Shaver Sockets are really clever
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- The UK has standardised around one type of three pin plug, so just why is there a completely different style 2 pin plug in British bathrooms, and why doesn’t it have an earth pin? Surely that’s more dangerous as with all the water in a bathroom? Well, like many UK electrical standards, it’s a well thought out solution to provide the maximum protection. But just why is it the shape it is? Well, that’s a two pin standard that goes back to the start of the 20th century.
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Errata: You can have a light switch in a UK bathroom but it needs to be 0.6m from any bath or shower, and 3m from any water outlet (e.g. sink).
The fuse protects the device, and the lead and everything upstream on the circuit.
As people mentioned, it made sense to sell the new UK 3 pin plug separately as many people's houses still had the old style plugs. I remember my grandmother's house had old style sockets in the 1970s.
Considering many first world countries allow switches in bathrooms and their citizens are dying from using them. It's evidence it's not a problem to have a light switch in the bathroom.
My German bathroom has (unswitched) full sized power outlets approx 50 cm away from both my shower and sink. And a double light switch just about the sink plug.
Although I do know that my whole appartment is protected with a rcd.
In US, bathroom and kitchen outlets are generally protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI). Are these used in UK and/or Europe? ETA: Just found out that GFCI is pretty much the same as residual-current device (RCD).
For the Americans, that's about six cheeseburgers.
@@4tarsusAll new-ish houses (and those that have had their consumer unit updated recently) have GFCI/RCD protection installed on all circuits at the breaker box.
"That's not a green light to go testing for yourself". That's fine, I'll ask ElectroBoom to test it out for me. He lives for that stuff.
Until he doesn't live anymore
@@ts757arse "this HAS to happen!" -The entire internet
Vaaaaastly!! @@ts757arse
In the UK that would actually be Photonicinduction 😂
came here to say that !
Nice to see you filling in for Tom Scott’s absence!
Tom Scott did more research before posting
UK plugs are a fascinatingly niche topic but somehow utterly fascinating. I enjoyed Tom Scott's old video about wiring a 3pin plug too.
@@JamesWilliams-gi4eu Tom Scott doesn't become great overnight. It takes time.
It's interesting that the US never really had this fear of electricity in the bathroom. We used to just have our standard 120V 15 or 20A outlet right next to the sink with no protection. The only thing that has changed since then is that we've added GFCI (RCD) protection to those outlets.
Suprisingly even less so in the netherlands. I have sockets imidiatelly next to the sink. These sockets also don't have gfci built in, just regular 230V sockets. There are RCD's in the fuse box, and I have tripped them on multiple occasions by getting the plugs wet.
US doesn't have RCD in the fuse boxes mostly
@@Bobbobbob984 GFCI (RCD) breakers are 100% a thing in the US, and not that uncommon.
@@BenB21361 Honestly that sounds really annoying to have to go down to my breaker panel every time I want to test or reset one. Having the RCD/GFCI on the socket itself means I can just press the button right there in the bathroom!
@@Connie_cpu For what would you test the RCD? You cant really test the RCDs in the breaker box anyway except for intentionally tripping it which seems unwise. Also the RDC rarely trips, and the whole house is protected instead of only particular sockets.
In the past, in Germany too, the light switches for the bathroom were installed outside
and people were very reluctant to install sockets in the bathroom.
Today with 30mA RCD/RCCB/RCBO, light switches and sockets are more commonly installed in the bathroom.
funny how afraid of energy you guys are, meanwhile some countries use shower heads and install a water heater that's literally like a toaster above their heads plugged directly to power and water, no one dies (mostly except when they try to install it themselves)
Also, some light switches in Germany use a 12V circuit connected via relay.
@@monad_tcp Quite a few people in Georgia died from those in the 90s
It's not just additional safety equipment. In a regular German-style light switch, the contacts are at least an inch behind the front plate. You wouldn't be able to make contact even while spraying your hand with a shower head. And in one rated for wet rooms, there's an additional membrane between the front plate and the body of the switch. You'd have to fill up the cavity the switch sits in with water for any chance to make contact.
Additionally, full-plate switches have become the norm there, which makes it even safer.
If I am doing a new installation, I fit 10ma Breakers for the Bathrooms. Fells very safe.
When I was young, in the 80s, my grandad's house still had about 9 different types of socket in his house - 8 of those illustrated plus ONE modern one!
Nothing wrong with a spot of backwards compatibility! Assuming the house hasn't been re-wired, that array of post-1362 outlets will surely make it worth _millions_ to any Hipsters! 🙃
Son of (UK) electrician here. Really well presented potted history of UK plugs, not seen that referenced in any other video on the subject, nice touch.
Gets a bit nerdy from here on in....
My dad served his electrician's apprenticeship in the 1960s and when I was old enough (mid/late 1970s), I would sometimes go out on some house wiring jobs with him. I can remember helping to install many of these things. They are inherently safe as long as they are made to the relevant British Standard BS 4573 (as shown in this video). The transformer isolates you from the mains supply which is referenced to earth (ground) on UK outlets.
The reason for the two voltage outputs (both isolated from the mains supply) dates back to the time when shavers were either 240V or 115V dependent on the market they were originally sold in. Some were dual voltage and would have a switch on the shaver to select the correct voltage, though of course, many is the time when folks got this wrong with the inevitable consequences!
Modern electric shavers are generally all battery powered internally with charging circuitry which automatically detects the voltage when plugged in and adjusts accordingly.
To clarify a couple of things here, the fuse in the plug is actually to protect the cable (flex as we refer to it in the UK). Although, as you say, this is open to a lot of misunderstanding and interpretation which is why any shop selling these items should ask you what the cable and plug you're buying is for. Even better, they should really leave it to a qualified electrical engineer. UK plugs can be bought in a variety of use sizes too. 3amp, 5amp, 10amp and 13amp. Replacement fuses are also available in the following sizes 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 & 13amps and again must be made to British Standards (BS1362).
