etc).
It takes A LOT of power, from one socket, to flip a trip in england. Plus we have (since the 70) we realised we need sockets in every corner of the room. We only have a tiny house, and still have a double socket in every corner. And they, in turn they have 4 way extenders in them. In our kitchen we have the kettle, toaster and fridge in the same socket. Never had a problem. Great video guys!
Oy..! We're not all in England you know, we're well modern in Scotland, we've had electricity for ages..! And I'm half Welsh so watch it 🤣
I lived in the UK for 53 years and I never encountered any issues with load balancing.
Hi from the UK, I love your channel. I have worked in the electric utility business for 40 years and have never come across an overloading issue with a ring circuit. However I do agree radial is better and modern UK installations are often radial nowadays. As a matter of interest the ring circuit came into play after world war 2 because of the huge amount of rebuilding work and a shortage of copper
I have an extension lead with 4 sockets in one plastic housing, each socket with its own on/off switch, and a light to tell you when they are all switched off. Its genious, as i can switch one off without affecting any others or having to unplug it.
Load balancing is generally an unheard of concern in any domestic or office place in the UK as the basic spec of any modern or re-wired house takes account of the load balancing and ,made more effective by having a comprehensive well apportioned fuse box with surge protection which shuts of individual fused sections or the whole system if theres a massive overload or major earthing issue. Surge protraction is mandatory on UK house builds and rewiring projects.- the plug size while bigger is jut accepted as normal of course and the benefits far outweigh the size issue. You can use G style plugs on US style 110V power systems - you dont need 230V for them to function -
The best part about the fuses on every plug is that the fuse in every lead is rated to the same current as the lead itself can handle. If you overload it, the lead on the extension cord itself will blow preventing a potential fire in your home. With US sockets the fuse is only meant to be rated for the wires in your wall. (until someone decides they need a bigger fuse for a circuit but doesn't re-wire the socket)
I am 62. I have never even heard of anyone standing on a plug. Never ever experienced any load balancing problems either. Jess is right, you can put furniture right to the walls even if sockets are there.
The ring breaker is 32A so at 230v nominal that's 7kw on a circuit. Each plug is rated up to 13A, so max 3kw per appliance. If you're using 7kw in a single room, you're going to get uncomfortably hot really quickly! Another way to think about it is a circuit could supply roughly 9 800w PC power supplies running flat out.
Having a standard plug is great; from a USB wall-wart to a (small) welder you're good. Also our wall-warts don't fall out. While not common "Commando" style sockets are available for heavier loads (and three-phase if you've got/need that).
The fuse in the plug is to protect the flex/cord to the appliance. Without it you'd have to have really thick flex to handle the current needed to trip the breaker. With it is the flex only has to be think enough to break the plug's fuse (which can be as low as 3A) - so a lamp flex/cord is actually thinner than the USA equivalent. It also means chaining extension multi-gang leads isn't a fire risk (just a potential under-volt problem).
RCDs, arc prevention, and surge protection (where needed) are standard in the fuse box these days protecting the whole installation, not on a per-outlet basis.
Load-balancing is only really an issue during design/installation. A kitchen (where most high current devices live: dishwasher, washer, drier, toaster, kettle) will have it's own 32A ring circuit, and a separate radial for the cooker/hob.
Stepping on the plug, while painful, is also a non-issue when you can leave things plugged in but switched off at the socket.
