Power Outlets in United Kingdom

You should do a video on car audio! Like opening an amplifier, explaining how capasitors filter the higher frequencies, why different impedance speakers sound different and like test the limits on some speakers

As a German i quite like the UK Plug, you can define Neutral and Live and are not able to reverse them with the normal plug. Also the RCD is mandatory for the full house/flat since 2003 here, and bathroom circuits had to have them from 1984 on. Obviously trip current has to be higher because of pesky leak currents that can be higher at 240

Roland Respondek

It is an isolation transformer. You get 240v out, but not referenced to earth. The output is usually a centre tapped transformer to give 110 and 240v from a single secondary winding - overloading the 110 will drop the 240 output to 130 or lower, depending how it's wound. They usually have a self resetting thermal fuse on the transformer too.

Andy Brown

Here in Australia we have the best system and plugs , Active and neutral are covered like UK , may of the sockets require plug with earth to be inserted to release shutters for active pins. also our all circuits are protected by RCBO (ELCB or RCD ) circuit breakers so each circuit is protected and if fault ground or current only that circuit shuts down and not the whole house . We also do the same for lighting and power . I have to say we have the best in safety and design of any country

A nice relaxing informative video. Phew. Thank you. I was expecting unwarranted criticism of the UK domestic electricity supply. Please don't say it is the safest, it will only bring out the trolls explaining why their system is better. It is what it is and has evolved overtime prompted by my ancestors ability to kill themselves. Especially the younger ones.

Demolished Man

Come to Germany and test the safest outlets ever;)

When I was 5 I learned that one of my mom's hairpins could be plugged into a wall socket. It was pretty exciting. It only worked once. Mom had to tell me about breakers. And that is how it all began!

Craig Larson

American here and we have doors on on our newer outlets. I believe it takes equal pressure on two or all three prongs to open.

Jason Williamson

Great video! As a german who moved to Australia I never expected to miss the german SchuKo sockets because they are recessed and they are symmetrical so you can flip the plug around. Very helpful with bulky chargers.

I think you lot will like this: Why British Plugs are the Best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q

Preet S

I remember when I was a kid one of my mates copped a fishing hook in the eye...

Here in Israel the sockets also have little covers inside to prevent objects from being pushed and making contact. Also the plug has to be pushed in quite far before it makes contact (but it doesn't have the plastic covering on the remaining exposed prongs)

Michael Mirsky

Some UK sockets require all 3 pins to open the shutters, e.g. MK branded sockets. John Ward's channel did a tear-town on these. Despite the well-designed UK sockets, lamp sockets are still a hazard - Just remove the light bulb from a typical E27 or B22 lamp socket, switch it on and you have an exposed live terminal.

Seán Byrne

Hi I like your videos. Here in Malta we do things identically to the UK in terms of power distribution, voltage, RCDs and such. When you live in a flat, we usually have an MCB and RCD 60mA at the ground floor and then again inside the flat where all the single phase MCBs are, we have yet another RCD 30mA. The reason being that if it had to trip, the 30mA would trip first and that means you dont have to go downstairs to turn it back on. Should it fail, then you have a 2nd chance. With regards to the shaver socket, apart from being protected with the RCD as you clearly mentioned, they also have Isolation Transformers where the primary is identical to the secondary (ie: 230 in / out) and if you short the secondary, the primary voltage goes down as well. Im not 100% sure about HOW it does this, but I am 100% its called an isolation transformer. Maybe you can do a video about it. Thank you and keep it up

You should visit Norway and try to blow up our IT system, many old building don't even have GFCI / RCD… Schuko outlets have a safer child protection than UK, UK you just need to put something in the ground hole to access the live terminal, schuko you need both pins to enter at exactly the same time, that makes it fun to insert test pins, especially to measure between ground and live or neutral with only two pins. Back to UK, what do you think about their ring circuit, thin cable from the large breaker around the floor and back to the breaker?

Thomas Eriksen

the sheathing on the plugs has only been a regulation sine 1986. still plenty out there without the sheath

Ups.... The breaker popped!

Well you say 30mA, but it tripped at 20mA. So what gives?

ElectroBOOM [Mehdi Sadaghdar]

"and look what I found in their cupboard" - for a moment I thought it would be Harry Potter :D

Also, stepping on those plugs is indeed the most painful thing in the world. Worse than stepping on Lego.

You missed the RCBO that we use her in the UK for additional protection in Bathrooms, this is a single device which combines the functions of an MCB (overcurrent and short-circuit protection) and an RCD (Earth leakage protection)

Hope you enjoyed UK/London, Mehdi. I think those shaver sockets blow at about 1A.

Nice collage video, like it! Now about the plugs :-), I think that Schuko plugs are about there as safety concern. Dont have mandatory switch but one can opt for it. Most of cable plugs now days, have half isolated prongs like those in UK. But they are also recesed in the wall so there is no way you can short anything while plugging in. And 30mA is mandatory for wet rooms, 500mA for the whole house. Greetings from Croatia.

Two independent RCD protected circuits in that consumer unit so that if one trips, the other circuit (and hopefully some of the house lights) are still working.

Also, the "shaver sockets" in bathrooms also have their own transformers inside (i.e. Equal number of turns on the primary and secondary). This provides an extra level of isolation from the mains supply.

Great video, good to see what you think of the electrics in the UK. The shaver outlets in the bathrooms are connected to the lighting circuit so they’re only rated to 6A so it would trip if you plugged other things in anyway and the rcds are rated at 30mA and should trip in less than 40ms

Jonny

Haha! :D Russian Anthem to the British Flag! Your hilarious Mehdi :D

First!