You weren't around in the days of those radial circuits? It was
common to
see both 5 and 15 amp plugs on the same circuit.

And most adaptors were multistandard, giving 2 or 3 different plug type
outlets in one. On a radial with 5&15 sockets you would therefore get
15,5 and 2A sockets & plugs, all fused at 15A.

15A fuses dont blow at 16A of course, so 2A plugs could take a lot more
than 15A before anything popped. The shortage of sockets meant various
homebrewed adaptors and leads, so there was nothing to stop a right
fool plugging more than 3kW onto a 2A plug.


And irons plugged into ceiling lights.

and heaters, with bare live element. Would take the chill off the room
before getting into bed. Typically 1kW. In practice it wouldnt take the
lighting citcuit much over 5A because lighting use was a lot more
spartan than today.

In some cases those would be bowl heaters, probably some of the most
dangerous electric heaters ever made.


Apart from education, the non supply of bayonet plugs and the
correctly rated protection of those circuits, what is there to stop
some idiot doing that today ?

Whats to stop it, apart from the non-existence of the plugs eh? Oh, and
those 2 more safety barriers you mention! too funny.


Nothing, also, irons then were probably 750w maximum, and not earthed,
so technically other than the mechanical stress on the pendant
fixture, nothing was wrong with doing that.

True by the standards of the day, if not by modern standards. The
problems we

- flex draped across hot lightbulb (2 way bulb adaptors were usually
used)
- people often burnt themselves plugging in and unplugging, resulting
in falls, back injuries etc
- people tended to get caught up in the draped flex and apply fairly
large pull forces.
- there were typically no cord grips on either the appliance flex, the
bulb holder or the rose, so things had a habit of getting pulled apart
out when Joey stepped on the flex. So as he tripped on the flex,
yanking the hot iron towards himself, the one and only light went out.
Dont forget it would be set to cotton, not synthetics.


Remember, older
lampholders were more solidly built and could probably handle up to 5
amps without a major issue.

Attitudes were a bit different then. There was no periodic domestic
testing, no PAT tests, and things were not run until they showed signs
of wear, or until the live wires became exposed above the bulb holders,
things were run until they went bang. Things getting hot or sparking
were often not seen as the no-no they are today. Bare live wires above
the bulb holders was a common problem on old installs, and owners
routinely did nothing about it. If something sparked, you kicked it.


NT