On Monday, 13 January 2020 18:12:52 UTC, Scott wrote:
On Mon, 13 Jan 2020 15:37:10 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Scott wrote:
On Mon, 13 Jan 2020 14:44:36 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Scott wrote:
The best advice would be to junk any extension lead which isn't
protected by a 13 amp fuse. And if old gear isn't protected by its own
correct type of fuse, either junk it or fit one.

What about reducing the fuse to 10 amps to create an added margin of
safety (or even 5 amps if it is only used for electronic equipment)?

Because of the chance of someone else using that piece of equipment. Maybe
even in the distant future.

That's a good point, actually, especially if the extension could
continue working with the fuse running hot. I'll change them back to
13A.

If that extension lead is of sufficient gauge to blow a 13 amp fuse in
event of a fault, there is no reason not to fit a smaller fuse if you want.

I thought your reasoning was that if you overloaded the fuse it might
keep working but get very hot and damage the plug (though I thought
they were packed with sand to prevent that happening). .

Sand doesn't stop things getting hot, think of a desert and even beaches
in this country.
Sand also has the effect of lenghing the possible life-time of a fuse running
close or even exceeding it's rated value. The sand will conduct the heat
away from the fuse wire so it doesn't melt quite so easily.