Yes we use surge protection, usually via an extension leads to give more sockets, and would recommend for higher value items like audio/visual, computer equipment etc. As for the loop/ring circuit he is showing this works to evenly distribute power both ways on the loop, so something at the end of the radial (looks similar to what we call a Spur system) doesn't get less power because a higher load item is plugged in before causing lets say a lamp to dim/flicker. And with the Load balancing that he was talking about, i would go with 1 ring circuit to each area of the house, not just an upstairs and downstairs ring back to consumer unit for socket and light circuits, as was case years ago, before we got so much Tech. I have my kitchen, living room, computer room, bedrooms, bathrooms, outside, garage all on separate rings for sockets and lights back to a trip/breaker switch at consumer board, and split load balanced via RCD's as now required when upgrading our systems
as someone who has qualifications as an electrician im going to break down his flaws a little here as i think its lack of experience on his end 1ST the size of the plug doesn't matter due to the fact its pretty flush to the wall and so your overall profile is smaller than one that has a cable sticking straight out of the wall 2ND load balancing isn't a issue the only time I've experienced an issue here is in a very old house for example i have 2 pcs 2 monitors 1 set of speakers 1 Xbox 1 standing desk running form one plug right now and i have ethernet running through my house wiring in the socket next to it and I've never had problems 3RD installation maintenance testing i have to disagree with as well for example to test our circuit all you have to do is check the power with a little device coming through the 2 plugs in the house which takes about 2 minutes and that will tell you if your system is working properly 4TH is a none issue if you cant figure out if your plug is turned on or if you product is turned on you probably shouldn't be left alone lol 5th i agree standing on these are painful however due to switches on the wall there's no need to ever unplug from the wall if necessary get a extension lead
This may be quite technical, so I'll make it as simple as possible: 'load balancing' does not apply to a 'ring main'. Regarding the second point about wiring gauge, the standard for UK sockets is 2.5 square millimetres, doubled, which totals five square millimetres. Essentially, you have all the live, neutral, and earth wires connecting to their respective terminals in each socket. There is one set of wires entering the socket and another set exiting, linking to the subsequent socket, and so forth. From the consumer unit (known as the fuse board in America), a 2.5 millimetre wire extends from the fuses to your first socket, then links to the next socket, and so on, connecting each subsequent socket in the circuit. No matter how many sockets are included in that ring, the wire from the last socket will loop back to the originating fuse in the consumer unit. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings about the gauge of wiring and load balancing.
I remember a lesson at school just teaching us how to open a plug and fix the wires in place, and change the fuse.
Yep, was standard for me back in the 70s.
Hi Mike, load balancing is not something that I've ever had an issue with, and numerous British TH-camrs have fancy studio set-ups with no problem. Surge protection is built into the main fuse box, and not many people leave a plug upside down in the middle of the floor, why bother when you can leave it plugged in the socket and switch the socket off. Something he didn't mention, lights and power sockets are on different circuits, a 15amp circuit for lights, and a 30amp circuit for power, with a separate 30amp circuit solely for the cooker.
Light circuits are 6amp. Ring mains 32amp.
all surge protectors are built in either on the main board as trip switches or within the power socket itself, most with a surge protector also have a visible light indicating it has that protection built in
For protecting items plugged into existing, non-protected supplies, there are also plugs with MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) in for surge protection. They are usually just like normal 13A, re-wirable plugs, but the top half is twice as deep).
In the UK here. I loved watching this video, both for your beautiful reactions to our system, and to remind myself of just how great this system is, as I think we take that for granted.
The overload point is just not a thing. Maybe in some inappropriately wired houses? We have a fairly large house with a LOT of electics running - the house IDLEs at 1.5kW, and runs at c.2.5kW when we're all on computers, TV, etc. Each OUTLET can handle 3kW on its own (i.e. what high powered kettle might draw) and a typical ring will be on a 30A or 32A MCB or RCBO (i.e. breaker), so the ring can technically handle well over 7kW before tripping.
Put another way, I have about 6 separate rings in my house just for the wall outlets, however each ONE could handle the power draw of the entire house.
Balancing is NOT a problem unless you have a lot of high wattage items all connected to the same ring and running simultaneously. For intensive and ultra high requirements, we have 3 phase available.
BTW, the last downside... 100% feel that, literally. I stood full force on a plug many years ago, and I still have the faint remains of 3 prong scar tissue in the sole of my foot where it fully went through the skin!
i had a feeling this video was coming lol, british plugs are the best in the world to be fair! hope you guys are well, i really enjoy your chemistry and smiles.
One of my early childhood memories is my dad showing me how to wire a plug.
Yeah same.... I was 7 when I learned to wire a plug and change the fuse
Likewise.
Great video.
Load balancing has never been an issue in the UK with ring circuits also with regards to surge protection, we do use it in the UK but mainly for things like computers which we would mainly use an extension lead with built in surge protection (similar to the picture you showed us) or you can get it hard wired in at the circuit breaker end and have it protect an entire circuit instead.
With our plugs/sockets running on 230v doesn't mean you cant use them in the US you could change every socket and appliance plug and it would happily run on 110v no problem.