Incidently, the plug shown at 3:26, the line (live) brown wire is much too long. The idea of the plug design is such that the live wire should be as short as possible so that in the event of the failure of the cable strain clamp, pulling on the cable would pull out the live wire first. All UK plugs sold currently have a wiring diagram attached to show how long each cable should be stripped before connecting it to it's respective terminal.
the idea of a shorter L wire is a good one, I noticed the shorter brown wire when extending appliance leads by twisting together the conductors and then wrapping in tape but I never even realised why this was until reading your comment. Makes sense now.
I love how you, the British, assumed that all the people are utter idiots. But instead of telling them right in the face, you introduced Regulations that do it in more subtle way. Attaboy!
Here in Canada we have GFI outlets in bathrooms near the washbasins, also light and fan switches inside by the door. I have never heard of anyone getting a shock in the bathroom in my whole life.
Even my RV has GFI outlets in the bathroom, the power delivered from the RV is 220/110 volts.
We have GFIs we call them RCDs but they’re in the fuse box so protect the whole circuit. But we’re still overly cautious. Still not a fan of a mechanical device protecting you from shock.
The “toaster in the bath” joke doesn’t come from nowhere 😉
@@techheck3358 a propane toaster in a bathroom??
@@lukedoherty8062 So, are all of your breakers RCDs now?
@@chrisbarnes2823 the joke about people plugging in an electric toaster and throwing it into a bathtub to electrocute themselves
Great video as always! I'm of a similar age to you and I'm one of those "rank amateurs" who used to have to wire the plugs onto any electrical devices my family bought right up into the 90s. I was even taught how to do this in school in a "home economics" class, which back in my school in the mid 80s wasn't just teaching girls how to cook, a really forward thinking school.
Round pin BS546 15A plugs are still very common in UK theatres for dimmed stage lighting circuits
Still used in homes for lighting. Lamps that can be switched from light switch.
The reason why appliances weren't sold with plugs in the initial legislation was simply because the BS1363 socket was simply rare to begin with. Most houses would have had BS546 sockets, not BS1363, and that would have meant cutting off the supplied BS1363 plug and then replacing it with a BS546 one, which would have been wasteful in the period after WW II. BS546 remained common into the 1960s. So the legislation to force manufacturers to include a pre-fitted plug could have been made a decade or two earlier, but it made perfect sense at the time. Also, back in the that post war period, people tended to be much more practical and used to the DIY approach. They would service and repair their own cars, motorbikes and so on. It was a different world.
Also, that's a legislative issue, not a shortcoming of BS1363. In the BS1363 did have issues, the only major one on the plug itself was the lack of insulated sleeving on the live and neutral pins (which was resolved in the 1980s). There were also problems with multi-way sockets which were not required, probably due to an oversight, to include a fuse. Thus you could get 2 or even 3 way multi-way adapters without fuses which could mean, for example, two 3kW electric heaters being powered via the same socket. These days anything plugged into a BS1363 socket must have a fuse, which means that this should never happen now. I should add that all those little power adapters and chargers also have an internal fuse, even if it is not obvious, although they may be of the auto-resetting type like PPTC components.
The rule about allowing 230V standard sockets in bathrooms, initially 3m from zone 1 areas, not 2.5m is relatively recent. Go back 20 years and it was not allowed at all. The only reason that was allowed eventually was when residual current devices (RCDs) became common. However, most countries in Europe allowed standard sockets to be used in bathrooms anyway, despite having a similar voltage system. I should add that whilst the UK system is described as 230V, in practice it is still run close to 240V as that falls within the harmonisation standard of 230V +10%, -6% (in my house, close to a substation, it's typically about 245v). The harmonisation standard in Europe didn't require any country to change its de-facto local voltage standard, and it's often 220V in parts of the continent.
nb. 200 milli-amps is more than enough to kill somebody (which is why standard RCD protection in the UK and Europe tends to be 30 mA, and is even lower in the USA). So that bit about it being limited to 200 mA to protect against fatal shocks is, I suspect, not the real reason. I think it's more likely to keep heat dissipation down in the enclosure. Transformers are nothing like 100% efficient, and that means they generate heat, which is not a good think in that shaver socket enclosure. Heat will build up if it's more than a few watts, and even a 90% efficient transformer will dissipate 5 watts with a 50 watt load.
i find it intresting and having an isolation transformer required is definetly unique to the UK
as someome from the USA i can confirm our GFCIs (RCD equivalent) will trip at a pretty low leakage, no more than 5mA is allowed to be exact, and they have been required in bathrooms since the 1975 edition of the NEC (national electrical code)
voltage for am average house (not 3-phase) being 125/250v +5% -10% allowed variance
GFCI outlets(daisy-chain-able for their protection capabilities here in NA) or breakers were first required anywhere on homes in 1971 for any pool equipment and exterior outlets
also worth noting that the US and canada codes actually have mandated having a 20 amp, 125v dedicated circuit for exclusively the bathroom outlet, but only if an outlet was installed, until also in 1975 the dedicated outlet was no longer optional, as the code waited for there to be a way to protect against electric shock before requiring it
and bathrooms are the only place where you will never find a 250v outlet in the US, however hardwired, GFCI protected 250v is used by heating, spa tubs, water heaters and saunas in bathrooms
About the 200mA, don't forget that the current doesn't flow to ground but from one point inside the device to another point inside the same device. That makes it really hard to route the current through the user's heart. You have to grab it with both hands and connect with one to live and the other to neutral.
