Any sparkys out there can help solve this conundrum...

we live in Italy and although I did a basic ONC in electrical engineering and electronics many years ago (although I am not a practising sparky) I was not aware that time or distance had changed the laws of physics. Anyway here is my problem....

We have a microwave/Convection oven/Grill that has an input rating of 2300w which we use outside under the Loggia during the summer months. Now Autumn has arrived I have mounted it on brackets in the utility room but it is well away from the only wall socket in there.

I thought I would use a short extension (3m) to reach and using ohms law I reckoned that a 16A rated in line socket extension would be sufficient (as in 230v X 16A = 3680w). Living in the countryside we actually only have 6kw total supply with a 10A lighting circuit and a single 16A ring main but that is another story.

Anyway, every shop I have been in over here (B&Q equivalents) has 16A extensions with the 16A plug and socket at each end but they all have a legend embossed on them stating 1500w maximum!! Even plug in 2 and 3 way 'block' adaptors that are rated 16A have the same 1500w MAX legend. ]Now 1500w / 230v is only 6.5A.

At first I thought it might be a limit per item plugged in to an adaptor but that doesn't work either 'cos a) it appeared on a single in line socket and b) with the triple block adaptors 3 x 6.5 would exceed the 16A limit anyway. The cable and pins seem up to the task so I cant see the problem but for the life of me how can you legally sell something with a 16A rating (they also sell slightly cheaper 10A versions) and then mark them with a 1500W maximum limit??

Help!! It's doing my nut!

 

err...should I have posted this in Polish?

Or is everyone at work?

 

I think it's because there could be different types of plugs in Italy with different ratings. For example, here in the UK we have generally 13A plugs, but they are not necessarily rated at 13A. You could use thin cable and a 3A fuse, and you would have a 13A rated plug but anything connected to it could not take more than 3A.

That's all I can think of.

 

Ooops sorry just seen Farnham's point.......seems we may be on to something!

 

Re: err...should I have posted this in Polish?

For all the sense it made to me, you might as well have!

Can't you just use the extension and try it? I've never even checked ampage, wattage or whatever on extension leads, just used them. Then again - that could explain why a coiled up one melted when I was using if for a clothes dryer a few years back!

 

Re: err...should I have posted this in Polish?

Instead of using a extension i would buy a 5 metre roll of wire and put a new cord on the microwave,long enough to reach said socket on wall

 

OK thanks. My Italian was OK but , like I said the outlets were a bit like Homebase and whilst my Italian was up to it the resident 'expert' didn't seem to have much idea. You are right in as much as Italian plugs and wall sockets are ...err...fun (to say the least). We have renovated our old farmhouse with all new wiring and , as I said, upped the standard 3Kw supply for rural property to 6Kw by paying extra per month!! The electrician still put in two types of sockets though. Some (mainly in the kitchen) are the old European 16Amp'round' 2 pin with the earth as the spring clip on the outside. The matching round plug seems to be common on white goods and irons and also the built-in oven we have just installed (obviously we have separate gas hob or we would have needed a cooker point (and a bigger supply) as we get 'brown outs' and even the occasional trip if we try to run too much stuff at the same time etc.).
The rest of the sockets are the newer 3 pin 'in-line' with small large holes variable spaced which cater for both 10A and 16A plugs and the sockets are wired for a standard 32A ring main (even though we only have 16A at present). The LX regs are a bit barmy as we are allowed sockets next to sinks, switches IN the bathrooms (not pull type) and no outlets or plugs are fused so you are reliant on the RCDs at the distribution board to trip out if anything blows. The fun then starts trying to find out which item has caused the problem. Luckily not happened to us yet.

I think I will re-wire the item with a longer cable AND then try a 2 way 16/10 2 way Adapter at the wall socket as well as I have a slicer and a coffee grinder in there as well and don't want to have to keep unplugging/plugging in every time.


Thanks anyway but I am still a bit baffled.

 

pour some coke on it and claim on the insurance..

hope this helps

 

PS Forgot to say...

The extension had 2.5mm cable (as do the 4 and 6 ways I bought) and they also state 1500w max!! Didn't worry about them though as I use them for relatively low current stuff like PC, monitor, laptop modem router printer etc.