He was really reaching with his negatives lol. Simply not a problem.
As for standing on them, most people aren't daft enough to unplug them and leave them pins facing up where people walk.
It is rare but every adult remembers stepping on one once even if they can't remember where or when
Everybody drinks sometimes...
@@adrianmorton4262 I'm 63 and have NEVER done it or heard of someone who has.
@@adrianmorton4262Not if the plugs have always stayed in the wall. I've stood on other things which have hurt, one even needed me go to hospital, but never a plug.
@@anglosaxon5874 strange that. I just asked my partner if she'd ever stood on one and of course she has, "more than once and they bloody hurt too!" (I established usually hair dryers or curling tongues) She continued "I wouldn't like to stand on an American plug.. They're like knives!"
Who have you asked?
About the load that he mentions, put it this way lol:
All coming from one socket (using an extension for more plugs), I have my gaming PC, 3 monitors, microphone, mobile charger, sound system, lamp, and fan. lol
No issues at all.
Same.
Monitors don't draw much, neither do mobile chargers.
The gaming PC and sound system are probably the only serious draw.
On the other hand, if you were using a couple of 2KW heaters, a dual socket server with multiple gfx cards and a mini fridge then you are talking a whole different level in power draw.
@@mnomadvfx - I get that, I had only mentioned it because it wouldn't be too different or far off from what their recording set up would be.
@@mnomadvfxTo be honest I've run a 2kW heater, 400W dehumidifier, PC which draws up to 500W under load, and 2 3D printers from the same extension without issue. I've also run a 2kW kettle, washing machine, toaster and fridge freezer simultaneously from the same extension as well without issue. I know you're not supposed to of course :)
Yeah but add a 2kw heater and it will blow a fuse.
All the items apart from the PC are tens of watts at most.
Just to clarify the Load balancing discussion. Each UK mains ring typically has its own 16 Amp breaker (which when you consider the calculation of volts * amps = watts, you have a massive amount of power available at 16 Amps. Additionally, things like Showers and Cookers are almost always on their own circuits. We also typically have at least 1 upstairs and 1 downstairs ring at a minimum. Lighting is also on separate rings as well.
18:53 you can tell this bloke has never been a sparkie
I'm 48 years old and never heard of anyone I know, family, friends or work colleagues ever have a problem with load balancing.
You can literally put electrical devices where you like around your house in the UK and it isn't a problem with the exception of a UK bathroom.
The only power outlets allowed in a UK bathroom is a 110v shaver outlet, even then that has to be located a minimum of 3 meters away from the bath. This is a UK law to minimise the risk of electrocution which actually means most UK bathrooms don't have any power outlets at all because it is rare a UK bathroom is large enough to be able to have a 110v shaver outlet located 3 meters distant of the bath.
It doesn't have to be 110V, just fed from an isolating transformer.
Speaking as a 'non-electrician' We do have on the consumer unit (fuse box) a sort of surge protection as when something happens and we blow the fuse on that circuit we can go and flip the switch and it should deal with the surge. If its continues, we get an actual electrian out. Also if we use extension cords, and some wall sockets with their own fuses, and lets be honest most homes over here have extension cables in use, they too can have surge protection built in. The thing is our plugs in the UK, have fuses of different amps (the brown one in the demonstration, is only one) for different types of appliances, and the wall sockets are usually more tolerant of the differences than the demonstration implied. But, we still could overload them, if we put too many appliances in the same socket. I think that is why since the 1980s homes in the UK having electical work done on them, have to up date the consumer units. I worry if I visit a house and its got the old type fuse box, and yes there are a few out there! The newer ones are less likely to have an electrical fires. I think?
It was interesting to see how different the UK and USA plugs are.
I'm in UK, never heard of overload being a problem and I have a room with multiple monitors & PC's + other tech running pretty much constantly
load distribution is done by having ring mains, Lighting, Sockets, Shower and cooking main, they are protected by consumer trip switch...... its simples!