With the isolation transformer in place, it's much more likely to have a local partial short that causes a fire. And here, the small fuse can shine.
@@HenryLoenwind I'd agree that it's unlikely that the current would go via the heart. Just about the only way would be touching each live terminal with different hands.
However, I do not think the 200 mA limit had much to do with what is or is not a lethal electric shock. I also suspect that, even with 200 wet hands, it's probably difficult to get 200 mA to flow through the human body at 240 V. So I think the power limit is for other reasons. Certainly a dead short on the secondary would generate a lot of heat in the transformer, but will probably not draw enough current on the primary to trip a 6A MCB or blow a 5A fuse.
I actually see 252, basically the legal maximum, quite regularly in my house. It fluctuates a lot, this week I’ve seen it a low as 235 and up to 250! Right now: 243.
@@timtjtim actually the limit is actually 262 - as in appliances will be damaged beyond that(plus the fact that it is almost 277v) (atleast if you are in the US - no idea about limits in canada/the CEC)
recomended is more like 256.25v though for "cutting it close"
so 252 is within the safest range
in my area it only goes up to 250, down to 238 - went down to 224 one new years night(severly low and can burn out an HVAC compressor or similar) they took out the power soon after and came back after a few minutes with some emergency generators, 245v
it is a bad local grid so low voltage is common
Ridiculous regulations in the UK in this respect. In Europe you can have a mains power socket in a bathroom as long as you can't touch the water source (tap, shower etc) and the socket at the same time, this is infinitely more sensible. People on the continent aren't dropping like flies from electrocution!
It's funny to suggest that the purpose of the fuse is to protect the device. Because by the time the fuse can trigger, the device has ALREADY failed. Fuses aren't very fast unless you short them decisively and run an insane current through them. But they can prevent fires.
My understanding is that the fuse is to protect everything upstream of the socket, so house wiring etc. Since that is all rated way above 13A, the 13A is acceptable for every plug, as it will rupture first. Device (downstream) protection is afforded by fuse(s) in the device itself.
Thanks - I've posted a correction as a pinned comment.
@@robertdewar1752 The primary purpose of a fuse, is to protect the *circuit* downstream of the fuse (not necessarily a specific device). If the current carrying capacity of a cable is exceeded for a long period of time, the cable can heat up and cause damage. If your appliance's cable is rated for 5A and you put a 13A fuse in to protect it, then that cable could be taking over twice its rated current without the fuse responding.
Everything upstream of a given fuse should already be rated to carry at least as much current as the highest-rated fuse or breaker on that path. House wiring rated at 20A isn't going to care about a 13A load that's been put on it, but it is going to care if you try to go over 20A (which is when the breaker for that circuit on the switchboard steps in). The switchboard doesn't care if you have multiple circuits drawing 20A each because it's built for at least 100A; but it does matter if your combined draw goes over that, which is when the 100A main breaker steps in. The same goes for fuses in plugs: everything upstream of the fuse is already rated to handle more than the fuse can handle. What isn't necessarily rated to handle that current, is the cable after the fuse that could become a fire hazard if allowed to draw more current than it is rated for. Even as you say, fuses within the device only protect the device itself (which is the circuit downstream of the onboard fuse).
In short, the current rating of a fuse should be no higher than the current rating of anything downstream of it (*including* wiring) until the next overload protective device, so that it can protect downstream components from overloads. 5A fuse for a 5A+ cable. 13A fuse for a 13A+ cable.
In a few cases a fuse protects a device. Say a motor gets stuck draw can increase and pop the fuse. You can then fix whatever is sticking/stopping the motor, replace the fuse and be good to do.
But the main purpose of the fuse it to prevent the cord from dangerously overheating.
@@Eyrlumi Correct. The fuse is there to protect the cable attached to the device, which may only be rated for 3 or 5 amps.
In North America we simply provide bath room receptacles with "Ground Fault"' protection. This trips the receptacle off if any current flows to earth as it would if current were flowing through your body. It is either done with a breaker in the electric panel that incorporates ground fault protection or using a receptacle that has fault protection built in. This allows us to use not only shavers, but higher current devices like hair dryers and curling irons. It is common in most baths now, to have full counter tops (vanities) with a sink and room for electrics and cosmetics. Wall mounted sinks that were the standard before the 1950's have gone away for the most part.
As for fused plugs, we now have them in Christmas lights, but not in much else. Lamps have a 13 amp cord that would certainly hold until a 15 or 20 amp (120 volt) breaker tripped under a dead short and the lamp socket limits the bulb size. Electronics have the fuse built into the chassis. Large heating appliances are supplied by dedicated circuits at 240 volts with receptacles for 20, 30, 50, and 60 amps. Larger units are usually hard wired.
Ground fault protectors is widely used in Europe also. This shown in the video are before ground fault protectors where common. Nowadays here in Sweden, everything except the fridge and freezer are connected through a ground fault protector.
Interesting to learn that the UK used to have different size/shape sockets for different amperages. In Australia and New Zealand, we still have this, although most homes only have the standard 10a, there are 15a, 20a, and 32a sockets available, and while you can't plug a higher current plug into a lower current socket, they're cleverly designed so that you can plug a lower current plug into a higher current socket
here in Indonesia houses had both 110v and 220v, and they all used the same socket similar to the shaver one shown in this video, the sockets could accept both round (euro) and flat (us/japan) prongs.
you had to be careful not to plug a 110v device into 220v or it'll let out the magic smoke, and you had to be careful when buying lightbulbs because there were no standard voltage for lightbulbs either
eventually 110v service was discontinued in the late 90's/early 00's but for a while people had to live with both.
