Two-pin plugs – it’s just not British

Hi Thomas – I suggest you send back the coffee grinder and get a full refund including postage. If you bought the product from the Amazon UK website it would be worth mentioning that the product does not comply with The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994.

Please could you say if the product was sold by Amazon or one of the Marketplace traders.

Thomas, if this was bought from Amazon – not their market place which can flout all the rules – then it should be reported to Trading Standards (good luck with that) as they are acting illegally.

@jon-stricklin-coutinho, Jon, Which? will by now have a lot of examples of where Amazon have been involved in the supply of illegal 2-pin plugs from reports over the years on Convos. They can find out from the commenters whether they were bought directly through Amazon as opposed to their market place. Amazon are then responsible for selling an illegal product. Are Which? going to take any action to try to have Amazon prosecuted so this activity can, hopefully, be stopped?

Thanks for letting us know. Please report this to Trading Standards.

Hi Helen,

As stated in the above heading article:

“It’s actually illegal for UK retailers to sell most domestic electrical products (not for example shavers, electric toothbrushes or items with rcd plugs) with two-pin plugs under the Plugs and Sockets Safety Regulations 1994. Most domestic appliances must be fitted with an approved three-pin British plug or an approved conversion plug.”

Further to what Derek has said, a converter plug must already be fitted (it encases the plug) and not supplied loose to comply with the regulations. There are reasons for this.

Helen, from whom did you buy the hot tub?

Intrigued by this, running off a power lead to a domestic socket, I wondered what the energy requirement was for a tub that only took a short while to be ready for use – but it was never quoted. Reviews estimated £7- £10 a week depending on use but then I noticed that it takes a good 24 hours to be ready to hop in. Setting it up is quick – around ten minutes to assemble and inflate; it then takes around an hour to fill with water [depending on capacity], and the rest of the time is spent waiting for the water to reach 40 degrees Celsius. The power supply has to provide the heating, the pump [for the spa experience] and any lighting in the hot tub, which is why a maximum 13 Amp supply will take so long to bring it up to working temperature from cold. Covering the tub and keeping it warm will reduce the time required for a daily dip. There are other expenses like water treatment chemicals, cocktails, and masseurs [optional]. My research did not include a user experience so I cannot vouch for its enjoyment or therapeutic potential.

I suggest you contact JL in writing and say that as a retailer it is their responsibility to provide a product that meets the requirements of the current regulations. Manufacturers have no responsibility for sorting out problems except in the case of recalls.

Please let us know how you get on, Rob.

Rob – That is bad. Have you written to John Lewis to point out their error and ask for the incorrect power lead to be replaced? They are committing an offence.

But from a UK perspective, our houses have ring mains not fused lines and European schuko plugs will fit into cheap British visitor adapters but that won’t give any earth connection. So you might have no earth and no fuse.

Liviu – UK BS 1363 plugs/sockets are polarised, which means that a single-pole switch in the appliance is always in the Live (Line) conductor, which is important for safety. A Schuko plug is not polarised, so that there is a 50% chance that the switch could be in the Neutral conductor.

Derek has mentioned the problem of adapters without an Earth connection and lack of a fuse. Without a fuse, the circuit will only be protected by a 32A circuit breaker or 30A fuse and in the case of appliances that use an Earth for safety, there is a risk of electrocution.

These are among the reasons why products sold for use in the UK should be fitted with the correct plug.

Hi Simon – Under The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994, it is necessary to supply products with the normal UK fused plug or with a conversion plug already fitted. The conversion plug must contain an appropriate fuse (3 amp would be normal for a lamp) and not be removable without a tool. It is not permissible to provide a loose converter plug.

I suggest you reject the lamps as being not of satisfactory quality under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and ask for a full refund including carriage if that was in addition to the cost of the goods. Hopefully the company will learn from the experience.

I have just opened up a new TP-link Tapo wifi plug bought from Amazon. There are over 12000 reviews for these so they are selling well. It has no fuse or any other fault protection inside so could draw 32 amps if shorted. The other thing to note is that these are stated as being 13 amp yet the internal relay is only rated at 10 amp 240 vac. So, are these legal in the UK and would you trust leaving them plugged in when you go out?

Hi Brian, that 10A rating is mention here:-https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/smart-plug/tapo-p100/ under specifications together with an inconsistent claim for a maximim switched power of 2990W.

Have you contacted the manufacturer to query this?

Based on the 10A ratings as revealed by your investigation and by that cryptic spec, I’d guess that these devices should only be used up to 2200VA.

I think it would be extremely unwise to use a smart plug or even a plug-in timer to control a heavy electrical load such as a heater. I agree with Derek about contacting the manufacturer.

