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Plugs per Socket !?

MikeHunt79 said:
To save starting a new thread, if you have a friend who has around 6kw of stuff to power in a single room, is it best to try and split the load between ring circuits?

He;s a mobile DJ who has around 3kw of lights, and also around 3kw of soundsystem to power... and it can be a pain to try and power it all.

The only thing I don't know how to do is determine is if 2 wall sockets are on the same ring, it's there some sort of plug tester type device avaliable?
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Ideally you'd want to run a new dedicated radial circuit to it from the consumer unit, similar to that for an immersion heater, shower or cooker and stick some 40a protection on it as 6kw is pushing it for the 2.5mm cable on the ring (depending on it's length) and the draw is @26amps alone.

If the sockets are in the same room then it's highly likely they are on the same ring, or one spurred off the other. Looking at the consumer unit will tell you if there is more than 1 ring in the house (usually upstairs and downstairs separated) and simply switching each ring off in turn with someting connected to the sockets in question will determine what's what.:)

Edit: If there is an upstairs and downstairs ring you could split it between those with a decent extension...
 
He usually plays larger halls or function rooms in pubs, so I guess there is a chance they they would have more than 1 ring but I guess I'd have to ask the owner of the venue to be sure.

I guess if we arrive earlier, we can try turning off the MCB's, and see which sockets turn off... It's not the end of the world if there's only 1 ring, it just means we've just got to use less lights and a few less bass bins. :)
 
I thought you meant domestic, if it's a public venue the whole cabling should be suitably upgraded to help with the load:)
 
As long as you do the maths it will be fine, as other people have said it's not the number of devices, it's the current of all of them together. A place where I used to work had banks of 64 DSL routers hooked up to one power socket (via multiple extensions) for testing ADSL equipment.
 
What does it mean when extension cables say "max load 13amps" ? Basically you can't plug more than four 3amp plugs into it? :eek:

This has always confused me :mad:
 
JohnnyG said:
I thought you meant domestic, if it's a public venue the whole cabling should be suitably upgraded to help with the load:)
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Yep, sorry for not mentioning it the original post, half the time there is a lovely 32A C-form socket which we can use, but depending on the venue often there are only 13a sockets so we have to make the best of a bad situation!
 
Plugs are often fused at 3A as it's the smallest mains plug fuse. The device draw (and it's internal fuse) may be far lower, under 1A often. Check the device power cunsumption, keep the total under ~3kW in the UK :)
 
Dr.EM said:
Plugs are often fused at 3A as it's the smallest mains plug fuse. The device draw (and it's internal fuse) may be far lower, under 1A often. Check the device power cunsumption, keep the total under ~3kW in the UK :)
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Right, ok.

I ask because i use this big powerfull jet wash at work but the fuse keeps blowing after 5minutes. It has a 13amp fuse and i connect it to one of them long wind-in extensions that says MAX 13AMPS on, think it has a Volts rating to, cant remember! Don't know why it keeps blowing. It will either blow the fuse connected to the jet wash, or blow the one in the extension lead.

Could something else be wrong?
 
At a quick glance under the desk, I've got something between 25 and 30 sockets with plugs in them, all from one 13A socket.
 
MikeHunt79 said:
Yep, sorry for not mentioning it the original post, half the time there is a lovely 32A C-form socket which we can use, but depending on the venue often there are only 13a sockets so we have to make the best of a bad situation!
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You're bordering on the need for 3 phase too by the way, good luck:p
Camalot said:
Right, ok.

I ask because i use this big powerfull jet wash at work but the fuse keeps blowing after 5minutes. It has a 13amp fuse and i connect it to one of them long wind-in extensions that says MAX 13AMPS on, think it has a Volts rating to, cant remember! Don't know why it keeps blowing. It will either blow the fuse connected to the jet wash, or blow the one in the extension lead.

Could something else be wrong?
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If it's a plug in mobile appliance then the manufacturers max rating will be 13a and if it's regularly popping that then there is something else wrong yes.
That should also have extra protection too by means of a 30a rcd by the way, especially if it's flakey:)
 
Hmmm, yes i understand now. Watts = Amps X Volts ;) 13amp extension, which also states max load at 230V, works out at just under 3k/w!! :cool:

I'll have to check the power this jet wash requires, but i think something else is wrong as its ate through two packs of fuses and about 5 extension leads now :p

Thanks all.
 
Spend a tenner and buy a little power consumption meter. It should give you a running total of min power drawn, max power drawn, amongst other useful things.

I've always worked on a rule of thumb that 3Kw is the most that should be drawn from one socket, BUT YOU DO NEED TO BE CAREFUL. If you pull a lot of power from from a single socket for a long time the plug will heat up and possibly start to smell and melt a bit - especially if the plug is not wired very well or the plug was wired a long time ago.

At work over the years I have seen wiring blocks daisy chained off each other with 10 or more computer devices running off them in total without incident. Absolutely not to be recommended though. The Elven Safety Nazis would have a fit.
 
JohnnyG said:
Good luck with it, water + faulty, electrical hand held appliance = :eek:
:p
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Well, yea i'll get it booked in. The end plug has been replaced with some safety plug with a test and reset button on it. The part you hold to jet wash is rubber, so shouldn't kill me :p I'll be in trouble if it blows up tho, its a big thing, i struggle to drag it anywhere :eek:
 
In my old uni room i had 3 4 way adapters and 2 block adapters. It only blew the electrics to our floor once when i had my music on loud through pc.

The electrician said "it looks like spaghetti junction in here"

Best get one of them surge things
 
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