Well done Matt. Not only are you a var guru but you've solved something that's been bugging me for years, but I never got around to scratching that itch!
In US we normally have atleast one full outlet in bathrooms. US just requires that any outlets near water have GFCI protection (aka RCD). Also most bathroom devices like blowdryers and currling irons also have their own GFCI (RCD) built into their own plug as well. So bathrooms here are pretty well protected while even being able to power space heaters. Also just Normal kight switches always in out bathrooms.
'Some people plug thier electric toothbrushes into the socket, but more and more toothbrushes are rechargable'.....
In the UK, the 3 biggest electric toothbrush manufacturers (Oral-B, Phillips and Panasonic) all use the Shaver socket as the way to power their rechargeable toothbrush charger bases.....
I have had a ultrasonic for like 15 years, and have NEVER recharged it. I might use it probably 10 times a year, about the only time I brush.. haha. Kinda crazy though it still works and is powerful.
@@f-j-Services I guess it doesn't draw as much power when you only have 3 remaining teeth
@@JonasHamill LMFAO LOL! nah i got em all still haha lol i lol hard right now aaahh fuck.
Yeah, it's not like people are gonna take their shavers and brushes to another part of the house to charge.
This
The British Plug Design might be well-thought-out, but in my opinion the EU Plug is still better because it's universal. You can plug it in any direction (I have not a singe device where correct phase/neutral would matter), there are smaller plugs which fit in the same holes but are for less current and smaller devices and it's slim and modern.
There is only one Socket in the whole house for all devices, and the fuses are in the circuit breaker cabinet.
Old AC/DC radios and TVs connected the neutral directly to the chassis. If these were reversed they still worked but the chassis became live, a good reason to have non-reversible plugs and sockets.
As a very small child I got a shock from a socket and was told I didn't get inured because of my Wellington boots. I went to bed in them so I wouldn't be injured!
6:15 “That’s not a green light to go around testing it for yourself”
Medhi: “And I took that personally” *ZAP*
Might have been mentioned already but those round pin 15A plugs are still very commonly used in theatre, with a smaller 5A version also sometimes used. Ideal for this application as you want the fuse at ground level within the dimmer packs rather than up in the lighting rig where it’s harder to access!
I’ve seen them in some houses too! I think the explanation i was given at the time is that they’re sockets that can be switched by a light switch, for lamps and such
@techheck3358 yep! I see them still in some hotels etc when they don't want guests turning switches off if the lamp has a switch on it, saves double switches!
In the US, you can have an outlet in the restroom, even right next to the sink, but it's supposed to be GFCI or protected by a GFCI circuit breaker.
The uk 3 pin plug is a great design. So many little features on it that you just wouldnt normally notice. Like how the cable comes out the bottom so it doesnt pull out when vacuuming. The internal wires are routed so they are all a different length and wont touch if the cable does pull out. The earth is the first to engage so its earthed before its live. The earth opens a shield in the socket so that you cant touch the live conductors when there is no plug. The live conductors are sheilded so that you cant touch the live part when its half in. So many simple features show how much effort went into it. However they failed to realise the pain level when aomeone leaves one on the floor and you stand on it 😬
China took the Australian plug and made it even safer by installing the sockets upside down. This means that the earth pin is at the top, so if the plug isn't fully inserted and something falls onto the plug, it will touch the earth pin first. They look funny upside down though, to my Australian eyes.
I always wondered what the deal was with the shaver sockets! Isolation transformer, very interesting!
Thanks Adrian.
OK, so in the UK you have a very cleverly designed shaver socket in the bathroom and these impressive BS1363 sockets for everything else. How do you accommodate for the myriads of small powered devices that don't require grounding? In my household this makes up for the majority of devices. Do you have to carry around chargers with plugs bigger than the charger itself?
some plugs are awkward but we've got plugs with fold out prongs now on some plugs like iphone chargers
On devices that don't need an earth connection they still have to have a earth pin as the socket wont work without. However it's normally plastic and sometimes folds away. If you accidentally stand on the plug which is painful the plastic pin is easily broken. I did it once and had to super glue it back on otherwise it's now useless.
A long time ago in Canada we had current limiting razor plugs in bathrooms but those have long since been replaced with normal 15/2A sockets that are GFCI protected either with everything in the bathroom wired downstream from the GFCI socket (so everything in there is protected) or the whole branch circuit is protected with a GFCI breaker.
6:47 Shavers use a plug (BS372 5A) with 17mm spacing with 5mm pins.
In Europe the small plug (Europlug 2.5A), which fits everywhere, has 18 to 19mm spacing and 4mm pins.
The Europlug fits into French, German, Danish, Polish, Spanish and even in Swiss sockets and more.
Someone has already got the Euro plug into British three rectangular prong sockets.
But then there is no need to talk about safety anymore, 32A house fuse on a plug that is only allowed 2.5A
Gosh - this is a trip down memory lane, I was born in the late 60's but remember some of these. Thank you for some very interesting information!
6:00 - Regarding the adage "it's not the voltage that kills you, it's the current" - while I've heard this sentiment before, this isn't my favourite phrasing of it.
Personally, I'm a fan of "It's the volts that jolts, and the mill's that kills".
Awsome video though! I didn't realise the humble shaver socket went back that far.
And here in Florida I have four mains-voltage, 15 amp sockets in the master bathroom, and two in the hallway bathroom. At least they’re GFCI / RCD protected sockets.
Wait until they find out I have 2 dedicated 20A circuits for my bathtub lol
I was astounded by British electricity and plumbing on my first holiday there. I couldn't have a light switch in the bathroom, but I could have an electric instant hot water service in the shower with me.
