Regardless of where you are, can we all agree that no one’s really perfected the electrical outlet yet?
NA plugs make contact without being fully seated, and can leave their live and neutral pins exposed. Worn outlets just let plugs fall out of them (I have 3 or so outlets in my apartment that are borderline unusable because of this).
British plugs are bulky and turn into caltrops when dropped on the floor.
European plugs have the same problem. And you only get like, one outlet per receptacle? Guess you’re shit out of luck if you wanna plug anything else in the same spot.
Most of the rest of the world just copied Europe or the UK.
I like Denmark’s plug though. Cute lil smiley face.
Euro plugs are perfect. They connect well, have no live metal exposed, power strips are safe, it can handle 230V Without a problem. They are being copied everywhere because they are well designed.
I think the Swiss have the best Europlug-based system. Their three-conductor plugs have the same footprint as basic Europlugs, which makes for very dense plug arrangements. Unlike e.g. the German Schuko plug they only fit in one orientation so you get no polarity issues.
Not an issue, you can swap line and neutral freely. It becomes an issue if you want to use three phases and a three phase motor (because the order of phases is important) but that is covered by other sockets. Plain old Schuko is one phase, LNG.
EDIT: thought about it some more, yeah, devices with switches on L may be pose a shock risk in some cases if you swap.
That’s not quite how AC outlets work. Line and neutral can intentionally have different potentials relative to ground depending on how the house’s electrical system is designed. This can become relevant in certain situations like very simple devices (think “lamp socket with a power plug”).
A plug that can’t be inverted makes this a non-issue.
Not safely with 240V. The smaller US plugs can only take 120V. The benifit of the larger plugs is they are more rigit, don’t come out easily and provide proper insulation. Thin EU plugs exist, but aren’t sufficient for heavy users.
Lamps and phone chargers have the narrow plugs because they don’t pull as much power but a heavy device needs a bigger safer plug. Like a microwave, a PC or a table saw.
European plugs have the same problem. And you only get like, one outlet per receptacle? Guess you’re shit out of luck if you wanna plug anything else in the same spot.
The standard amount of outlets per receptacle here (Sweden) is two. Maybe in very old houses it would be only one, but that’s rare. If you run into that, there are splitters that make one into two, you don’t need to have an extender to split it.
I don’t think it’s fair to judge plugs by how they behave when dropped on the floor (unless they’re exposing live wires). Do you often have a lot of loose plugs lying around? If you find yourself unplugging things a lot to turn them off, you may be interested to hear the switch was invented not long after the light bulb for exactly this reason.
If you find yourself unplugging things a lot to turn them off, you may be interested to hear the switch was invented not long after the light bulb for exactly this reason.
As if that’s the only reason you’d ever unplug something.
Vampire loads. Turns out, most things don’t completely turn off anymore. Yes, it adds up.
Either you’re unplugging it to move it somewhere else and plugging it in there, or you’re unplugging it for good, boxing it up and putting it in a shed. Neither scenario ends up with loose plugs on your floor.
Tell me you’re clueless without telling me you’re clueless…
UK sockets have switches on the socket that disconnects it. It’s not even up for the debate, UK plug is the best. Everyone with minimum of 2 braincells knows this.
So the top prong is longer, so it goes in first and “opens” the bottom two holes. It will also not shock you if you accidentally touch it. The lower two prongs are sleeved so they only make contact when fully inserted. The pins themselves are also more solid so they are basically impossible to snap.
That’s the most major differences between the two.
i like the compactness of this triple-plug design used for Type-J, used in switzerland and lichtenstein, although it missed some other points (no insulated pins, no on-off switch, etc)
Most connectors I have use partially insulated live/neutral. Ground is optional and completely uninsulated where it’s present for safety.
Also, recessed receptacles hide the most dangerous parts.
The on/off switch always struck me as odd. Like, in a recessed plug such as this where the male prongs have a bit of insulation to them, are they really that worried about a tiny arc that might occur when someone forgets to turn off the device? Like it would make more sense to have a limit switch built into the socket that activates on insertion and deactivates on removal. And even then, with our caveman sockets in the US, a small arc isn’t the end of the world, you just know not to have your fingers near the shiny bits.