One of the many practical things I was taught in school when I was around 12 years old was how to wire a plug safely. Mind you, that was in the early 1980s! I imagine things have changed quite a bit since then. I also lived in the US when I was slightly a older kid and I don't remember that fixing plugs was a thing, but also that we never had any problems whatsoever with electrical safety. Maybe we were just lucky! The UK seems to be a real belt and braces system - which is great of course ;)
Most 'areas' in houses which draw max load would be the kitchen - electric oven, built-in grill, extractor fan, electric hob, kettle, dishwasher, washing machine, toaster et al. We've had all of these on at the same time, no troubles at all. Depends on how your how was wired and what 'loads' were planned for usage.
My electric oven has a separate plug socket deliberately set up for a double oven.
@@charlestaylor9424 What's a 'plug socket' ?? I know what a plug is, and I know what a socket is, so what's a plug socket..? Some form of hybrid..? 😋
Almost all UK plugs a type G. The only exception is a 12V DC outlet in a bathroom. Load balancing is not an issue at all. You can have lamps, washing machines, cookers the whole lot on one ring.
You still sometimes see a type D socket in old properties, mainly for standard lamps. They have a max 5 amp load, are smaller and have round pins.
Not quite true. There are commandos.
What do you use 12V for in a bathroom..? Never seen one in any UK bathroom I've ever been in. Shaver/toothbrush outlets, yes, but they're mains fed via an isolating transformer.
@@TestGearJunkie. Yes, shavers and toothbrushes.
Wow - When this showed up on my feed I thought it was gonna be boring - I was wrong.
I'm a Brit and plug anything in anywhere without issues... I do use surge protectors on my PC and TV equipment but only as extra protection... Finally - I now appreciate UK plugs in a way i have NEVER done before... Thanks.
We've got a single socket in the garage, which I run the fridge/freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer and various power tools off...sometimes all simultaneously. What's the guy talking about load balancing for?
When I was young (probably about 8 or 9 ) an electrician (friends dad) saw me putting a plug on and said let me give you some pointers (I was having trouble getting the wires the correct length inside the plug) so he walked me through what he did and once he did that he showed me how to test that both plug and socket were correct. He brutally tugged on it then plugged it in to the socket, then stepped on the top of it (they are not very wide when you are trying to step on them) he said if it pops out, either the plug or socket needed replacing. When I still lived in the UK I would often do this just to prove my work was up to snuff.
I no longer live in the UK (I'm in the US) but my understanding is they now have molded plugs for a lot of items. They are not as serviceable with only the fuse being removeable. Back in my day (let me shake my stick here a min at the youngsters) few items even came with a plug attached. It was common practice to either buy a new plug when you bought a device or reuse an old one (if you were doing a replacement) but it was a mostly universal skill that when you got old enough you were taught how to wire a plug. I originally learned from my dad when I showed an interest in repairing a record player. I'm not a sparky by trade (I went in to electronics and computers) but by the time I was 12 I could and did rewire an entire house to above code.
When installing the mains in the UK it is typically multiple loops depending on room usage. For instance the kitchen where there could be large draw items would be a separate loop just to itself while if you have 2/3 bedrooms they would probably be on there own loop and that goes throughout the house (living room + dining room).
US plugs and sockets are by my standards awful and I have thought often though about replacing them to UK style (I would keep the house wiring just replace the sockets) throughout my house, however insurance says it's not US code, it's not allowed. Maybe once my house is paid off.
Yes, this is the standard plug in the UK for everything. Phone chargers, toasters, computers, fridges, etc. The only single exception that comes to mind is for electric shavers in the bathroom by the sink.
We're taught in school how to change a plug.
am 65 as kids your dad taught you how to wire a plug, back then no appliance sold had a plug on it.
@@steve3231 I was taught it at school but my mum also showed me how to do it. My dad hadn't a clue! :😄
I was taught this at my first day of secondary school in 1988. Unfortunately non of my kids were taught this in school so I had to show them instead. It's sad that schools today seem to bypass these simple lessons like wiring, sewing etc. I can even remember having a couple of lessons in household budgeting.
@@steve3231 Am 75, my old man was a sparks so at the age of 10 I could already change a plug and was crawling under floorboards pulling string to help him rewire houses
So was I but I don't think they teach it now. Probably because in today's dumbed-down world a lot of new appliances come with sealed non-serviceable plugs - no doubt so manufacturers can't be sued if somebody rewires the plug incorrectly.