The water heater is double insulated. The light switch is not. Modern circuit protection, provided it is installed correctly, pretty much eradicates all of the legacy rules we still carry in UK. Our governing body on electrical standards is notoriously old fashioned (belt and braces and two pairs of underpants).
@@MS-Patriot2 Depends on the switch, if the switch is completely plastic (like most of switches nowadays) it doesn't require an earth connection thus it's class II.
@@alerighi Agreed, I was only on my first coffee when wrote that 🤓. So why can we not have a double insulated (class II) light-switch in a bathroom, regardless of position zones ?
No GFCI outlets? Around here, all outlets in wet rooms must be a GFCI or to be on a GFCI circuit. I do remember living in a house in the UK with some pretty strange outlets that were changed to the standard three pin variety along with the pull string for the bathroom light. Went to buy a water kettle at a store and returned it as it has no plug only to have the clerk at the store hand me a plug that he wired up. "You must be American" he said. Thanked him for his assistance and enjoyed the kettle for the time living in the UK.
Basically every circuit needs to be protected by an 30 mA RCD (GFCI) to comply with the current standards (BS7671:2018+A2:2022)
An excellent and informative video. Standards are regularly amended and it must be hard to 'keep on top of' them. Thank you for this.
I had wondered why my shaver socket got slightly warm after charging the toothbrush overnight and now I know... it is the transformer. In the morning it has a warmth a little above body temperature in the top half of the socket. This goes away when the brush charger is not connected.
Interesting video, I've seen these sockets in hotels in Asia, Thailand and Taiwan and thought they might be a hotel standard thing, but to learn that it's a British thing is quite interesting. I'm from Australia and we just have 10A 240V 3 pin switched sockets everywhere, but there are rules about distance from basins and showers so some houses I've seen have the light switch on the outside of the bathroom but it's usually because they can't fit one right next to the shower. Also I was shocked at how poor the American 110v style electrical system was in Taiwan with most outlets not earthed and just shoddy work everywhere, Thai wiring was neater and more modern looking. I found out that in Taiwan that it was only 2014 when earthing was mandated and the trades that did electrical work were also plumbers so it makes sense.
Thanks! I'd seen these sockets in hotel rooms and wondered what was up with them, since in Australia we just use normal unearthed plugs on our shavers, and we also put normal 3-pin earthed sockets in our bathrooms.
I have been using electric shavers since the 1980s; all of them have been rechargeable. But I still need someplace to plug it in in the bathroom. In the United States, some decades ago all outlets near Water are required to be ground fault circuit interrupting. Otherwise there's nothing special about them. Also, every electric shaver I have ever owned, and there have been many, our dual voltage. 110/220 V.
wiring the 'new' fused 3 pin plug was on the school curriculum, we did it in physics in the late 60s. The round pin plug is still handy for UPS or critical supply circuits..
I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) and have THREE regular outlets in my bathroom They are grounded (earthed) at least! And the light fixture is METAL and has a normal wall switch INCHES from the sink! It's FOR SURE a more dangerous setup than what the UK uses even if it's half the voltage. 15 Amps at 120 volts is STILL deadly! My house was built in the 1870s and was originally wired before 1910 and was last electrically updated in the 1960s! Said bathroom sink DOES have a UK ish thing: Separate hot & cold taps!
Nerdy subject but as ever well presented and informative.Anyone remember the round 3 pin plugs with a cartridge fuse as one of the pins? I remember being in a Beijing hotel in the early 80's and being surprised to see they used standard UK 13 amp sockets everywhere. Still find Chinese origin items, eg discount supermarket own brand soldering irons, sold with 13 amp fuses instead of 3amp - always worth checking.
4:58 'accidently' should be in inverted commas there 😇
In Canada, a similar type of isolation transformer-based bathroom outlet used to be common, usually labeled as razor only. A common retrofit on older homes with these outlets is to replace them with a GFCI outlet which allows powering other devices like hair dryers from it.
This is the way!
Unearthed non fuse plugs are what we use in Denmark 🇩🇰😂
I don’t get this? Why not just have regular sockets protected by GFCI?
Hong Kong is following the British standard also, but some people kept regular switch outside and added a remote switch that run by 12v battery inside the bathroom .
Great well researched video.. Despite the great engineering, I dispair at having to carry something the size of a brick on the end of all my portable electric devices wish we could adopt the EU or US styles of 2 pin plugs for double insulated devices.
That explains those strange plugs all over older Hotels, I've seen those, but I have never seen an electric shaver without a battery. And I was born in the 80ies.
can't speak for the rest of the world but here in sweden we thecinally still have 4 plugs, 2 pin which I think normally is only up to 2,5 amps, 3 pin 16 amps, which uses the same wall socket, these are what your average person is using, then we have 3 pin 20 amps, which you can find on single face bandsaws and such, and lastely 5 pin which has diferent sizes depending on amperage,
The BS1363 plugs you show are the old original type with unshrouded pins.
In Germany, we live dangerous and put normal sockets up above or next to the sink. It's been mandatory since the 90s to have 30ma RCDs protecting such circuits in particular.
It’s interesting to see the original 2, 5 and 10 amp circuits and plugs from the war era. The latest US national electrical code has for the first time introduced rules for 10 amp circuits, something new in North America. Like bell bottom jeans, everything eventually comes full circle I suppose.
