Electrical advice please

bod1467

When copper oxidises it goes green.

Ratboy

bod1467 wrote: »

When copper oxidises it goes green.

Thus building up a higher/lower resistance, and causing the electricity to short?

Fifer

Ratboy wrote: »

Thus building up a higher/lower resistance, and causing the electricity to short?

Oxidation on a connector will cause a high resistance. A short circuit is a very low resistance. However, you want as low a resistance in any connection (or connector) as possible.

But if by a short, you mean a fault between two supply lines which shouldn't exist, it's highly unlikely that oxidation on a connector would cause that.

Jamie_Carter

vaio wrote: »

good post and that's before you take into account the loads the OP is talking about which I'd have thought would only be a couple of hundred watts in total

personally I'd still go for http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GOOD-QUALI...item51accf0ebd

See post 24

Andy_L

isofa wrote: »

Perhaps some others can now put away their tin-foil hats?

Unless they're bonded to earth they shouldn't have them out in the first place

Ratboy

Fifer wrote: »

Oxidation on a connector will cause a high resistance. A short circuit is a very low resistance. However, you want as low a resistance in any connection (or connector) as possible.

But if by a short, you mean a fault between two supply lines which shouldn't exist, it's highly unlikely that oxidation on a connector would cause that.

I believe that the oxidisation, also causes condensation, hence me saying high/low..

vaio

Jamie_Carter wrote: »

See post 24

I've seen it. I'm pretty sure it's nonsense if you are talking about a fixed vertical 13A socket, I'm absolutely sure it's nonsense if you are talking about an unrestrained horizontal 4 gang extension lead as used by the OP

Fifer

Ratboy wrote: »

I believe that the oxidisation, also causes condensation, hence me saying high/low..

How does oxidation cause condensation? It's more likely the other way round - oxidation can be stimulated by or accelerated in the presence of water. (Technically, water is an oxide).

Jamie_Carter

vaio wrote: »

I've seen it. I'm pretty sure it's nonsense if you are talking about a fixed vertical 13A socket, I'm absolutely sure it's nonsense if you are talking about an unrestrained horizontal 4 gang extension lead as used by the OP

No it isn't nonsense at all. It is a fact that these adaptors have caused fires, which is why if you have a free home safety check by the fire brigade they will strongly advise against them in favour of the type used by the OP.

vaio

oh yes it it

I have no doubt that inappropriate use of adaptors (or indeed just about anything else) can be dangerous but to say that plugging multiple low power items into an adaptor is dangerous is just uninformed scaremongering.

If they were inherently dangerous they wouldn't get CE marked and be freely available for the general public to buy, in terms of construction they are basically a standard 13A socket faceplate folded into a cube. Perfectly safe if used properly