Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Britain solves this with fuses inside appliance plugs.

The continental European system doesn't really solve it, as far as I know, so you have thicker wires on low power appliances than you would in the USA.



The US also has fused plugs but their are not widely used for some reason. I see them mostly on Christmas lights, but I have also seen it on some small home electronics like a window fan and air purifier.


That’s usually because the lights draw such little power that a short at line amperage could turn them very hot without tripping a breaker.

The fuse prevents that.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: