Fuses question

[admin_exported]

Hi all :wave:

I've a doubt.
Which option should I pick when a mains cable (am I allowed to name brands here?) has options
3 amp
5 amp
7 amp
10amp
13amp
no fuse

Are there differences in sonics, performance? :?

Thank you very much
:cheers:

PS: *DO NOT START THE POWER CABLES RANT AGAIN, BE KIND*

 

[Andrew Everard]

Well,

no fuse

is not an option for safety reasons. Which fuse you choose is really dependent on the load of the product to be supplied by the mains cable in question.

 

[tyranniux42]

I am assuming that you are replacing a power cable with a 'flashier' option?

if this is the case then use the same value fuse that came with cable that came with the appliance that you will be replacing the cable on, if you choose a higher rating the fuse will not protect the device as the manufacturers intended and if a fault occurs then more current will be allowed to flow without the fuse blowing potentially damaging your equipment further, or worse cause a fire. Never put a higher rated fuse than neccesary.

for example if the standard cable has a 3 amp fuse then match it. The ratings are there for a reason, safety!

some more information would be useful in giving you advice on which rating to choose.

Regards

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you :cheers: I currently have a no fuse one I've seen several mains with 10 amp fuse. Should be the logical choice or is ok with 3 amp? By the way, is to connect equipment to socket wall

 

[Andrew Everard]

Thank you :cheers: I currently have a no fuse one I've seen several mains with 10 amp fuse. Should be the logical choice or is ok with 3 amp? By the way, is to connect equipment to socket wall

Perhaps if you tell us what the piece of equipment is on the other end of the cable, we can advise, but for certain you need a fuse.

 

[CnoEvil]

It's my understanding, that provided the piece of equipment itself is fuse protected, then the fuse is there to protect the cable.

There are enough electricians on here to correct me, if I'm wrong.

 

[Andrew Everard]

It's my understanding, that provided the piece of equipment itself is fuse protected, then the fuse is there to protect the cable. There are enough electricians on here to correct me, if I'm wrong.

And of course we're assuming the poster is in the UK, and not in a country where fuses aren't mandatory in mains plugs.

 

[Anonymous]

I have PS Audio duet connected to socket wall @ factory cable. Since I don't read anywhere "fused" I assume it isn't fused at all. Anyway, so far so good.

A few weeks ago there was a blackout and no damage happened on my equipment.

The PS Audio itself claims to protect so there's my doubt it is necessary a power cable fused? if so, which amp?

PS: I live in Chile. I know we do use the same volts as you my Brit friends. Of course, plugs are different

 

[tyranniux42]

Well unfortunately I cant comment on your countries electrical regulations but personally I would much rather have a fuse in the plug thats cheap, easily changed and readily available rather than have to start removing covers and possibly voiding warranties... The fuse is there to protect anything downstream of the fuse, so the cable and your beloved kit... if the fuse in the plug has a lower rating than the internal one then it will blow first thereby doing its job, if its the otherway round it will only act as a last resort and may not blow at all of the current does not peak high enough or for long enough, thereby not guaranteeing protection of your kit. If the power rating of the unit is 600 watts or less then just use a 3 amp if as you say your voltage is the same as the uk's 230 volts.
(Well in thos case it would actually be 690 watts bit to avoid nuisance tripping etc, especially if your countries voltage regulation is not great then a little headroom wont hurt)

Just incase you are not aware the rating of the fuse must be just above the normal operating max current which if you have a power rating is power divided by voltage = current.

Regards

 

[altruistic.lemon]

No fuses in chilean plugs, according to this : http://www.kropla.com/electric2.htm

In fact there's only a few countries that do.

 

[MattSPL]

All, or most equipment has a fuse of its own at the Ac inlet. Sometimes the fuse can be inside the equipment, but often there is a little drawer beside the mains cable so the user can replace the fuse without opening up and possibly voiding the warrenty on the equipment.

The fuse in a UK plug is there to protect the power cord. The cable the power cord is made of isn't designed to handle the potential current of 20-32amps that a UK socket circuit can provide, therefore a 3-13amp fuse is selected depending on the powercord.

