How to avoid overloading your plug sockets at home from buzai232's blog

How to avoid overloading your plug sockets at home

If your collection of technology, appliances and gadgets is getting a bit unwieldy in the home, you may also have gathered a collection of extension leads and plugs to try and fit everything in.Get more news about Get more news about Overload Protection Socket,you can vist our website!,you can vist our website!

Shifting appliances around from socket to socket can be tempting, but just because your extension lead can squeeze in four plugs doesn't mean it's safe to do - some appliances require so much power that when grouped together they can cause the plug to overheat, and possibly start a fire.

To help you stay safe, we've listed the most energy-guzzling appliances below to help you wire things up properly in the home. We also interviewed Group Manager Jeremy James, from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue, to find out more about avoiding potentially dangerous situations.
How much power do your appliances really need?
Surprisingly, some of the smallest appliances in our homes use the most watts of power.

In fact, a kettle actually uses 20 times more watts than a fridge. And an iron uses a staggering 2,800 watts - that's more than 200 times more than is needed to power a mobile phone charger.

As a guide, you should only load one plug socket with a maximum of 3,000 watts. But it might be easier to remember the sorts of products that require more and less around the home.
Top fire safety tips
To find out more about safety around the home, we spoke to Jeremy James, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service's Group Manager.

How many is too many when plugging devices into an outlet?
It really depends on the appliances you're plugging in. Always work out the total wattage of all the devices going into the one socket. If they add up to more than 3,000W then it's not safe - the plug in the socket can overheat and potentially cause a fire.
A kettle can max out the socket capacity all on its own, while having your washing machine and dishwasher plugged into an adaptor would mean you're a massive 1,440 watts over the recommended amount.

Appliances like your fridge, radio or lamp are far more suited to sharing sockets. Take note if you're moving plugs around to try to squeeze extra devices in.
Are block extensions better or worse than extension leads?
We prefer extension leads if used correctly. Block adaptors aren't unsafe but the weight of the plugs and the leads can start to pull the adaptor out of the wall socket leading to resistance heating and increasing the risk of a fire.

Plastic block adaptors that have lots of sockets and sometimes come without a fuse are always best avoided.
A surge protector can absorb only so many surges before it stops functioning. Although it's practically impossible to tell exactly when this happens, the longer it's been used for the more at risk you are. If it's absorbed a serious power surge you should always replace it immediately.

Some surge protectors have built-in lights designed to alert you when it needs to be replaced. But you can't fully rely on this - it's not a foolproof system.