"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Theo wrote:
My guess would be that, as lighting becomes increasingly globalised,
bayonet is going to occupy more of a backwater and there will be a shift
towards ES in the UK.

Mains plugs is a similar example, albeit restricted by legislation (is
there any relevant regulations relating to BC v ES?). For instance it's
not unheard of to get a low-power appliance with a two-pin European
plug, and then a Euro to UK adaptor (eg a permanent-fit, clamp-on one)
in the box.

Going back to that type of plug in the UK would be a retrograde step -
and how. We are fairly unique in having only the one plug which covers
pretty well all domestic requirements. We used to have multiple standards
of plugs. Thank gawd those days have gone.

Really? Are the European and US plugs not rated up to 13 A (or similar)? Are
there heavier-duty plugs/sockets in those countries for big appliances like
electric fires, kettles, tumble driers etc.

Are US and European plugs capable of having a fuse fitted in them, or do
their appliances always blow the circuit (eg downstairs ring main) fuse in
the event of an appliance fault? I wonder whether RCDs and MCBs will ever
become so cheap that they are fitted to each appliance plug so a faulty
appliance disrupts only that appliance rather than taking out the whole
house.

Another advantage of our plug is that polarity is guaranteed: there's no
live/neutral ambiguity. And all appliances can be earthed (assuming that the
appliance is fitted with a three-core cable and the plug has a metal rather
than plastic earth pin!).


I wish the bayonet blub had become a world standard, because it is *much*
less likely to corrode in place than the ES bulb, and it is faster to
change - it only requires a flick of the wrist through about 10 degrees
rather than several turns.

Until I went to Ikea, I'd thought that ES was confined to the US, and that
Europe used the BC like us - a nice clear BC=240V / ES=120V distinction. But
no. Do 240V and 120V bulbs have identical-sized screw threads, or are they
deliberately incompatible sizes to avoid putting a 120V bulb in a 240V
fitting?