Fwiw, i use US sockets and power cords in my hifi system. This allows me to take the fuse out the equation, and us audio grade sockets which are more readily available in US versions.

 

[noogle]

Interesting question about insurance for UK people using US sockets in the unlikely event the house burns down. Not sure the loss adjuster would agree to pay up.

 

[MattSPL]

Yes, not sure on that one to be honest :quest:

 

[Anonymous]

Use a fuse rated according to the power of the equipment. Some simple maths here.

Power (watts) = amps x volts (which is 240 in the UK). So a 3 amp fuse is good for about 700 watts continuous. That means its good for all your hifi components except hungry power amps but even then a 3 amp fuse will withstand much higher current spikes than 3 amps.

A 5 amp fuse is good for about 1200 watts (1.2kw) and a 13amp good for 3kw. I doubt any hifi device is going to pull more than 1.2kw so using a 13 amp fuse will risk your equipment since there is likely to be a link in the equipment that's weaker than the fuse.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Are you talking about Chile or the UK here?

 

[hammill]

Use a fuse rated according to the power of the equipment. Some simple maths here.

Power (watts) = amps x volts (which is 240 in the UK). So a 3 amp fuse is good for about 700 watts continuous. That means its good for all your hifi components except hungry power amps but even then a 3 amp fuse will withstand much higher current spikes than 3 amps.

A 5 amp fuse is good for about 1200 watts (1.2kw) and a 13amp good for 3kw. I doubt any hifi device is going to pull more than 1.2kw so using a 13 amp fuse will risk your equipment since there is likely to be a link in the equipment that's weaker than the fuse.

As Ponkine lives in a country (Chile)where plugs are the same as used in mainland Europe, where is he going to put a fuse?

The reason we have fuses in the UK is because we have ring mains (as opposed to a star system as used almost everywhere else) so theoretically the cable can draw 30 amps which is why the plug must be fused. The most that can be delivered in Ponkine's case is 16 amps. His hifi equipment will be fused internally (same as it is here) and that is how it will be protected, he does not need to worry about fuses in the cable.

 

[The_Lhc]

Use a fuse rated according to the power of the equipment. Some simple maths here.

Power (watts) = amps x volts (which is 240 in the UK). So a 3 amp fuse is good for about 700 watts continuous. That means its good for all your hifi components except hungry power amps but even then a 3 amp fuse will withstand much higher current spikes than 3 amps.

A 5 amp fuse is good for about 1200 watts (1.2kw) and a 13amp good for 3kw. I doubt any hifi device is going to pull more than 1.2kw so using a 13 amp fuse will risk your equipment since there is likely to be a link in the equipment that's weaker than the fuse.

As Ponkine lives in a country (Chile)where plugs are the same as used in mainland Europe, where is he going to put a fuse?

Makes you wonder why he asked the question in the first place really...

 

[hammill]

Makes you wonder why he asked the question in the first place really...

I wondered myself. Maybe he does not know that the fuse is in the plug here - it is very unusual.

 

[Anonymous]

Makes you wonder why he asked the question in the first place really...

Indeed! To the OP, what rating fuse or circuit breaker is at the main box? If its rated 16 amps or lower I wouldn't worry about an additional fuse and as mentioned here, if you're using European type plugs they're not designed to be used with a fuse anyway so struggling to know how to answer your original question.

 

[Overdose]

I am quite suprise that you found a cable that works without a fuse in the first place. Given the neccessity to have a fuse in any mains supply cable, I would be very dubious of any claims made by a manufacturer that would sell such a thing.

NB: Assuming UK regulations.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

I am quite suprise that you found a cable that works without a fuse in the first place. Given the neccessity to have a fuse in any mains supply cable, I would be very dubious of any claims made by a manufacturer that would sell such a thing.

NB: Assuming UK regulations.

The guy's in CHILE.

 

[Overdose]

Ah, ok. Didn't bother with the rest of the thread.

In that case a type 'C' plug would be used, which isn't fused. So why the question?