I remember my grandad having a bayonet splitter, he took the lamp out the kitchen light fitting and plugged the splitter in giving him two bayonet fittings. One for the lamp and one for his iron. 😬
It's always rather funny when you look at toothbrush or shaver reviews and loads of people seem to be totally unaware of the shaver socket/plug, the reviewers ask why they've been sent a europe plug 😂
In the US we put ordinary 115V / 15A NEMA sockets right next to the sink and use an ungrounded plug on a shaver and hair dryer. The are GFI enabled sockets (ground fault interrupt), but that doesn't really prevent people from getting electrocuted. I guess we love to live dangerously. But we also walk around in a country where there are bears, alligators, and poisonous snakes. So maybe danger is a relative problem ;-)
Those sockets were standard in all night sleeping compartment trains throughout Europe I used very often
On a visit to India I equipped myself for the assortment of sockets I was given to expect. Although old English-type sockets existed, I was fascinated by the universal 3-pin sockets in some places that appeared to accept almost everything.
I remember in the 70s and even in the 80s occasionally coming across the round pin 5A plugs and sockets
Still liked today if we want to plug in a freestanding light and have it switched from the wall by the door
That's the BS546 standard and they can still be legally installed to this day. Sometimes you find them in hotels for side lamps, and one place where they are very popular is in theatre stage lighting systems as it makes fault finding easier. Sometimes people fit them for things like under cabinet lighting.
BS546 originally had 2A, 5A, 15A and 30A sockets, all on different sized radial circuits and matching fuses, although the 30A variety was quickly dropped. Whilst BS546 doesn't have some of the safety features of the BS1363, such as shuttered sockets, internal fuses or sleeved live and neutral pins, they can be bought with all of these if you want. BS546 is also still current in several countries, such as India and South Africa.
Also, in the UK some people would simply convert a BS546 socket with a BS1363 socket, and that's all within regulations, provided that the fuse was still appropriately rated for the circuit. No problem with a 15A circuit, but more problematical with a 2A or 5A circuit. The danger in the latter case is the householder would get tired of blowing fuses and put some 15A fuse wire on a circuit rated for 5A...
I do the pat testing at work and most small appliances from the far east come with a 13 amp fuse when even a 3 amp is excessive. So sadly prefitted plugs has not solved that issue.
That's interesting, in America we utilize GFCI outlets in the bathroom, so while we do have a 120v, 15A outlit in the bathroom they are wired to a GFCI that will go off if there is any issue with the power, for instance if an appliance gets wet. I do not know if the same is done with the light switches though.
It is actually having one side of the power supply earthed that makes it more dangerous, if one side is not earthed ( like a shaver socket which has a transformer inside ) you have to touch both poles at once to get a shock - if you have once side earthed ( the neutral and Earth on UK power is earthed ) you only have to touch the live pole to get a big shock...
Hi, I don’t understand one thing: it is shown that galvanic isolation allows maximum 20VA of power to pass through. At 220V rms this equals to roughly 90mA.
Looking at the human body time/current curve for sinusoidal currents, 90mA is a safe current to be sustained only for less than 200ms of time. Exceeding the 500ms time exposure, the damages at 90mA are still potentially lethal. Could you provide some clarification, please? The chart I am referring to is contained in the CEI 11-1 norm but is standardized across multiple organization, it can be found on Google under “body current duration chart”
I've always wondered what it was with these sockets, also good to know they're limited in output power, many modern phone chargers would exceed the 20W of the built in transformer (if that's still a thing) so that's something to bear in mind when one forgets his travel adapter and wants to charge the phone on this socket.
Oddly enough, I'm designing the electrical layout of my boat, right now. My shaver is battery-powered, of course, but its charger/cleaning stand plugs into the mains. Using a wall-wart that outputs 1.2A at 5VDC. I've pretty much settled on using USB-PD for my DC outlets, and I'm wiring up a cable with a 2.5mm barrel connector on one end and USB-C on the other.
Damn I now understand why my old Electric tooth brush charger had such an odd plug. My dad said it was because they came from Japan or something but now it makes sense the house just lacks those plugs. I think in Northern Ireland the shaver plug isn't common as I can't think of a single house with them not my house, My Granny's or my Nana & Pocks nor my Uncle, Aunts or any of my friends so it must just be missing here probably to keep in line with the Republic of Ireland as I don't think they exist down south but I'd need someone who lives down south to confirm that but I am guessing that is the reason why as well it may never have been done. Also I am going off of mainly old houses built in the 70s or so or at least with the most recent electrical wiring for plugs being done then as I know the sockets are old as they are a single socket on their own in a part of the room & with an older design that has no clear on/off note like newer ones.
Edit: wait you mentioning Hotels made me remember I've seen these sockets inside of hotels before so they may not exist much in everyday homes but for certain its a standard in hotels. (Cork & Dublin for sure)
Here in Australia we have sockets and switches in bathrooms no problems but we also mandate safety switches (aka GFCI or RCD) that will trip and prevent people getting shocked.
I was gonna say… I remember sockets in bathrooms in the 1990s, but no RCDs IIRC. But we seemed to get by ok
"today the idea you might use an unfused non-grounded 30amp plug might seem slightly mad"
our canadian/usa plugs are terrible things compared to the british ones, plugs come loose, fall out, have exposed conducting blades, many devices have no ground conductor etc etc. plus we have the ridiculous 120/240 v system. we used to have shaver plugs with an isolation transformer, but they have disappeared and gfci outlets now offer better protection in wet areas. major appliances require a three conductor cable(plus ground conductor), this includes stoves(cookers) and clothes driers
I would not consider the "120/240" split phase system ridiculous at all. It was a compromise for an already existing electrical system. ALL North American homes have 240v at the meter that is split 120/120 with large appliances using both sides of the phase to give 240 30 amps. Works well. We do need to improve our plugs and sockets. Have not seen a loose socket in decades and that was in a very old hotel in Manhattan. All plugs become lose with over use. The standard needs to be updated to insulate the first part of the blades like our European counterparts. The Australian standards are similar, plug wise to North American plugs/sockets except the the blades are turned inward at an angle . No complaints there.