Does NA not have insulated pins? Where a half inch of so of the pin nearest the plug head is insulated so when plugging in the exposed part of the pin is inside the hole before the pin makes contact with live power?
See. That’s the kinds of things we could did if we had like… A government that worked. 20 years ago our politicians were less worried about our safety and more worried about spying on us
It’s a right of passage for a kid to learn what a 120 volt shock feels like if they’re careless in unplugging something. One pin is just an unforgettable sensation, while both will knock you down. The real mystery is why code requires the outlets installed upside down. Technology Connections did at least one video on the differences of outlets in the world, and his point was that if the ground pin was above the other two, something falling on a partially exposed plug would rest on the harmless ground and not what it can do, short out the two live pins. But then we wouldn’t get the cute faces, so…
Funnily enough this did happen to me. It was a cat toy that was mostly just a long metal wire. I found it on the ground in 2 pieces and couldn’t figure out how that happened…until I saw the marks around the outlet. Definitely feel lucky that nothing caught fire and no cats were harmed. Not that I’m going to flip all my outlets or anything, but proof it can happen!
Code doesn’t specify the orientation of a standard duplex 15 or 20 amp receptacle. Personally, I’m of the position that they should be ground pin up, for exactly the situation you specified. But, since there isn’t a code mandate, residential customers and the occasional commercial customer will make you flip them because “they look weird upside down” (ground up). I think a lot of this comes from the old K&T days when it was standard practice to place the hot terminal on the right and neutral of the left, assumably because most people are right handed, and they added the ground on the bottom to make the face as it was more aesthetically pleasing. Granted, this last bit is all pure speculation.
The fact of the matter is that since I can’t draw a code reference to ground up, I install residential ground down. On commercial jobs I’ll ask the client directly and explain the hazard, since they’re more liability minded, and they’ll typically go ground up except in reception areas and the like. People are funny.
It does not. Some devices may have that on their plugs, but it’s certainly not standard.
One night when I was 14, I tried to plug in my phone charger beside my bed in the dark and was accidentally touching one of the pins when it made contact.
Fortunately, I wasn’t completing the circuit and I was electrically isolated laying on my bed, so I didn’t actually get shocked. But I did feel a buzz in my finger like you get from those prank toys that shock the victim. That’s a sensation I will never forget.
So do we. But we don’t need as many of them, usually just for areas with a lot of electronics like entertainment centers or computer desks.
US electric code requires an outlet like every 6-8 feet (~2m) along a wall so you shouldn’t need to string extension cords everywhere. For the most part, it works pretty well. I have 5 outlets alone in my 12x12ft (~3.6x3.6m) bedroom.
Brazil’s “new” plug (two decades maybe) is pretty good. Doesn’t have any of the problems you mentioned. It’s similar to one used by a few other countries around Europe.
Regardless of where you are, can we all agree that no one’s really perfected the electrical outlet yet?
NA plugs make contact without being fully seated, and can leave their live and neutral pins exposed. Worn outlets just let plugs fall out of them (I have 3 or so outlets in my apartment that are borderline unusable because of this).
British plugs are bulky and turn into caltrops when dropped on the floor.
European plugs have the same problem. And you only get like, one outlet per receptacle? Guess you’re shit out of luck if you wanna plug anything else in the same spot.
Most of the rest of the world just copied Europe or the UK.
I like Denmark’s plug though. Cute lil smiley face.
England perfected it
Euro plugs are perfect. They connect well, have no live metal exposed, power strips are safe, it can handle 230V Without a problem. They are being copied everywhere because they are well designed.
I do prefer English plugs. Euro can wear out or just not hold in as well if they’re cheaply made. Never ever had that issue with English ones.
I think the Swiss have the best Europlug-based system. Their three-conductor plugs have the same footprint as basic Europlugs, which makes for very dense plug arrangements. Unlike e.g. the German Schuko plug they only fit in one orientation so you get no polarity issues.
It’s pretty neat.
Not an issue, you can swap line and neutral freely. It becomes an issue if you want to use three phases and a three phase motor (because the order of phases is important) but that is covered by other sockets. Plain old Schuko is one phase, LNG.
EDIT: thought about it some more, yeah, devices with switches on L may be pose a shock risk in some cases if you swap.
