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Old 30th Jan 2014, 4:35 pm   #21
Nickthedentist
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

I remember reading somewhere that only 3A and 13A were approved for plugs, but the whole range could be used in FCUs. Could be internet hearsay though.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 4:41 pm   #22
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

Which standard states which values are official?
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 4:50 pm   #23
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

This seemed fairly sensible with a few bits that I suspect might be controversial here: http://www.pat-testing-expert.com/su...Plug-Fuses.php
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 4:59 pm   #24
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Station X
Which standard states which values are official?
It's all in BS 1362, the nitty gritty being:-

Quote:
5.3.2

Rated current of the fuse link. The rated current may be any value not exceeding 13 A.

For use in plugs, the preferred rated currents are 3 A and 13 A.
Unfortunately I can't post the document here for copyright reasons. It can be downloaded from the 'net as a pdf document.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 5:19 pm   #25
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

That must surely be a revised BS 1362? I distinctly remember 7 Amps being a 'preferred' rating. Apart from the 'funny' numbers, the thing I most noticed about the system was the return to three fuse ratings, 7A being the equivalent to the long-obsolete 10A size.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 5:35 pm   #26
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

It sounds like one of those well-meaning committee things to avoid overloading (!) Joe Average with too much decision-making. Perhaps the thinking is that an appliance that needs greater than 3A fusing is likely to have a mains lead that wouldn't overheat excessively in rupturing a 13A one.

Personally, I prefer to fuse closely and make full use of 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 13A ratings. If the JVC Videosphere in question really does only consume 21W and has a typical-of-the-era transformer PSU (as opposed to an HF SMPSU with minimal or no inrush-limiting that would be the norm nowadays), then a 2A fuse is likely to be fine. A 1A might end up nuisance failing.

If I only had a pound for every appliance I've encountered that had been passed by an "approved" PAT tester that had a default 13A fuse in the plug and a 0.5 sq.mm lead...

Last edited by turretslug; 30th Jan 2014 at 5:42 pm.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 5:39 pm   #27
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brigham
That must surely be a revised BS 1362?
I'm looking at the 1973 edition with editorial changes in 1991.

First published March 1947
First revision July 1953
Second revision February 1973
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 5:40 pm   #28
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maclee62 View Post
Sleeved L and N pins on 13A plugs were introduced as a result of a change made to BS1363 as a countermeasure to the '1p prank'.
There was a similar jolly jape that involved removing a bayonet-fitting light-bulb and sandwiching a penny between base and contacts, waiting for an innocent victim to switch the switch with a vicious snap and flash from the switch. Really not big or clever.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 6:30 pm   #29
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

Hi
Post #25 mentions the long-obsolete 10A size. However many IEC leads with moulded plugs actually have a 10A fuse which appears appropriate for the size of the lead.
With regard to most large-screen televisions, I think a rating of 3A is too low and can lead to spurious blowing.
Glyn
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 6:47 pm   #30
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

Quote:
Originally Posted by winston_1 View Post
I know there are lots of different ratings available, but only 3 and 13A are official
Well, I have a fuse in front of me now, 5A, marked BS1362. Bought recently from Farnell - a reputable supplier not known for bogus-marked products.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Station X View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Station X
Which standard states which values are official?
...
Quote:
5.3.2
...For use in plugs, the preferred rated currents are 3 A and 13 A.
...
Ah! There's a difference between 'official' and just 'preferred values'. My fuse is indeed an official BS1362 fuse, just a non-preferred value (but quite admissible) to fit to a fuse. But it will still offer full protection, as per the BS1362 standard.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 6:59 pm   #31
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

The domestic wiring chapter of the 1956 edition of Newnes "Radio Television and Electrical Repairs" only mentions 3A, 7A and 13A fuses for 13A plugs, so I guess my old MK plug [#19] must date from that era.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 9:15 pm   #32
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

There are also 1A fuses. Having many small appliances, they're the size I use most. I haven't really thought much about it, just picked the lowest fuse that's sufficient, but I wonder if it provides any real safety advantages to use the odd sizes (for lack of a better word) when they're suitable?
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 9:23 pm   #33
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

Like you, I use 1A for pretty much all AV equipment that has a conventional mains plug and isn't a telly.

I like to think it provides another level of protection in the case of a fault.

Nick.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 9:36 pm   #34
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

I used to use 1A fuses for table lamps and standard lamps until I used up my stock of Woolworths GLS lamps, which were fitted with fast-acting Ballotini fuses. Other makes of GLS lamps normally have slower-acting plain wire fuses that take out the 1A fuse in the plug as well, making lamp replacement expensive, so now I fit a 3A fuse.
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Old 30th Jan 2014, 11:58 pm   #35
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

I'm using 1A fuses for lamps, but I've never actually had a bulb burn out. I've been using the long life halogen GLS bulbs on dimmers (dimming greatly extends bulb life the more you do it) and the bulbs just seem to last forever. No idea how many hours now, but it's been years of daily use for most of them.
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Old 31st Jan 2014, 1:02 am   #36
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Default Re: Which fuse to use?

One of my remaining filament bulbs is in a bedside lamp with a dimmer switch which uses a switched pot, and so always turns on at minimum brightness. Bulbs definitely last longer in this lamp, almost certainly due to the gentle start they receive.
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