Also, the fuse in a normal UK 3 pin plug cannot protect against internal short circuits inside the plug.

It will protect against short circuits in flex connections to appliances and in appliances them selves. That said, many appliances also incorporate internal fuses.

UK standard “plug transformers” (e.g. phone chargers) do not have to be fused. Apple 12W ones are though 🙂

I see in Which? News an item on smart kettles. Not so smart; they cannot fill themselves nor pour water into a tea pot but ……….you can switch it on without having to go into the kitchen! Personally, when I want a cuppa I generally put fresh water into the kettle, turn it on, put tea leaves in the tea pot or coffee in the cafetière, get out the cups and maybe some biscuits, and in no time the kettle has boiled and my task is complete, unaided by smart technology.
Maybe the Teasmade was a bit smarter.

Limescale stops me wasting money on a smart kettle.

Chargers and power supplies usually rely on non-replaceable internal fusing to provide protection in the event of a fault or overload. Sadly, there is no way of knowing if this is present.

All the Apple chargers for phones, tablets and laptops are provided with a clip-on adaptor incorporating a fuse, which provides further reassurance. I have seen a couple of counterfeit examples that lack a fuse. In one case there was a strip of metal where the fuse should have been. I would not be surprised if the charger itself had no internal fusing.

The case of the smart kettle shows how the ‘smart’ concept as applied to appliances is a case of reductio ab absurdum with knobs on. Time is precious and we shouldn’t waste it, but making out that we could save time we didn’t know we were wasting is a complete fallacy. I hope over time we can out-smart the smarty-pants on this earth using basic natural intelligence.

“Wasting time” is an interesting concept. Reading a novel, watching tv “entertainment”, looking round the darden, commuting to work, even – perish the thought- posting a comment like mine – might all be seen as unproductive and, thus, wasting time that could be spent working, ploughing the field, making some furniture……….
I am no fan in general of smart appliances. However I am all in favour, if I could afford it, of a real smart aid – a butler.

The French version of that TP link device is only rated for 2300W, see:-https://www.tp-link.com/fr/home-networking/smart-plug/tapo-p100/#specifications

I bought a Which? Best Buy DeLonghi Kettle about 2 years ago which was abandoned after about 2 weeks, due mainly to its heavy weight. It was even heavier after filling with water. The top filler gap was too small and the lid was difficult to put on and was inclined to stick when replacing.

It is now an ornament sitting in the kitchen looking very pretty as the design is its only positive attribute. It is currently only used when visitors arrive (a rarity at present due to lockdown) and I now use a small travel kettle that makes a single cup of tea or coffee, which is adequate for one person.

So my interpretation of ‘smart’ conjures up visions of something either clean, tidy and well dressed, having or showing a quick-witted intelligence or acumen, or a sharp stinging pain.

I wouldn’t categorise my DeLonghi kettle as any of the above, but it does a good job of enhancing the ambiance in the kitchen as we both patiently await the end of lockdown and the return of visitors to my home.

Brian S wrote – “I have just opened up a new TP-link Tapo wifi plug bought from Amazon. There are over 12000 reviews for these so they are selling well. It has no fuse or any other fault protection inside so could draw 32 amps if shorted. The other thing to note is that these are stated as being 13 amp yet the internal relay is only rated at 10 amp 240 vac.”

Hi Brian – I share your concern and wonder if the relay might incorporate a thin connection that could act as a fuse in the event of an overload. In electronic circuitry there are various ways of providing protection including thin tracks on circuit boards and very low value metal film resistors.

As as a reaction to Brian’s enquiry, I have just destructively dismantled a 1000W remote control socket that I no longer use. This one has no obvious fuse but does indeed contain a specific thin track on the live feed to its relay.

Thanks Derek. Sadly there is usually no way of knowing that small electrical items do contain a fuse or equivalent without destroying them.

If an international standard requires a fuse and that standard is a regulatory requirement in the UK then non-compliant products should be removed from sale and the distributor fined. The consumer’s answer would be to buy from a reputable manufacturer and not from an unknown source.

Brian has said that the Tapo device did not contain a fuse and is well aware of the need. I have found that fuses are not always obvious, so I would reserve judgement, though the under-rated relay is clearly cause for concern. I had not heard of Tapo because I have yet to buy any smart devices but Tapo products are available from well known retailers including Amazon and AO.

The well established system for ensuring that goods offered for sale are safe and compliant with the relevant standards cannot be relied on now that it has become so easy to import dangerous and counterfeit goods.

Edit: Em makes a good point about the plug used in the outlet of the WiFi plug providing protection – and also when this might not be enough. Why on earth is it still possible to buy unfused adaptors. 🙁

I believe current regulations require fuses on all adapters with 3 or more outlets.