@@kennixox262 Conceptually it's not ridiculous but its implementation is pretty ridiculous. We nominally have dozens - yes, dozens - of plug/socket designs arising in part from split-phase, most of which are incompatible with each other for no particularly good reason (the downwards compatible 120V (and also 240V) "t-slot" 20A sockets are something of an exception). For instance, the 6- series is for 240V plugs and sockets but they're not compatible with the 14- series of dual 120V-240V sockets, which is a major nuisance now when installing Level 2 EV chargers (just look up discussions on 6-50 vs 14-50 sockets for EVs...). There's also the 10- series of dual voltage sockets but they lack the grounding pin of the 14- series, and no, you can't plug, say, a 10-20 plug into a 14-20 socket.
Then there's the way wiring is organized. Given that we split phase, we could in theory run all of our circuits with 3-core wires with every 120V duplex receptacle being split, which would then allow us to put twice as many receptacles on the circuit and would allow for more flexibility as well as save on one wire, the "second" neutral. So we don't even take advantage of what would be one of the system's greatest advantages. It would also mean that every receptacle would be 240V-ready as there would 240V across the hots of the two sockets.
Oh, and let's not forget the 208V stuff used as a cheap trick to provide higher voltage from two 120V legs on a three-phase 120V system, which is distinct from the split phase system. And yes, they technically have their own connectors too, the 18- series.
The proliferation of all these dozens of socket and plug designs means that most don't get used and are extremely expensive when you do need one. So yes, it's a ridiculous system.
@@davidjames4915 lots of the crazy is simply due to compromises, I guess if Europe gained one thing from the wide scale bombing WW2. Getting the shit bombed out of it let them do effectively a full reboot of their electrical system.
I fear attempting major upgrades and consolidation today in North America would not fly due to cost and I am sure there would be people on cable news going "Now they are trying to take your outlets away"
But at least we did 60hz, the higher cycle rate allows slightly thinner wire at similar voltages. Tidbit of fun, this is why aircraft sometimes run as high as 400hz, even thinner wire saving mass. I am not sure why higher hz allows thinner wire but it does.
These shaver sockets are in NZ too. The house I grew up in had one (1970's).
I also saw some running off one of those very old 4.5V batteries once, though that might have been in the Netherlands.
never seen 2 pin plugs higher thsn the 5amp, didnt know they existed, seen plenty of the 3 pin ones, i have some plus matching sockets
I’m actually a bit puzzled about some safety items that went by the wayside. An “Edison Safety switch” had the switch and wiring on the ceiling. The switch was operated by a wooden rod. 🤔 The switch could even be behind the plaster. The rods were far more durable than a string and were usually be lacquered or carved and might have brass fittings to attach them to the walls. 😬 Safety was an issue as DC power wasn’t the safest thing to have around the house. Oddly though I haven’t seen any repeat of the standard. 🤔I wonder why not.
The UK outlets are just weird. I cannot imagine any outlet better then the European outlets. They also exist with a lid, so they can be used in bathrooms without problems (nevertheless there are safety distances in bathrooms)
In France it is common to have you washing machine, and even your driers in the bathroom. And the euro plugs don't contain fuses.
You are responsible to match your outlet use with a matching fuse in the remote fuse box.
Crazy how in Australia we have outlets 10cm from the basin. Yet I don't know a single person that has ever been electrocuted because of it. Such a strange law
RCD protection exist, you add that in the panel. UK is very old fashion, at some point it's nice, but you can't ignore progress so long
UK bathroom standards are totally out of date! We now have RCD RCCB RCBOs that will stop any electrical shock in a bathroom, but the UK still insist to use pointless regulations.
Some model rail railway sets come with a 12 or 22 volt transformer that is also a shaver plug.
I've never used them in a shaver socket as a model railway is not something you'd run in a bathroom ... so I use with a 3-pin adaptor.
Is that a shaver plug or a European plug?
The UK plug (type G) is well thought out, it's safe from touching when plugged in, is reasonably stable, probably useful for shallow walls and easy to install because the sockets require less protrusion. But it has some major disadvantages: It's ridiculously large, plugs can't be plugged in upside down, it gets no support or protection from the outside of the outlet to keep it in place (just like an American type A or B socket but not as bad), it's limited to 13A, and the only other country near the UK that has compatibility with it is Ireland and the only other country in Europe is Malta.
I personally prefer the modern type F plug because the devices with them work with nearly every other European socket and with shaving outlets. They have none of the disadvantages that the UK plug has and can run 16A. With the only disadvantage being that it might need a deeper hole in the wall for a reasonably flush outlet. But when plugged in, it doesn't protrude as much. But I also like the type K socket, because it's compatible with nearly every Europlug (be it without grounding).
Having moved from Germany to the UK recently, I don't miss all the dust and dirt accumulating in those Schuko (type F) sockets. Especially if you have a power strip sitting somewhere. And with all UK outlets being installed in the same way, there's no need for plugging anything in upside down. Gravity pulls cables down, so that's where they need to go. (To be fair, I've seen some AC adaptors for things that are meant to be put on a sideboard, where the flimsy cable goes out on top. But that's the rare exception and often means the cable doing a sharp bend downwards first before going up to said sideboard.)
Ireland used to use type F, but switched to type G for the sake of practicality, as most of our appliance imports came via the UK back then. Things are different now, but the type G isn't going anywhere. At least it's possible to make them less bulky these days.
I prefer the Type N used in Brazil. The only problem with Brazil is they have two different voltages which use the same plug!! They should have adopted the British plug for 220V and kept the Type N for 127V. This would prevent plugging a device into an outlet of the wrong voltage.
Not being able to reverse them is an intentional design feature. A single pole mains switch in an appliance would be switching the neutral leaving live wires in the "switched-off" appliance.
