Polarised? Line and neutral?

(dare I mention ... earthed?)

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The trouble with taking the plug top off to check it is that you can take the plug top off to fiddle with it. At least with the sealed ones you know no one else has been in there.

I think the ones in the US are clear as well.

Robert

Sounds like a weird argument to me, there, Robert. You could use that idea on almost anything (eg, taking the covers off kit, and all the rest).

OK ... how about BS-1363-A plug tops with anti-tamper screws? Remember where you heard it first, folks!

"Hospital Grade" plugs in the US are sometimes transparent. Some are, some aren't. Perhaps there are some local policies to be followed about that. Who knows? You can also find see-through GameBoys if you look hard enough.

Meanwhile (but slightly off-topic), here's a nice one for you (I wonder if the guy got his PhD).

I meant that there are people out there who cannot wire up a plug safely and correctly. If I can tak the top off to inspect it, they can take the top of and not necessarily put it back together correctly.
Robert

Well, Robert ... I guess that's a risk that we'll just have to take.

In the meantime, hopefully Natural Selection will take its course!

The fuse in the adaptor does not seem to be an HRC fuse that is why it went with a big bang.
My father used to work for a company who tested plugs and fuses etc (and other things) At MK they showed him a test rig they had and for the fun of it put a non-HRC fuse in a plug with a short between live and neutral. It blew the top of the plug agros the room when they applied the power.

HRC = High rupture current. I.e. it can withstand the high energy of a high current just before it blows. The UK mains system can supply hundreds of amps out of a 13amp socket for a very short time and it does take a finite time for a fuse to blow.

240volts x lots of amps x a short time = a suprisingly high number of joules.


What ever colour the plug top is.....

Robert

... or, for that matter, the trousers!

It seems that this is starting to go the wrong way, there is already a standard for the type of plug, is too much to presume that there is a standard on the fuse rating for each equipment. All that remains is to have a standard colour coding for the plugs and sockets.

Opinions differ on UK plug fuse ratings (see earlier threads that discussed all that).

Yes ... this thread is (supposed to be) about meaningful colour coding of plug tops!

Link to earlier thread! Similar.

Hospital Property red ToughPlug.

Ahhhhhhh good old Blighty,come to the continent, just a short swim from Dover
Here in Italy we have 10amp,16amp and Schuko plugs and sockets and the infamous "BiPresa" that accepts all three of the above.

Needless to say, SH*T happens.

Malcolm.