Fuse for 16amp blue plug

[Jev88]

I have a small cooler box fridge that I plan on using in the awning to free up the main fridge for food.

I have a spare 2 pin figure of 8 ended plug and thought simple, cut plug off and buy a blue 16amp plug and join the two. I already have a good quality Y splitter hook up lead.

I have never had to open a blue plug before and surprised that there is no fuse? Is there a version that does accommodate a fuse or am I being stupid?

 

[DBK]

You can get in line RCDs which will do the job. A non-latching one will double as a switch to isolate the supply. For example: Amazon product ASIN B006X09WAA
Link Removed

 

[Jev88]

I am not being stupid then? Blue plugs don't have fuses?

 

[pappajohn]

To answer your question, no there are no fused blue plugs.
The protection is at the supply source... ie: fuse board/consumer unit/hookup post

 

[Lenny HB]

I have a small cooler box fridge that I plan on using in the awning to free up the main fridge for food.

I have a spare 2 pin figure of 8 ended plug and thought simple, cut plug off and buy a blue 16amp plug and join the two. I already have a good quality Y splitter hook up lead.

I have never had to open a blue plug before and surprised that there is no fuse? Is there a version that does accommodate a fuse or am I being stupid?

Hate to agree with you yes you are being stupid. ?
It is only the UK that has fuses in 13 a plugs.

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[bigtwin]

It is only the UK that has fuses in 13 a plugs.

Two questions:

- what is always/usually on the other end of the cable on which the 13A plug is attached?
- what is always/usually on the other end of the MH cable on which the blue plug is attached?

Ian

 

[pappajohn]

Two questions:

- what is always/usually on the other end of the cable on which the 13A plug is attached?
- what is always/usually on the other end of the MH cable on which the blue plug is attached?

Ian

A...... An appliance/trailing socket
B...... A consumer unit

Q... What's on the other end of the socket the plug (blue or 3 pin) is plugged into?

A... A protection device in a consumer unit/hookup post.
Why have a fused plug, Europe doesn't.

 

[Lenny HB]

Fuse in the plug is only there to protect the cable.

 

[Camping Gaza]

Europe (where I live anyway) does not use ring mains, each outlet is on its own spur from the maim board, so each outlet has its own trip or fuse in the consumer unit.

Could that be the reason why?

 

[autorouter]

In the UK, the wiring to a socket is protected by a breaker that is either 32 amps (for a ring) or 20 amps (for a radial). That is too much for individual appliances, so plugs have their own fuse inside, which can be anything from 3 to 13 amps.

A blue socket is rated at 16 amps. It should always be protected by a breaker or fuse of 16 amps or less. Typically they have an RCD and their own dedicated MCB, maximum 16 amps, for example on an EHU post on a campsite pitch.

On a house, blue sockets are either on their own 'radial' circuit all the way from the consumer unit, or maybe they are on a fused spur from a ring main, fused at 13 amps. With an RCD if there's no RCD in the main concumer unit. You should never wire a blue socket directly into a ring main.

Because of this, a blue plug does not need its own fuse. It is rated at 16 amps, and the wire connected to it is 1.5mm^2 or more, so the wire will carry 16 amps no problem.

Anyway, to answer your question, it should be OK to wire the figure-of-8 2-pin socket to a 16 amp blue plug. It is common on the continent to plug the thin 2-pin plugs (the flat ones with no earth connection) into a standard round socket that is protected by a 16 amp breaker. A blue socket is no different from that point of view.

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