What do you mean by polarity issues? AFAIK alternating currents don’t have a polarity.
That’s not quite how AC outlets work. Line and neutral can intentionally have different potentials relative to ground depending on how the house’s electrical system is designed. This can become relevant in certain situations like very simple devices (think “lamp socket with a power plug”).
A plug that can’t be inverted makes this a non-issue.
(Edit: Added missing “not”.)
Orientation of hot vs neutral
Those 3 way plug outlets are pretty cool
Couldn’t they’ve made it in a smaller form factor?
Europlugs are small, similar to us plugs. But the bulky schuko is very common in Europe. Europlugs are compatible with schuko sockets and many others.
You can fit two or three europlug sockets in the same amount of space as one schuko or British socket.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europlug
Put a schuko adaptor on a UK plug and you have a device for fucking up schuko sockets
Ooh, I don’t think I saw those in my trip to Europe over a decade ago. They’re nice; they look so much more compact.
Not safely with 240V. The smaller US plugs can only take 120V. The benifit of the larger plugs is they are more rigit, don’t come out easily and provide proper insulation. Thin EU plugs exist, but aren’t sufficient for heavy users. Lamps and phone chargers have the narrow plugs because they don’t pull as much power but a heavy device needs a bigger safer plug. Like a microwave, a PC or a table saw.
Pffft, us Aussie have perfected it.
Your plugs look like they are an anime frowning girl with a sweat drop on their forehead.
I always saw them as a little ghost face going OooOoOOOOOooooOoo
The standard amount of outlets per receptacle here (Sweden) is two. Maybe in very old houses it would be only one, but that’s rare. If you run into that, there are splitters that make one into two, you don’t need to have an extender to split it.
I don’t think it’s fair to judge plugs by how they behave when dropped on the floor (unless they’re exposing live wires). Do you often have a lot of loose plugs lying around? If you find yourself unplugging things a lot to turn them off, you may be interested to hear the switch was invented not long after the light bulb for exactly this reason.
Either you’re unplugging it to move it somewhere else and plugging it in there, or you’re unplugging it for good, boxing it up and putting it in a shed. Neither scenario ends up with loose plugs on your floor.
Tell me you’re clueless without telling me you’re clueless…
UK sockets have switches on the socket that disconnects it. It’s not even up for the debate, UK plug is the best. Everyone with minimum of 2 braincells knows this.
I could hear Jupiter from the Planets Suite swelling in my head as I read this post. Hurrah for tea and toasted crumpets!
What kind of British are you?
Cream or jam first?
Jam first else its not a right proper job.
This means war.
Easier to spread clotted cream and then just let jam fall off the spoon. Anything else is barbaric.
AU plugs all do that too. The UK system is weird.
There are many flaws in AU plug… Its a poor copy.
So the top prong is longer, so it goes in first and “opens” the bottom two holes. It will also not shock you if you accidentally touch it. The lower two prongs are sleeved so they only make contact when fully inserted. The pins themselves are also more solid so they are basically impossible to snap.
That’s the most major differences between the two.
Earth pin is at the bottom though.
Don’t let that fool you, it hides a dark secret
i like the compactness of this triple-plug design used for Type-J, used in switzerland and lichtenstein, although it missed some other points (no insulated pins, no on-off switch, etc)
Most connectors I have use partially insulated live/neutral. Ground is optional and completely uninsulated where it’s present for safety.
Also, recessed receptacles hide the most dangerous parts.
Cables going in 3 directions? Who can live at that speed?
The on/off switch always struck me as odd. Like, in a recessed plug such as this where the male prongs have a bit of insulation to them, are they really that worried about a tiny arc that might occur when someone forgets to turn off the device? Like it would make more sense to have a limit switch built into the socket that activates on insertion and deactivates on removal. And even then, with our caveman sockets in the US, a small arc isn’t the end of the world, you just know not to have your fingers near the shiny bits.
It’s so you can turn something off without unplugging it.
UK plug for sure is amazing, the caltrops is just to get you ready for standing on Lego.
Does NA not have insulated pins? Where a half inch of so of the pin nearest the plug head is insulated so when plugging in the exposed part of the pin is inside the hole before the pin makes contact with live power?
