Another electrical question.

Not just frowned upon, it is illegal. It is also illegal to do electrical work such fitting plugs to leads unless you are a licensed electrician.

If everyone who fitted a new plug to a lead or changed a power point was fined, State Governments could survive on 5% GST !! Michael

3rd option a bit more expensive but safe get an eleco to wire up a 15 amp power point legally where you require it.

Yep, caravan parks are 15A..and his inlet is 15A..

I use a "cheater" lead at home ( 300mm long ) and the only thing it can power is the van and the only thing it can run in the van is a couple of led lights and the batt charger, so it cannot get overloaded.
Perfectly safe for that scenario......BUT it is ILLEGAL.

For the person grinding down a 15A earth pin to suit 10A, apart from illegal, that is a good way to wreck a good lead and if a park operator saw you using it, would ban it and then you'd have to buy another !

Phil, to answer your question without going off topic - yes it is possible to change the the 15 A inlet on the van and also you must change any protection circuit breakers in the van as well. If you do that you can plug your van into any 10 A outlet using a 10 A lead.

Thought so. Just basic stuff. Catchya

Just curious how can the people you saw run well in excess of 15 amp without tripping out the system of frying their extension lead or melting a plug sounds a bit odd.

And the lead with the 15amp plug at both ends is right out of the question.

But I believe it works a treat in those 8 hour blackouts to power up various circuits in the house.

If only used at home, this is the cheapest and safest option. You have the full use of 15 amps instead of 10 amps too if you need it.

Oh why bother ..... but because you insist...... its obvious that using a 10 amp plug and a 15 amp socket is stupid and illegal ... and there are several perfectly legal and safe solutions that are neither hard nor expensive or take much effort.

cheers

What a load of rubbish....if I advise someone over the internet to make a lead and they injure themselves, I can be prosecuted ?? How are you going to find me....do a trace on my IP address ?

If you read some of the replies, apart from saying they only use the illegal leads for charging at home, they also acknowledge that it is ILLEGAL, and no one is advising anyone else to make one !!

I'm an electrical fitter, so know exactly why they are illegal, and also know exactly the load being drawn by my lead AT HOME......and I'm the only one who knows where that illegal 300mm long lead is stored.

These posts are a good thing....they educate people as to the reasons why 15A leads are needed and why the 15 to 10 A leads are illegal, but no amount of threats will stop some doing the wrong thing.

Gronk,
Don't get your knickers in a twist.

1. What I stated is 100% true, IT IS NOT RUBBISH.
If someone is injured or worse through heeding shonky advice, the shonk WILL be found. They cannot hide, regardless of the technology.

2. You are right in saying some replies acknowledge the illegality, but some still state that it is perfectly safe and/or acceptable.

3. Just because you think (or know) you won't get caught does not make it OK for other less knowledgable persons to break the law.
You might have a car that you regularly drive at 200 kmh on a deserted road, but that doesn't mean that Joe Bloggs should do the same in his neighbourhood.

4. You're sadly mistaken if you think I'm making threats. I'm only advising people not to take chances when it comes to electrical advice, because I have seen many accidents which left unsuspecting victims virtually homeless and broke (and worse).

Finally, as an electrical fitter yourself, you are certain to acknowledge that unqualified persons know far less than you do about the dangers of faulty or illegal work, and should not be encouraged to carry out that work, whether it be at home or otherwise.

I will not be responding to any further rants on the subject.

Gaz

Hi Gaz
How do we know you are a Senior Electrical Inspector?
The internet is full or self-appointed Inspectors, Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers etc.
I am always wary of people quoting their unsubstantiated qualifications on websites like this.

Dennis,
You will just have to take my word for it unless you want to send me a personal email.
I'm not prepared to give personal information to all and sundry on an open forum.
As you said earlier, you could be an identity thief.
If you choose not to believe me, that's your problem, not mine.
You have now lost a long-time member.
Gaz

Gaz, for an inspector who has no doubt dealt with a lot of "tradies", you seem to be very thin skinned....why are you threatening to pack your ball and going home ??

You never know, some here might want to avail themselves of some of your knowledge , especially on this subject.

Pick your bottom lip up and stand up........this is a forum, and a debate is one way of learning things.......so maybe you can pass a bit of knowledge along !!

Hi Gaz
You’re dead right, I could be an identity thief but that’s not likely – I don’t have an identity worth stealing.
Don’t desert the website because you took insult at my remarks – I am just having a bit a stir.

Quote
"Gronk posted:
What a load of rubbish....if I advise someone over the internet to make a lead and they injure themselves, I can be prosecuted ?? How are you going to find me....do a trace on my IP address ?"

You will have enough trace on the net to be traced. That's what metadata retention is all about. The law they will get you under is aiding and abetting. . Look it up.

"you seem to be very thin skinned....why are you threatening to pack your ball and going home ??"

I did not see where he is spitting the dummy, I thought he was saying he was just not going to argue the toss with you. Do you also have a poor comprehension of English?

Aiding and abetting ?? What ??

If I tell you to go and take a jump....and you jump off a bridge and kill yourself, I'm liable ?? Get real !!

I didn't see where he mentioned he wasn't going to argue the toss with me....maybe your comprehension of english means making things up !!

In fact , until you poked your nose in, I didn't think there was any arguing at all..

I have one in my van that I bought from Mitre 10 a few years ago. It was factory made as it has moulded ends on it. I do use it from time to time to do what others do and just run a fridge and charger in my van. I never new that they were illegal until I starting reading this forum, so how dumb am I.
Can anyone tell me, is there a difference in the size of the internal wires, or is the size of the earth pin the only difference. I carry 3 leads in my van, a long 15A, one not so long 15A and the 15A to 10A. The shortest 15A lead is smaller in circumference and it weighs less than the 10 to 15A. Both of them are the same length.
I do hope some one can explain this to me.

Cheers

Yes, they should not allow the promotion of illegal devices..

But I don't see the promotion of them, in fact most are saying they are illegal.

With a bit of debate, maybe some can find out why they are illegal, and then decide that elect things should only be done by electricians.

I seem to recall plenty of posts about speed limits and towing, and plenty of people admitting to speeding and towing over the weight limits.....are they not illegal practises as well ?

Reading is easy but comprehending something is sometimes hard to do if you jump the gun before you finish reading the whole story.

That would be suitable provided it was used indoors.

As on the second pic it complies with a different standard to the one that applies to "Use with portable structures"

It also says is for indoor use only