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Old 30th May 2018, 10:36 am   #61
avocollector
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

Over here in New Zealand our plugs are not fused - only wall socket protection is a 10 or 15 amp fuse/RCD at the mains board and advice is rarely given out about daisy chaining distribution boards BUT most boards do have a 10 amp resettable cutout. There is still the odd house fire from time to time but nothing too often - more a problem is the old Kiwi trick of replacing a mains board 10 amp fuse with a 2 inch nail!!
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Old 30th May 2018, 3:46 pm   #62
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

I would NEVER use those double or triple adaptors, fused or otherwise, they are totally unsafe! In a previous life I was involved with the local fire brigade in an incident support role, I was speaking to one of the senior guys and he said that at that time, 70% of electrical related house fires was caused by double adaptors.
As an electrician I have also seen the damage they cause to the socket they are plugged into, the extra distance they stick out, often a good 2 or 3 inches puts a tremendous strain on the contact tubes inside the socket, worn or strained contact tubes leads to arcing and overheating, which in turn leads to fire. Far better to use one of those multiway extension leads, although it should be a decent make, a lot of these cheapo ones costing 2 or 3 quid are not fit for purpose in my opinion.
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Old 30th May 2018, 4:11 pm   #63
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

I used to nickname those 3 face adapters electric firelighters and avoided using them.
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Old 30th May 2018, 5:21 pm   #64
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

The "cube" type 2/3-way adapters were commonplace a few decades back: both for 13A and the older BS546 5/15A circuits: I've seen a few which had a 15A or 13A pass-through from front to rear with a pair of 3-pin 5A sockets on the sides. No fusing... but still, nobody died.

I'm currently using a MARBO brand 3-way-13A 'cube' here.

There is a kind of power-strip that's specifically designed for daisy-chaining - I deployed thousands of these behind/under desks:

https://www.videk.co.uk/section.php/...der-desk-power

without problems. The "strips" have non-standard outlets at each end specifically intended to let you link one strip to another - see https://www.videk.co.uk/shopimages/p...al/VID0083.jpg

They worked rather well in situations where a single dealer-desk might need power for two or three computers, three or four screens, maybe a fax-machine for the legacy-types, and somewhere to plug-in your cellphone-charger.

My current pet hate are the "dangle down" 13A outlet-multipliers (see attachment) - these invariably get worked loose by the weight of the attached cables. The one shown is only 4-way; I've seen 6- and 8-way versions!
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Old 30th May 2018, 5:24 pm   #65
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

That dangle down is a posh one with switches on it.
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Old 30th May 2018, 6:29 pm   #66
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

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Originally Posted by Refugee View Post
I used to nickname those 3 face adapters electric firelighters and avoided using them.
Another name is "death cube" I do have a couple in use for very low loading appliances.
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Old 30th May 2018, 8:10 pm   #67
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

Re Phil's comment in post 62*, I had a four way short extension lead crumble away at one end today [better than 2/3 way adaptors I agree but it can depend on loading and how much plugging/unplugging goes on]. This was a "shock" and it was quite a thick cable as well, which makes it worse in a way. I've never seen such poor quality plastic in an extension block before. Plastic bags, boxes and clothes pegs yes but they don't carry any electrical current! Whatever is being used, the outcome also depends on the diligence/awareness of the user in my view.

Dave W
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Old 30th May 2018, 8:55 pm   #68
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

Was it like this one, allegedly from Poundland?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bb3l80251v...23098.jpg?dl=0


https://groups.google.com/forum/#!ms...8/hKNrWLbFAgAJ
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Old 30th May 2018, 10:13 pm   #69
dave walsh
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

"Spot" on Graham. Mine is very similar but with a neon and all crumbled like that at but at one end. The build doesn't match the lead and the plug but the plastic weakness is not obvious really, like those pesky clothes pegs that snap after you use them twice. I suspect that it's one I've swopped over from my daughters room as I rarely buy plug boards with a neon. I'm certainly going to check everything even more carefully than I usually do

Thanks Dave
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Old 31st May 2018, 12:19 am   #70
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

Quote:
Didn't a firm called Olsen in London make metal distribution strips with lots of MK sockets. Used to advertise in WW
I have an eight way one fed from an FCU(5 amp fuse) supplying my loft. I think mine originally came from a 19 inch rack.
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Old 31st May 2018, 8:44 am   #71
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

Three off topic thread hijacking posts moved to a new thread here:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=147040
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Old 31st May 2018, 8:57 am   #72
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

This was photographed by my son, who does professional audio visual system project management (big networked stuff at Universities, corporate systems etc.) He photographed this at one place he surveyed. His caption was "12kW of switchgear and PDU's run off 13A extension leads"

The horror, the horror
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Old 31st May 2018, 9:06 am   #73
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Default Re: Daisy Chain Mains Extensions

This might have been posted by someone else here at some point. If so I apologise for repeating it here - I had the text saved without a note of where it came from. Safety at rented properties has *probably* improved since then.

“I moved into the upstairs of a freshly converted rental in Ladywell, SE London in about 2004. Got van unpacked, everyone in their rooms, popped on the television, bliss. Followed by sudden silence. Swore slightly, knowing this was going to be a problem of a large magnitude.

Had no idea where the consumer unit was so followed it logically back to the hall and the cupboard. Opened it up, all looked normal, no breakers gone. Then I looked at the feed into the unit and it looked suspiciously like normal flex. Followed this down through a hole in the floor. So went downstairs and rang on the door bell and the other new tenant below opened it. Explained it and we followed it through into their cupboard. What did I find?

My entire flat was wired onto a cheap plastic 13A plug and plugged into a socket hanging out of the back of their consumer unit. There was no back on the plug and the wires had melted making it open circuit. This was covered in PVC tape not for insulation but clearly to hide it. There was no fuse. Someone had taken two neutral pins out of two plugs and put them in one plug body so it was unfused. This was hard wired to the main bus inside the consumer unit.”
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Old 31st May 2018, 6:18 pm   #74
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Originally Posted by Craig Sawyers View Post
This was photographed by my son, who does professional audio visual system project management (big networked stuff at Universities, corporate systems etc.) He photographed this at one place he surveyed. His caption was "12kW of switchgear and PDU's run off 13A extension leads"

The horror, the horror
Good grief. What do they do for a day job? Urban cannabis farmer?
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Old 31st May 2018, 8:55 pm   #75
Craig Sawyers
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Quite. He gets to see some really mangled attempts by bodgers, and then sort it out. Or more accurately manage the sorting of it out.
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Old 31st May 2018, 9:52 pm   #76
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Originally Posted by M0FYA Andy View Post
I do it on my computer installation, so it's a 'semi-permanent' set-up with a number of daisy-chained extensions along the back of my computer bench and down onto the floor to another table with my A3 printer.
I'm fully aware that it is 'frowned on' as a practice, but as a computer installation comprises a lot of low-current loads (each with a suitable fuse in the plug) I've not been able to think of a reason 'why not?'. I've certainly never had any trouble, touch wood.

Andy
Likewise. But first lead has my PC and monitor, with PC being the biggest consumer, and although each plug on the sockets has a 13A fuse, the individual plugs have no more than a 3A fuse. I've never had any problems .
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