Which is smaller: original Austin Mini or British electric plug? 🤔
The risk of water is somewhat overstated. One person actually did a demo of entirely submerging a 120v power strip in a water bath. Isolation transformers are pretty cool but I’m curious why they haven’t adopted GFCI like the US. The trip current of GFCI is substantially lower than the fuse on such a shaver socket.
The UK uses RCDs, which are like GFCI for the whole house. Instead of pressing a button to reset the socket, you flick the switch at the consumer unit for the whole ring (breaker box for Americans, I think)
It's funny how brits are always boasting with nationalistic pride over those big, clunky UK plugs.
I'm more favorable to the danish eu plug (type K), the one that looks like a happy smiling face. Because: It looks nicer. Haha!
Meanwhile, ours in North America all look quite shocked: 😧
Check out the Type N used in Brazil. It looks like a good design to me. That would be my choice if it were possible to switch.
They are over-engineered and redundant in any modern electrical installation. Why have a fuse in every plug if there is a 15A fuse on the whole circuit? The safety shutters are only necessary because the pin holes are so large. And the whole thing is twice the size it needs to be.
Thanks for your sharing
so where are you plugging in your hairdryers?
Somewhere other than the bathroom. When most houses only have one of them, it could be considered quite rude to use bathroom time for something that can easily be done elsewhere!
Ive always found it strange that a european 2 pin plug can be plugged into a UK extension lead. You just need to insert the UK plug at the end of the extension lead wire into one of the sockets upside down, so you're plugging in only the earth pin which opens the shutters on the live and neutral, and then you can plug in your euro 2 pin plug, remove the UK plug from the earth pin and plug the extension lead in. Im surprised extension leads aren't designed to a BS standard that would prevent you from being able to do this.
The security reason for light switches is somewhat obsolete. It's easily possible to use a relais based switch nowadays where the actual switch no longer uses grid voltage.
There’s some neat self-powering switches nowadays. It uses the power you generate by flicking the switch itself, to send a wireless signal. No batteries
It’s odd compared to North America because a gfci (RCD) protected socket is required by law to be next to the sink in the USA. It’s illegal not to have one. Sockets need to be 900mm from the shower/tub rim, or the farthest wall from the tub if the bathroom is less than 900mm in size. US used to have shaver outlets too, but they were replaced with the gfci ones.
Being scared of a light switch, but then having electric showers seems insane to me 😂
The UK's electrical sockets are certainly the textbook definition of "overengineered". Though maybe postwar building standards were a little rushed, so maybe it made sense. North American bathrooms have full 110v/15a sockets, and normal toggle switches. Anything near water has to have a GFCI/RCD by law since the 70s. I use a corded trimmer. No batteries to wear out, cheaper than the lithium ones. Never gotten my batteries charged, or even tripped the GFCI. There are cases where you do want an isolation transformer. Such as working/testing on anything with exposed wiring while doing repairs. But there's special ones for those applications.
"It's not the voltage that kills you, it's the current that kills you." It's kinda true, but not quite. It's the voltage and current hand-in-hand.
I was still taught how to wire a plug socket 4-5 yrs ago in secondary school.
Took a while to get there!
But hopefully an interesting journey!
What an interesting story! Love it.
I noticed our local veterinary has sockets by the sink 😮
If a regular small euro plug can fit into a regular UK socket with a bit of help of a correctly sized stick, a shaver plug should fit too.
How weird countries are different. Here in Australia we have regular sockets in bathrooms AND the light switch. Whether old or new homes (I have a new apartment and a 100 yo holiday house). While the sockets are not over a water source they are not far. And we have no such thing as a shaver socket.
To your last point because you brought it up earlier about battery shavers as well - Where in the house do ya'll charge your toothbrush or shaver if not in the bathroom? You said it with such a passing confidence that it makes me think theres a standard UK acceptable receptacle for charging bathroom items that would otherwise be weird over here in Canada.
Just curious as I've travelled to most of the continents & the UK bathroom plug rules always seemed the silliest. Compared to your driving rules (Not referring to the Right/Left hand drive as they're really not that different) it's just always felt like your electricians office was chasing the nitty-gritty while other departments were taking a coffee break.
With a shaver converter plug in the bedroom? It's rechargeable, so you only needs to do it every few weeks.
I guess in some respect the shaver socket us partly redundant due to ubiquitous use of rechargeable shavers and electric toothbrushes which use that type of socket these days. It is good to the
that the British socket design has evolved in terms of safety due to lessons learned from accidents and lessons learnt over time.
I've never used the shaver only plug, I'm young enough that all toothbrushes and electric shavers that I've used have been rechargeable
In the US now, all bathroom outlets, also called receptacles, are required to have GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) built in. It's a fairly recent code though so many bathrooms still have regular 3 pin outlets.
You actually CAN have regular 3 pin outlets. They just have to be protected by a GFCI. That can be the downstream connections from another GFCI outlet or a GFCI breaker. Also, bathroom outlets that don't have GFCI protection is something that often shows up in the home inspection most people get when they buy a house. So, lots of older houses have been retrofitted.
@@ccoder4953 That's basically what I meant when I said "all bathroom outlets". It doesn't matter how it's done. I could have worded it better. I should've said "all bathroom outlets must be protected by GFCI".
also, it bears noting that "fairly recent" is now getting close to 50 years. time flies.
@@kenbrown2808 Nah, can't be. I guess it could. I think it goes state by state though. Doesn't it? I live in the Mississippi of the Midwest, WI. We're a little behind the times here.
@@tims8603 a quick google says the first code requirement was outside receptacles and around pools in 1971. it doesn't feel like it, but we're already a quarter of the way into the current century.