Electrical problem

[Growler]

an electrician mate told me the main problem is the physical connection between plug and socket when pulling a lot of power

I have a single 3kw element and on first use burnt the socket I used

So I have now had him fit a blue socket

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MK-Commando-K92 ... and+socket

this type of thing as each pin has a much larger surface area connection so no problems since

 

[TRXnMe]

an electrician mate told me the main problem is the physical connection between plug and socket when pulling a lot of power

I have a single 3kw element and on first use burnt the socket I used

So I have now had him fit a blue socket

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MK-Commando-K92 ... and+socket

this type of thing as each pin has a much larger surface area connection so no problems since

A 16 Amp socket, we use those for all the 240v 'heavy' stuff at work, not had a socket pack up yet.

 

[sparky]

Hi all,

I'm an electrician and it really is as simple as others have pointed out it boils down to resistance of the conductors which produces heat if the joints or cables are poor or too small. Think of electricity in the same way as water. A big pipe can deliver a large amount of water but at a relatively low pressure. A small pipe will struggle to deliver a large volume of water and it would be at a higher pressure. Think of pressure as resistance and you will be able to understand why the heat is generated in the plugs and sockets. Using Blue 16 amp sockets is ok but remember they are NOT fused so if anything goes wrong it can go very wrong. A little consumer unit with MCB's fusing the plugs and sockets down to 16 amp will make things much safer and if you need to add RCD protection this could be added, screwfix do a little garage consumer unit with an RCD main switch.
You would be well advised not to use T&E cable as this is solid cored and will not tolerate being wound and unwound without the cable and terminations suffering.
I would suggest using 2.5mm 3 core blue arctic flex I buy it from electrical wholesalers but they may not want to cut part drums. If they are unwilling to cut to length then a caravan supplier may help you but at a greater cost. This flexible cable is able to withstand more abuse than your average extension lead and will happily run at 16 amps all day. If you buy a good quality plug and socket say MK then they shouldn't generate too much heat.

Hope this helps, I may be new to this brewing lark but I've been blowing things up for years!!!