Lol, no.
Ah well, it’s been the law here for 20 years.
I’m also reading about how our NZ/Australia socket was based on an American 125v socket design, later upgraded to allow 240v.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS/NZS_3112
See. That’s the kinds of things we could did if we had like… A government that worked. 20 years ago our politicians were less worried about our safety and more worried about spying on us
It’s a right of passage for a kid to learn what a 120 volt shock feels like if they’re careless in unplugging something. One pin is just an unforgettable sensation, while both will knock you down. The real mystery is why code requires the outlets installed upside down. Technology Connections did at least one video on the differences of outlets in the world, and his point was that if the ground pin was above the other two, something falling on a partially exposed plug would rest on the harmless ground and not what it can do, short out the two live pins. But then we wouldn’t get the cute faces, so…
That isn’t code. 2:25
His point is that this is incredibly unlikely to ever actually help, and it’s largely an urban legend.
Funnily enough this did happen to me. It was a cat toy that was mostly just a long metal wire. I found it on the ground in 2 pieces and couldn’t figure out how that happened…until I saw the marks around the outlet. Definitely feel lucky that nothing caught fire and no cats were harmed. Not that I’m going to flip all my outlets or anything, but proof it can happen!
Code doesn’t specify the orientation of a standard duplex 15 or 20 amp receptacle. Personally, I’m of the position that they should be ground pin up, for exactly the situation you specified. But, since there isn’t a code mandate, residential customers and the occasional commercial customer will make you flip them because “they look weird upside down” (ground up). I think a lot of this comes from the old K&T days when it was standard practice to place the hot terminal on the right and neutral of the left, assumably because most people are right handed, and they added the ground on the bottom to make the face as it was more aesthetically pleasing. Granted, this last bit is all pure speculation.
The fact of the matter is that since I can’t draw a code reference to ground up, I install residential ground down. On commercial jobs I’ll ask the client directly and explain the hazard, since they’re more liability minded, and they’ll typically go ground up except in reception areas and the like. People are funny.
Thanks for the clarification. I assumed it was code only because I wouldn’t know where to look to find out, and you see it everywhere.
Lol a 120V circuit won’t knock you down. You’ll be surprised but that’s about it.
Source: electrician. I’ve been shocked plenty. Also, the other fellas right, that’s not code re: orientation.
You say that, until you get a surprise tickle up on a ladder and accidentally punch yourself in the face. Ask me how i know :)
Glad to see another electrician on here!
Yeah that’s legit haha, been there
<3
that’s cute. nah tho. the pins are just… out there. ready to kill you
It does not. Some devices may have that on their plugs, but it’s certainly not standard.
One night when I was 14, I tried to plug in my phone charger beside my bed in the dark and was accidentally touching one of the pins when it made contact.
Fortunately, I wasn’t completing the circuit and I was electrically isolated laying on my bed, so I didn’t actually get shocked. But I did feel a buzz in my finger like you get from those prank toys that shock the victim. That’s a sensation I will never forget.
Not defending our plugs at all.
AU outlets sound pretty good by comparison. I’m sure there are improvements to be made, but I never have any of those issues.
UK plugs seem to have a few good design details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=139Q61ty4C0
My only problem is it’s difficult to plug them in blind because not all power boards and outlets have the ground pin depression to feel for
The Brazilian plug has none of those problems…
Also, what European plug are you talking about? There are quite a few models there.
re: european outlets number: we usually just get an extender with multiple ports, i have 5 of those in my small flat
So do we. But we don’t need as many of them, usually just for areas with a lot of electronics like entertainment centers or computer desks.
US electric code requires an outlet like every 6-8 feet (~2m) along a wall so you shouldn’t need to string extension cords everywhere. For the most part, it works pretty well. I have 5 outlets alone in my 12x12ft (~3.6x3.6m) bedroom.
Compared to the US, EU extension cords are actually reliable and not death traps. It’s not a big deal if you need one.
But as I said in another comment, one outlet per receptacle is not the standard, at least not here. We have two.
Brazil’s “new” plug (two decades maybe) is pretty good. Doesn’t have any of the problems you mentioned. It’s similar to one used by a few other countries around Europe.