Some 'travel' adaptors do not have an earth pin. This is fine for devices that don't need an earth.
I would change the plug as suggested, but only if you are confident on doing this, otherwise find someone who is or buy a better adaptor.
We changed most of ours over, but also use a UK extension to Swiss for the power blocks that are integrated into into the plug.
You for real?
Apperently its a check done every 20 years so im fine for a while
He checked al the plugs and said not to have any problem with the multiblock connected to an Uk/Swiss adapter.
The only thing he said is not to put heatings on it, fan heatings that go up to 2000W for example, as that could overheat the wires.
Don't have one of them so that was sorted there and then
Other then " don't switch all the applianceson in one time ", he said everything was fine and dandy, no issue what so ever.
He actualy prefers it that way then to change it to Swiss plugs, for the only reason that if you do it yourself, there is more chance that on 10 plugs changed, 1 will be faulty or faulty wired, causing fuses to blow or even worse, fire.
If they need to be changed, consult an electrician he said As if he would speak against his own shop hahaha
Even more, he likes the extra protection of the fuse in the uk plugs.
So long story short, no problem with the plugs as long as its a 3pin swiss plug to a uk plug, they are ok.
So it is not all about 3 pins.
Anyway i hope this can be of help to the OP, didn't mean to hi jack it but with the inspector swinging by today, i could only ask and confirm all was ok
The op was concerned about lack of earth, or if you will converting a UK/Irish three pin to a 2 pin.
Three pins are standard in CH
What's to discuss?
That was a very helpful post.
You are going to be surprised at how many plugs you need. I think we had around 40
I would NOT suggest this method unless you have previous experience with live electronics.
Although the suggested method is very simple and straight forward, a little mistake could easily end up in death or more commonly-a severe fire hazard which could happen at any time in the future for an improperly assembled unit.
Don't try this unless you're sure of what you're doing.
Just to enlarge on it - ten amps plus (which is what it took to burn the main fuse out) across your chest, for example, hurts like f8ck, then more than one can imagine, then multiply by ten, or hundred, or thousand, or whatever, because you can't let go of the thing that's killing you, and you're (literally) very very painfully aware of the fact that you're about to die .
DO NOT "replug" unless you know what you're doing AND you've tested ALL () and I mean ALL) the sockets in your house for correct positive/negative polarity.
I cannot emphasise this enough - if UK/Irish electrical standards are late 20th Century, then most Swiss stuff is Old Testament.
Do you really (UK/Irish folk) want to cut the fuse out that might save your or your kid's life?
I wish I had had a 1amp or 3amp blow instead of something in the main box - tho' at least something finally blew... and there's another thing, don't assume that there's an RCD somewhere, that could also be a fatal assumption
When hit directly, 1 amp will give you serious burns, a new haircut and a fancy 6 plated box to "live" in.
The human body can have as low as 300 ohms of resistance. That means as little as 30 volts can supply a deadly current.
After what the inspector told me yesterday, i can only second that ! He likes the idea of the seperate fused plugs !
To add, he said " there are plugs and there are plugs", while 1Chf doesn't seem much, you are at the budget end of it.
Cheap plugs even wired correct are known to melt and cause fire on equipment that is used for long sessions such as tv, hoover etc.
Hence him recomending to leave the plugs as they are ,unless i want to fork out more then 1Chf per plug and let an electrican doing it.
Danger is in a small corner, if you dabble with electrics, you are bound to get hit by it.
What's the difference?
A product which is "double-insulated" does not require an earth connection. There are no exposed metal parts that could be connected to a live wire if a fault occurs.
You can recognise double insulated products as they must, on a visible label, show a graphic of one square inside another like so:
These are also known as Class II devices.
Class I devices do require a safety-earth and the plug must have three pins, the middle one which must be connected to earth. These items typically have an exposed metal chassis.
If, through a fault, a live wire touches the chassis, the live is effectively connected to earth and the fuse or RCD will blow, cutting off the power.
If the earth is not there then the chassis will go live and if you touch it, the current will flow through you to earth and you will get a shock which may, or may not kill you.
If you have an RCD on your mains 'fuse' box then if the earth is missing, a current to earth will be detected and the power will be cut off. However, when did you last check your RCDs? And, they are only as good as the last time they were checked.
So, if your device is Class II (with the double square), then two pins are fine, otherwise, always use a correctly wired three-pin plug!
As said, its a check they do every 20 years, but while he was here, he checked if the circuits were not " overloaded", inspector says this time of year people put electric heatings on a circuit that might be up to its limits already,causing wires to burn,fuses to pop etc..
I'm not concerned at all, i doubt i will have all my stuff plugged in at the tv running in one go, that would be overkill no?
That and got good report for my insurance ,landlord pays so i don't mind
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/G1337-Swis...#ht_3052wt_907
Could I use these for UK 4x plug extension leads with items including TV, Kettle, hair dryer, microwave etc. (not all on one extension lead, that would be demented). They are up to 16amp, but most UK plus are 5 or 13amp.
Cheers
Tom
Tom