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Old 14th Dec 2012, 7:02 pm   #161
Tractorfan
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.)
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Default Re: Another unusual plug and some other questions

Hi,

I have some old electrical books from the 30s or earlier and they often showed circuits with double pole fusing. I think the idea was that one fuse = good, two fuses = better. Therefore a fault would cause total isolation from the mains. Apparently, no one thought that one fuse might blow before t'other and the 50/50 possibility of the neutral fuse blowing first and thus rendering the faulty equipment still live!

I wonder how many fatalities it took before the penny finally dropped in later years and only the live conductor was then fused?

Cheers,
Pete
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