Plugs
 

Hello
We are returning to the UK Next week and we have some NZ electric plugs to give away first person to send me their address by PM i will put them in the post free of charge
Dave.

Re: Plugs
 

I have pmd you... Thanks!!!

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Ok Frenchy noted your address i will send the plugs off on Wed 2 when we finnish with all appliances and arepacked in the container. Dave

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We have some spare English plugs, Do you want any in return Dave?

Re: Plugs
 

hope I'm not being too "helpful" but you might want to keep some of the plug top fuses, particulalry the lower rated ones, unless of course you changed them all to Oz/NZ ones and did not go down the UK extension lead on Kiwi plug top (potential overload disaster) route......:unsure:

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You beat me to it Dawn!!! How many more have you gotta change??? :eek:

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We have been told that should you have a fire your insurance will be void if using any type of Uk plug extension or adapter.

So we still have all the garage stuff and kitchen stuff and yet we have already brought 25!!!!!!!!

So many thanks to Dave!!!:)
sarah if I have any left I will pass them your way:) Hope all is well, see I dont miss a bargain!!!!!;)

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mmmm.....professionally speaking, I'd say that the UK plug top and socket outlet system is superior in terms of fire safety compared to the NZ/Aus ones....although you may have more of a problem with a straight swap as the plug tops are only rated at 10 amps and some of your appliances are likely to be rated at the full 13 amps (our dishwasher is).
Again from a professional point of view I'd be interested in knowing who has told you that your insurance is voided (as I work in the Insurance industry as a fire investigator!).
I can see that there could be a problem with:
(i) the cheap UK/NZ adapters that do not cover the earth pin and are only rated at about 5 to 8 amps - usually they are marked as "temporary" - these could cause electric shock/electrocution if you use them to adapt a UK plug to an NZ socket for an appliance such as an oil filled radiator, "white" appliance or similar that requires an earth as they have no earth!
or (ii) daisychaining lots of appliances on a 13 amp extension lead. However, if your installation is OK you should not be any different from using a NZ/Aus plug and if you overload the sockets you will only pull out the circuit breaker/fuse (provided of course it is correctly rated!!) at the "fuse board" - Your UK plug top has a fuse fitted to protect the cable and appliance and to provide discrimination in fusing - the powerboards/powerblocks here have a 10 amp rated breaker to prevent gross overloading but this is not as effective as the plug top fuse on each appliance IMHO as the cables for smaller appliances here are not 15/16 amp rated (as most of the power circuit fuses/breakers are).
BTW, Does anyone know where the 15 amp sockets (for the 15 plug tops you see about) can be purchased......the earth pin in the 15 amp plug top is wider and will not fit a standard socket.

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Thanks for that info, makes sense!!!

I had better get my walkabout phone charger out of that adapter asap!!!!!:)

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I have seen a few anecdotes around of people who had their insurance voided after a fire even though the plugs/sockets probably weren't at fault. It's more of a get-out clause for the insurer (equipment not certified for NZ) than a technical thing I think.

I think the plug-top fuse is just there to protect the equipment flex because UK ring mains are 30 amps which could light up a 13A flex quite quickly. The NZ sockets are all fused at 10 amps at the distribution board so that risk isn't there.

Trade supplier I would think. They haven't discovered online selling yet unfortunately, though there might be an Aussie online store that sells them. This is a good page on the legal restrictions for electrical DIY (get in quick before they make you put it on the LIM report!)

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thanks for that C-P.
Knowing more of what goes on with insurance over here I would not put it past insurers to try and repudiate a claim on that basis, but I'd wager that unless it was written into a policy document (perhaps even as you say as "certified" equipment) then they have no leg to stand on and the ombudsman or a Court if it came to that would tell them where to go.
As regards the socket outlets, yes they are rated at 10 amps per socket but in my experience they are 15 amp (or even 16 amp in some cases) breakers or fuses protecting these (in one house here I have seen 15amp fuse wire doubled up to make a 30amp fuse on power circuits so in those cases a plug top fuse is pretty important).
Also some flexes I have seen here are nowhere near 10 or 15 amps rating and so could "light up" as you put it with a fault. Also, the added protection of a low rating fuse on a low current appliance, eg TV, computer, HiFi, tools, etc,etc is absent here so these portable appliances are less safe than those fused at the plug top with say a 5amp or 3amp fuse - hence why I recommended that plug top fuses be salvaged and hoarded - I am keeping mine and have a stock of low rating ones with me - I even have some MK surge protected socket outlets that I shall very probably be fitting with their own DBs for my Hifi once I have my own place :thumbup:
The state of wiring, even in our rental, can be pretty parlous (but then there is plenty of that in the UK - once saw a house where daddy fitted an en suite for his duaghter as a birthday "treat" - in it he put a shelf above her sink, where the hardryer was meant to live, and put an *unswitched* socket outlet there - double whammy and a massive no-no!!).
Have looked at RS components (old name Radio Spares, trade out of Corby/Kettering in UK) who have an Oz branch and NZ website - pretty expensive. I got a 15Amp plug top from Bunnings but they had no idea where to get the outlet!!! Hey-ho.

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mmm.....having checked out the linky ..... I shal *not* be fitting my own DBs, I shall be getting a registered electrician to do that.....under the Electricity Act / Regs................
Strange thing this, if you fit an LPG cooker you don't have to be registered under the Gas Act / Regs, read them and you'll see, I'd bet you could do lots more damage with a dodgy small propane cylinder than with a dodgy switchboard :confused: :thumbdown: :confused:

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HI Frenchy hope you received the plugs ok.Well were back in the UK now and loving it we bought a bungalow needs a lot of work but it will come right.I went straight into work but now going self employed again having picked up my old contacts in the building trade. We packed our own container in NZ we loaded it over 5 days all our house goods 2 motor bikes and a car arrived on time and no damage.cleared customs ok, saved 2000 GBP against NZ van lines price.We used Ellery Freight Services In Auckland they gave us excellent service they even told us to pay in the uk. Anyway anybody want some cardboard boxes!!!!!!! Dave & Judith

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Hi Dave and Judith I will pm you!!!!!:)