Most Uk houses have dedicated 32 A circuit breakers (MCB or RCBO) for downstairs sockets and one for upstairs sockets. Like wise a dedicated 6A circuit breakers for downstairs lights and upstairs lights. If you need more then you just add a dedicated fuse for that circuit in the consumer unit. Surge protectors can be installed in the consumer unit and /or at the main switch they protect every circuit in the house. Alternatively/or additionally you can purchase type 3 surge protectors for individual plugs.
Most Uk houses have dedicated 32 A circuit breakers for downstairs sockets and one for upstairs sockets. Like wise a dedicated 6A circuit breakers for downstairs lights and upstairs lights. If you need more then you just add a dedicated fuse for that circuit in the consumer unit. Surge protectors can be installed in the consumer unit and /or at the main switch they protect every circuit in the house. Alterinively/or additionaly you can purchase type 3 surge protectors for individual plugs.
Hi Jess and Mike, Brit here. I love your channel. Never miss it. I just wanted to say the negative sides are not true. Especially the load balancing, it's just not a thing, ever. We have lots of large items in one room, the kitchen, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, fridge freezer, oven as well as microwave toasters, etc. This has never caused any issues ever. All products use a type g plug and just plug straight into the normal socket on the wall. No special extensions are needed. 😊❤oh and if anyone who leaves the plug in the middle of the floor is an idiot 😂❤🇬🇧
Kitchens are usually fed from their own breakers, so the high current stuff like kettles and washing machines don't overload the main house sockets.
Load balancing is really never an issue, and that’s partly because during the building process, if electricians expect (or are told) that one room will experience a significantly higher load output, a separate ring system can be put in place for the room. In domestic cases this is usually rooms that are designated as an office for example. The only time I’ve ever really had to think about it was when I was planning my restaurant building and we had to ask for a separate system in the back room so that 2*30W fryers could be put in alongside everything else. It took the electrician an extra hour
For a large commercial installation, I'd be using a three-phase system. Then you do need to worry about load balancing, but plan it carefully and you won't have an issue.
@@TestGearJunkie. Yeah we had three phase in put in for some other systems, but the fryers weren’t put on it
Yes we do have surge protectors over here in the UK. Every house has a mains fuse box or consumer unit with usually about half a dozen trip switches in it. So if we do get a surge, the fuse for the circuit concerned will trip out first protecting the wiring in the house. As for overloading, that's never been a problem.
I had no idea everyone doesn't do this until I saw this video and others like it. Years ago I was visiting the states and could not understand why your plugs were so flimsy and unstable. Of course our electricity supply is far stronger as well (so kettles - that essential to British life - boil quickly. Cannot have our tea delayed -and do not mention Microwaving tea unless you want a war).
16:39 I’m 37 never once had a load balance problem 😂
I agree and I’m 59
@@CazPea if ‘worst things about the plug’ was on family fortunes and you said ‘load balance’ les would say ‘if it’s up there I’ll you the money myself’ 😂
@@SPG-lv7wk 😂😂
12:52 With very few exceptions, like sockets for shavers, every appliance in the UK is fitted with a 13amp rated plug to fit the standard socket. The plug may carry a 3, 5 or 13 amp, depending on the load. And you'll never overload the plug/socket. The plug/socket might get warm if it is old and you're really pushing the limits with a heavy load, say a big domestic welder, but before anything bad happens the fuse in the plug will fail. Some modern plugs are sealed completely apart from the little fuse box. If ever that plug gets physically damaged and does not work or is not safe anymore, you can cut it off and replace with a standard Type G the electrician shows. Even damaged double insulated ones can have the standard plug replacement. You don't have to throw any appliance away when the plug is at fault. And to Brits who don't know how to wire up a plug - the safety of modern UK plugs has meant that you've probably grown up never having to wire up a plug. Look it up on the Net. It's really easy.
16:12 Nobody has a problem with load balancing in reality. We just don’t…I’ve got entire multimedia systems and a whole setup for powering multiple computers at once as well as multiple other things…just no, it’s not a thing. The load balancing thing is completely BS guys. Maybe if you put 10 sockets and then plugged in 10 massive appliances for some reason. His ‘not knowing whether the product is switched on or off is actually just embarrassing for him.’ Yeah we do have surge protectors btw…and yes they also have individual switches unless you get a dirt cheap one.