Plug sockets - is this safe?

oli356

oli356

oli356

Soldato
Joined
10 Jan 2010
Posts
5,319
Location
Reading
I know nothing about electricity so I thought I would ask =)

Currently:
2 sockets on the wall, 1 Belkin 4-Socket SurgeMaster (4/4) and another random 4 socket one (2/4)

2 23" monitors
External 3.5" HDD
My desktop
Cambridge Audio amp
subwoofer

I have just purchased 3 cisco routers and 3 switches. I can imagine these need quite a bit of power.

If everything was going to be on at once would it be safe? Also should I replace the random 4 socket strip with say an 8 or have a 4 strip going off a 4 strip? (I would've thought the 8 strip)

Thanks!
 
I would put the desktop and 2 monitors and HD in one socket and the rest in the other, on a 8 way not a 4 way plugged into another 4 way.

Would be safe with that unless the routers and switches are power hungry (over 100w each)
 
Last edited:
Should be fine but never run an extension lead off another extension lead. Can't imagine that much draw of power. Get some good surge protectors and u should be fine
 
I would imagine that an 8 way socket is designed to take much more load than a 4 way one, I would probably say using an 8 way socket is a better decision.
 
A uk plug socket is designed for 13A (just over 3kW), as long as the appliances use less than this all will be fine, if it goes over all that happens is the fuse in the extension blows, it doesn't matter if you are using a 4 or 8 way. I would expect everything you are using to be well under 2kW, routers and switches are usually 10-20W.
 
My current house has very few sockets. I used to run three 24/7 computers crunching SETI off a single wall socket. Each computer had its own four-way trailing socket for the various bits: case, monitor, speakers. All three trailing sockets plus a lamp and a couple of chargers then plugged into the master six-way, which in turn plugged into the single socket. My house resolutely refused to catch fire.


M
 
GrimsbyLAD said:
Should be fine but never run an extension lead off another extension lead. Can't imagine that much draw of power. Get some good surge protectors and u should be fine
Click to expand...

Any reason to not run one extension off the other? Have done this for years and never had a problem. Will clamp a meter on one day just out of interest to see what load is when everythings on :)
 
j_walsh said:
Any reason to not run one extension off the other? Have done this for years and never had a problem. Will clamp a meter on one day just out of interest to see what load is when everythings on :)
Click to expand...

Just not meant to overload them, there all rated for so much. Fuse should go before your house catches fire.
 
In my bedroom, virtually everything runs off one double socket. So; PC, Monitor, Speakers, Printer, Lamp, TV, Amp, HTPC, PS3, Router and phone all off one double socket, I have an 8-way adapter in one, then a 4-way adaptor with a further 4-way adaptor plugged into the other. So probably about 12-14 things plugged into it in total. But even if I had them all on at once, It would draw maybe 1kw at the absolute most? Way below the limit of the socket anyway!
 
andy_mk3 said:
In my bedroom, virtually everything runs off one double socket. So; PC, Monitor, Speakers, Printer, Lamp, TV, Amp, HTPC, PS3, Router and phone all off one double socket, I have an 8-way adapter in one, then a 4-way adaptor with a further 4-way adaptor plugged into the other. So probably about 12-14 things plugged into it in total. But even if I had them all on at once, It would draw maybe 1kw at the absolute most? Way below the limit of the socket anyway!
Click to expand...

Common sense basic says don't run an extension lead with another with a lot of high load items on, E.G 1KW heaters etc
 
What routers and switches? Some of the bigger Cisco switches that provide PoE are very hungry for power (I know I've had to spec UPS for network cabinets).

I'd just run the networking gear off one socket and the other stuff off the other one.
 
LordSplodge said:
What routers and switches? Some of the bigger Cisco switches that provide PoE are very hungry for power (I know I've had to spec UPS for network cabinets).

I'd just run the networking gear off one socket and the other stuff off the other one.
Click to expand...
Switches are 2950s, routers - unsure as of yet. Lower end equipment so can't see them being that power hungry!
 
The issue is the wiring inside the extension socket. I had an electrician go over this once before with me ina previous job when we had daisy chained about 4 in a row across an office.

The internal wiring in the extension can be quite low quality or current bearing ability. They will make assumptions about the load each of the sockets in the extension will draw and only spec to around that level. If you plug an extension into a socket in an extension and load it with low current items, eg phone chargers stuff like that you have no worries, plug a couple of decent spec PCs into the second extension and you will almost definately have overloaded the socked in the first extension.

Open up an extension and look whats inside, compare that to the main wiring to the mains plug, if equal then you got a decent extension and should be fine. I opened up a cheapo 4 way and was stunned how insignificant the internal wiring was.
 
lol, I must have well over 30 items (some of them quite power hungry) connected through one 13 amp socket. What you're doing is absolutely fine.

As long as the total load is less than 13 amps, it's not a problem and you need a lot of stuff to draw that much current.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom