On 07/11/2012 20:19, GB wrote:
On 07/11/2012 18:50, John Williamson wrote:

It depends on the cross sectional area of the cable cores. As is
correctly pointed out in the thread, the fuse is to protect against
cable faults, not internal faults in the box. If the cores are too
small, a 13 A fuse may not blow or carry enough current to rapidly trip
the MCB, leading to a cable that at the best is going to melt the
insulation, and at worst may start a fire.


Just anecdotally, I had a decorator in my house using a steam stripper.
He asked to borrow an extension lead, and I conscientiously checked the
extension lead was man enough for the job, then left him to it. Half an
hour later, the power went off.

Investigating, I found that he hadn't bothered to unreel more of the
extension cable than he needed to reach the job - despite clear
instructions on the reel to that effect. The entire lot inside the reel
had melted, and the power went off when the cores touched. This was a
man who had been doing this sort of work for over 10 years, mind.


Have to admit I have done the same. Stripper well within reels
capability but it cut out after a while. My reel has an overheat cut-out
fortunately. Lesson learned for all types of wiring.

If I take anything bought in Spain back to the UK I will have to change
the plug or use it through a correctly fused adaptor. Using them unfused
on a 30A ring main could be a recipe for disaster.

Worries me sightly that lamps and other itmes out here with thin flex
plug into fairly highly rated power sockets.