On 26 Jan 2021 14:00:48 GMT, Tim+ wrote:

NY wrote:


Here in the UK, if the plug is rated for 13A, that means it is safe to run a
3-bar electric fire (3 kW, which is 12.5 A at 240 V) through that plug and
socket without it overheating to dangerous levels (melting of insulation) no
matter how long it is left running.

I don’t believe that this is the case. Real life experience indicates that
they DO frequently overheat with 3kW continuous loads

Electric vehicle “Granny chargers” designed to plug into a standard 13 amp
socket are all de-rated to 10 amps for this reason.

That certainly indicates that more thought has gone into the problem
than I've put into it. In my, rather limited, experience hot plugs
have always been caused by loose connections between the wires and the
pins. Whether they've worked loose or were never tightened up properly
in the first place, screwing them down firmly has always fixed it for
me.


Nick