stupid auslanders and plug sockets

Complaints Corner
1
ok, I have been complaining about Swiss plug sockets since I moved here. You cannot even force plugs with an earth-pin into the triple-pin sockets in our living room. So no extension cables, no heavy transformers that block all the other pins.

Today after some prompting I finally unscrewed the cover on the socket to investigate, and discovered that some sadistic sod had put it on upside down so that the earth pin holes don't line up. I bet they did that on purpose with some misguided intentions around child safety or something.

Now I feel stupid so I'd like to blame the person who put the damn thing on upside down to transfer the guilt of procrastinating investigating it.

2
so I take it you are upset with your self for having blamed the stupid Swiss regulations regarding plug sockets all the time when it was actually just one person (maybe not even Swiss) having installed it incorrectly?

3
Ideally such items should be designed in such a way that is impossible to install backwards/upsidedown/incorrectly

Glad you got a solution figured out

4
Still riddles me why there is no general plugs that can be used for all 220v appliances..... most business hotels have them today... all the various different plugs around the world is mind boggling...

5
It's called "protectionism" and it was done to protect local manufacturers. Never mind that the things are now all manufactured in China, whatever country you're in. Unfortunately changing the full infrastructure in developed countries to a single system would be prohibitively expensive, even if you could reach agreement on what that system might be (actually there are such systems, but no-one is using them!)

6
Funny, we had the same problem when we first moved into our new apartment in December.

The people that lived here before us didn't have children, so I don't think it was because of a child safety concern. I thought that it was probably the cleaning company (or tenant) took the plates off for cleaning and just didn't align them correctly when they replaced them.

Admittedly, I was so frustrated by this that it took me less than 24 hours after moving in to find what the problem was.

7
If you consider how easy it is to change plugs, I don't think, that the reason for the different plugs is protectionism.

I think it is rather the fact, that different people came up with different solutions for the same problem, which then were implemented in different places.

There is actually a european plug, which is (was?) supposed to replace the plugs of the European countries. It almost looks like a Swiss plug, only the safety pin is moved a bit towards the middle of the two other pins.

8
Not sure how hiding the earth socket helps child safety - the reverse I would have thought?

9
There is a "general plug" socket (powerpoint) -- has been for many years. Some journalist at the BBC belagtedly discovered it and wrote a breathless article about it recently.

Right, there are such systems, mostly in hotels. They're not expensive because they don't require the plugs to be changed -- they simply receive most plugs.

10
Stupid apprentice

11
But this sockets need much more space than for example the Swiss one (there is a reason, why the EU wanted to introduce a very similar one all over Euripe). In fact in the space needed for one Britisch/Gereman/French. socket you can place three Swiss ones. Thus at places where there are many sockets needed, you can save a lot of space

EDIT:

Here is the link to the proposed "International" power socket (so far only Brazil and South Africa seem to have it adopted):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60906-1

It really looks remarkably similar to the Swiss plugs.

12
I think it is protectionism, hidden within local health and safety rules. Try buying an appliance with anything other than a Swiss plug in micros electronics :-(

The Swiss sunken socket is another pain. Designed to take up more space and counter travel assorters and transformers

13
I respectfully FULLY disagree!

The original flat swiss socket was inherently dangerous since live pins where accessible!!!

???? Take up more space than which standard again???

The British???

The Schuko???

Sorry bro' but get your facts right! And maybe you wanna' consider doing something about this conspiracy obsession...

14
Takes up toooo much space.

What I don't understand is why is there no unique international standard which is small, safe and universal being applied around the globe.

I mean by now they should have figured out the optimum layout, it's not like electricity has just been invented....

15
Just for info. The sockets where the holes are flush with the surface are designated T12, and won't be available after 31.12.2016. These are quite dangerous, as it is possible to touch the pins of the plug when it is half inserted and get an electric shock (In the UK, we realised this danger when the 13A ultra-safe, rock-solid plug-socket system was introduced many decades ago.. I digress.)

The new T13 sockets are those where the holes for the pins of the plug are recessed in the faceplate, thus you cannot touch the live pins when inserting the plug.

T23 sockets are the 16A version of T13, but with square pins and T25 sockets are the 3-phase verison, as used for your dishwasher.

Our house that we just bought had the Sicherheitsnachweis (SINA) done and it passed ! God knows how; the installation quality is absolutely diabolical. There is a single T12 socket on the wall, with the faceplate held in place with sellotape; the faceplate falls off with normal use leaving the copper components exposed. But, as far as the SINA is concerned, so long as the short-circuit current at the socket is OK, the voltage is within tolerance and the RCD trips within the allotted time, it passes. I know an electrician here, and told him afterwards - he spent five minutes spitting feathers about the obligatory SINA insepctions..

So, in our house, all the sockets will be replaced by T13 sockets.

Cheers,

Chris

16
I have appliances with all sorts of plugs, having acquired most of them in China... so I just keep a supply of Chinese universal sockets and powerbars, and adaptor them into whatever my local version socket is.

Easy solution, if you can get the universal powerbars.

17
Didn't some documentary showed that it was to prevent the enemies from snitching a radioset from us, and plug it in and listening in on our PLANS?....

18
There is an international standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60906-1 .

The problem is that nobody expect for Brazil and South Africa is using it.

19
I thought that Schwiizerdütsch was supposed to prevent foreigners from understanding what's being said? Kind of like Alpine windtalkers....

20
Ooops don't you hate that.