On 14 different plugs in this world.... 8 are from Europe!
EU can start thinking about a single standard, like it was decided for mobile phones (microUSB).
Ever seen the English or American plugs and accompanying sockets?
drat. i was thinking of this a few months ago and thought i had come up with a new product...
There's actually way more than that. For a start here in CH we've got the recessed vs non-recessed 3-pin sockets. In France there's still quite a high usage of non-earthed 2-pin ones, which in theory are a smaller diameter pin to disallow an earthed plug being connected, but in practice most that you can buy in brico shops use the same size pins as the 3-pin ones. In the US you will also find some places using ungrounded 2-pin outlets.
And of course some of these, and other places, have changed over time, so you also have to deal with legacy stuff (like the 2 sizes of round-pin earthed ones you used to find in the UK). Anything new will conform to standards, but older stuff may not.
And don't even get me started on the multi-phase types...
NAAOooo! The last thing we need is _another_ bloody change.
I'd gladly go through the change if it meant not having to deal with this shit in the future. But the fact is, it's not gonna happen, for a simple reason: the plug design is only one component in the electrical system, so they aren't interchangeable.
Case in point: the British system relies on the added safety of having a fuse in every plug. If you wanted to switch to a smaller plug, then, you'd have to move the fusing into the household electrical network (as most countries do), which would merely require rewiring every building in the UK.
There are differences in grounding, too. In the US, where all outlets are not only grounded, but polarized, the neutral wire is actually connected to the ground at the service entrance. Consequently, every appliance that cares about polarity can be assured that the neutral and hot wires are on their assigned prongs. (Obviously, you can't rule out a wiring fault, but at least that's how the system is designed to work.) In contrast, European appliances cannot make that same assumption, because the German Schuko plug is grounded, but does not enforce polarity. Of course, this also means that the neutral and live wires cannot be connected to the ground at any point. This requires different safety measures in the electrical system and in the appliance. (Not necessarily more difficult ones, just different.)
But hey, at least there is one saving grace. We all have our small armies of small electronic gadgets these days. In the old days, each one would have a unique adapter, and if you accidentally plugged another gadget's adapter in, you might fry the gadget. Today, all these small things have a power standard: USB. So your iPod, Android phone, and digital camera can all be charged using the same adapters. I can't express how glad I am that USB has emerged as a de-facto standard for charging.
To be fair, this was almost certainly experienced on a 1-Fold Socket. It could have been the case of someone who used a more "fancy" cover plate in the apartment before you. When they went to replace the original, they must have put it on incorrectly. It happened to me in my new apartment, but in addition to some frontplate shennanigans, they swapped out the sockets as well and didn't rewire properly. This caused one of the terminals to melt from over heating and could have caused an electrical fire had i not smelled a burning coming from the socket. (vacuum cleaner was plugged in so it had a heavy load)
Ideally so, but that would require there to be another hole in the front plate which would serve no use other than to act a fool proof for the 0.01% who could make such a mistake. For the remainder of the market it would be a visual design flaw. Consider that these 1-Fold sockets are typically installed at chest level, next to the light switch. It would look out of place for a market that really appreciates the elegance of the design
There was a conference about 20 years ago where the representatives of the largest socket manufacturers in europe congregated to discuss a universal socket. It was a lot of posturing as many of the countries reps were open to the idea on the surface while at home were strongly against the idea. (Switzerland among those) France and I think Italy were the biggest proponents, but in the end some of the nordic countries were the ones to kill the idea.
What is the standard plug in Switzerland. I had assumed it was the same as BE, IT, FR, DE etc but according this website Switzerland and Lichenstein have some plug I have never seen before.
http://users.telenet.be/worldstandar...ty.htm#plugs_j
Are these in widespread use in CH and are they - " Type J plugs are among the most dangerous ones in the world"?
I think France and Italy have the same plugs. Rare in Europe.
It's not necessarily the plug that's dangerous but the design of the socket. There are two types of "standard" sockets. Type 12 and 13. Type 12 is the one that is considered dangerous because a partially unplugged device is still live. Type 13 (which i believe is compulsory in kitchens, bathrooms, and outside areas) has recessed contacts so that the risk of shocking yourself is minimal.
The dangerous type will no longer be sold from 31.12.2016
All the European stuff is compatible with each other, except Britain with its its "Imperial norms" and Russia with its USSR industrial norms. I expect Russia to adapt to the European mainstream whle I am not so confident about the "remains" of the British Empire
Dangerous ? I might rather say that the more modern ones simply are saver and better. But the "dangerous" ones were in service for ages. If I remember correctly the new sort only came up around or after 1980. But electrification in Switzerland had fully started in the 1880ies, even the first telephones, and self-dialling telephoning got introduced in the 1920ies. There were no noteable problems with the old stuff, and no country-wide mass-deaths
The swiss plug isn't safe...should be forbidden
While it of course is, just like the army, the "best of the world". Simply ask Mr Maurer, the worthy CH defence minister who in these times gives interviews all the time He will advise you ! with his unlimited wisdom
US plugs are no different at best, and far worse in general, as most Swiss sockets are now recessed.
I find the whole question to be pretty idiotic, though.
Tom
Only for non grounded (i.e. 2 pin) plugs.
Tom