If so, that leads to 2 way adapters being able to draw up to 26A via a single socket.

Unfused 2 way apapters do seem to be widely available. I did note that one retailer was offering them subject to the caveat that they should be user limited to a maximum load of 13 A.

I once found two 2kW heaters plugged in via an unfused two way adapter. I’m not sure why because it was plugged into a double socket.

I have two fused adaptors but they are fitted with three amp fuses because they are used for small loads.

We have no adapters in any of our sockets because our house has plenty of double sockets in all the places where they might be needed, but many properties are deficient and cannot easily be upgraded to suit modern needs – especially tenanted properties. It is not unusual for people to have an ‘entertainment centre’ in their living room needing a number of power outlets to serve the different boxes.

In such a situation faced with a need to plug three low power devices into one socket I would get [or make] a short three-way extension lead with a 13A fused plug which would then protect the circuit. A lower rated fuse could be used if the overall maximum current demand was small.

I should add that one of my adapters is for temporary use, for example to plug in Christmas lights and the other is in the six-way trailing socket mounted behind the TV.

Long ago at Fenland Polytechnic, some of our rooms had 5A 3 pin sockets with round pins.

These were intended for desk lamps and low powered appliances. As you can guess, some students were skilled enough to convert their kettles to the 5A 3 plugs to fit those sockets, but not wise enough to know why they should not have done that.

I also use fused extension leads (socket boards). Despite, when I wired the house 30 or so years ago, being generous with double sockets, or so I thought, I had not foreseen all the little gadgets that would need power. Tv, dvd, video player (still got some tapes), Apple tv, freesat, lamp all in one corner for example, and chargers for a couple of phones, iPads, lamp, fan heater, near the settee. I wonder when we will see power connections without wires?

I currently use 3 extension leads around the house, although each room has its own sockets (the kitchen has 3 doubles) and I often question whether the size and extent of power draw of each of the appliances are within the safety regulations for each lead.

For example, the one in the lounge services my electric recliner chair, a table light. computer charger and iPad charger, although not all at the same time, but the lead is permanently switched on during the day.

The reason I use a trailing socket mounted behind my TV is to avoid having a collection of untidy leads – just one plug to remove and the stand can be pulled out for cleaning.

Em – do you know if there are any wall sockets incorporating USB charger ports where the electronic circuitry is switched off when not in use?

Beryl, as long as you used a fused plug on the extension lead you are protected. The 30A ring main is also protected in the distribution box. As long as the appliance leads themselves have not been replaced they should amply match the current they carry.

Beryl wrote: “….I often question whether the size and extent of power draw of each of the appliances are within the safety regulations for each lead.”

Other than in the kitchen/utility room, most electrical items do not use much power. The common exceptions are electric heaters and vacuum cleaners, which are best plugged into a wall socket rather than an extension. If you add up the amount of power used by each item the total load must not exceed the capabilities of the extension lead.

We have 6 extension leads and a 3-way multi-plug just in our living room, all running off 4 double sockets on 2 ring mains and all with some smallish degree of surge protection that deteriorates over time.

I have also wondered if they are over-loaded but as they were all chosen with consideration of use, we have a new consumer unit that is quite touchy and are free from power failures presume it is being handled.

You got me wondering Beryl, so I have just counted and find we now have 39 sockets in the room with 26 of them occupied but not all in use . They are all switchable – some individually, and if they can’t be switched off and are not in use the plugs are pulled out like the recliners on our sofa that seemed a good idea at the time but in reality are never used !!!

One day, the room will get rewired and plugs installed better suited to this century.

You’ve a long way to go yet, alfa.
https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/03/house-worth-1350000-enough-plug-sockets-everyone-street-11033568/ A five-bedroom detached house on the market in Eastcote, Middlesex, has gone viral for having around 320 sockets dotted along its walls.

Thanks Em. I’m quite happy using my USB chargers but the point about the electronics remaining powered continuously sometimes raises cause for concern. I had not seen the MK charging module that does switch off when not in use and hope that the same feature is incorporated into their standard sockets soon. Mind you, I wonder how many people will remember to remove the charging lead when not in use.

Never mind Alfa. There are no questions to follow. 🙂

An excellent care home for retired sparkies Malcolm 🙂

Many thanks for all the advice. I will add a complete check of all electric connections to my ‘to do’ list. I have just had to replace the LED candle bulbs on the ceiling lights in the lounge as I was sold non dimmers which are way to bright when all three on each are switched on.

Em, I have made a note of the safety first website address for future reference.

The idea of an electric chair does not appeal to me. Could be dangerous if it came with the wrong plug.