wiring a plug

[mostlyharmless]

Whilst reading this thread, I just had a washing machine delievered.

 

Rather than rewiring the plug, I just watched them make a bigger hole in the cabinet to fit the 13amp through instead.

[Peter Tovey]

Red - L1

Blue - L2

Yellow - L3

Black - Neutral

Green - Earth

 

Was there meant to be a challenge in this? Did it without looking it up!

First answer correct

Second correct

 

But the real challenge would have been if I'd asked for the Japanise/ American colour versions of both from 1985. ;)

Perhaps looking it up would have been a wise move, and then the second answer wouldn't have been INcorrect. Blue was L3 (now grey) and yellow was L2 (now black). And it's much more likely you'd find green/yellow as earth.

 

Peter

[Oovis]

As for a 15A, wasn't till out of school, all I did was get one that was wired, open it up to look at and then copied the one that needed replaced. Simple.

 

Its actually the best way to learn how plugs and sockets are put together IMHO. Carefully open a good one and just look at it then replicate. Practise makes perfect.

But if you don't know how to wire a plug, how do you know the one you're looking at is done properly? ;)

[CPlater1]

Perhaps looking it up would have been a wise move, and then the second answer wouldn't have been INcorrect. Blue was L3 (now grey) and yellow was L2 (now black).

 

Slight Mistake of typing before thinking. I should have got it right, as before Christmas I did a gig with the cables and distros etc labelled with the old colours.

[PYROmaster]

Playing Devil's advocate here, but how often does the average person need to wire a plug these days? I'm really not sure when the last time was that I did it at home. Is it a skill that's commonly enough required to be taught in schools?

Yes, wiring a pulg should be taught as part of the GCSE Physics Curriculum AT LEAST!

I got taught in year 9, as dad refused to teach me (I am a bugger for taking things appart anyway)

 

Although.... most plugs nowadays are moulded onto the cable so that might be why it is a dwindling skill???

 

I have to say that personally I say it is a skill one must have! I changed a plug just a couple of days ago. I think it should very much be taught in schools as it is very likely that it will come into use one day. It would be more useful than some of the rubbish they teach in schools these days!

 

I was taught in year 8 at middle school how to wire a plug (12 or 13 at the time), and I was taught that you know green/yellow is the earth, the brown is live becusae thats the colour your pants will be if you touch it and then blue is neutral and fuse the live. Works for me! ;)

 

I very much agree with this, and to remember where the wires go I use the same method!

 

And if you think about it it's not ANY harder to wire a 15A plug or anything that looks like a normal dOm3stIc plug, the pinning is the same, just round pin plugs don't have a fuse (then think LIVE is LEFT when you are looking at the PINS from the OUTSIDE)

 

Well thats just what I think!

[niall]

Perhaps looking it up would have been a wise move, and then the second answer wouldn't have been INcorrect. Blue was L3 (now grey) and yellow was L2 (now black). And it's much more likely you'd find green/yellow as earth.

 

Peter

 

Indeed, but I took the question to mean more if you saw that combination of wires. Just because blue is now neutral, if I saw yellow or red wires I'd know that its a live and that black is neutral, in that case.

[JimWebber]

I think I can safely say yes, I can, although I am nearly 35, so that doesn't really count!!!

 

However, back when I was a "Yoof" I would have also said "Yea, no problem" - I'd seen my Dad put them on, I'd put them on, but have to have him check them, adn I'd even learnt that Brown = Live, Blue = Neutral, and the pretty stripey one was Earth.

 

I then started an apprenticeship, within the defence industry - On the first day, we all learnt to wire a plug...

 

There were 9 of us, and we all sneered "We already know how to do this, get a life!"

 

Not ONE of us got it right.

 

Common mistakes were:

 

Wrapping the core the wrong way round the binding post (MK Plug)

Damaged strands in the core

Excess Strands showing

Not doubling the strand back in the screw terminal (Duraplug)

 

Etc, etc, etc.

 

We then learnt how to do the job properly.

 

Please also see THIS rant!

 

Jim

[cfmonk]

Can wire 13A, 16A and 15A. Got taught the 13A stuff and then did the whole wire and check on the other stuff a couple of times.

 

Wiring an IEC though... that's a challenge. Still never learnt and don't intend to as it means I can get one of the other guys to do it with the age old: it'll just be easier if you do it I reckon!

[Psychedelic Theatre]

I learnt how to do a 13A in Y7 physics. 5A, 15A, 16A, and IECs came when I was in Y9 'helping' a friend sort out a load of second hand lighting and sound gear going into an Am-Dram place.

 

I did Electronic Products GCSE, and as someone else mentioned; they don't cover any mains electrical stuff, it's all the smaller 'electronics' such as resistors, transistors, LEDs, Piezo sounders etc.

[themadhippy]

Good to see the next generation of technicians are able to do the basics.I was also taught at a young age how to fit a plug and work out the fuse size by my dad,however this was back in the day when pre fitted plugs were a rarity and red,black and green flex common(at least in our household ) .

if I saw yellow or red wires I'd know that its a live and that black is neutral

unless your working on a lighting circuit,then black maybe live

next important question,wots your coffee making skills like ;)

[niall]

if I saw yellow or red wires I'd know that its a live and that black is neutral

unless your working on a lighting circuit,then black maybe live

next important question,wots your coffee making skills like ;)

 

 

My point is that if I look into a fuse box and saw blue, black and YELLOW OR RED OR GREEN wires I would know that this was of the old colour system and that black is neutral, green is earth and the rest are lives. If, however, I looked into another one and say blue, black and BROWN, GREY or GREEN/YELLOW I would know that this is the "new" colour system and that black is now live.

 

My coffee making skills are all right, though I'm a great fan of it, so I don't ever make it. On the other hand, my spelling is quite good.

[The Yellow Transit]

[

My point is that if I look into a fuse box and saw blue, black and YELLOW OR RED OR GREEN wires I would know that this was of the old colour system and that black is neutral, green is earth and the rest are lives. If, however, I looked into another one and say blue, black and BROWN, GREY or GREEN/YELLOW I would know that this is the "new" colour system and that black is now live.

but what would you do if all of the colours were present ? never assume anything , inspect it then test it , I often come across the cpc (earth wire) being used as a circuit conductor normally on old heating systems and in 2 way lighting. :) so beware of all conductors

[Ynot]

Whilst reading this thread, I just had a washing machine delievered.

 

Rather than rewiring the plug, I just watched them make a bigger hole in the cabinet to fit the 13amp through instead.

That's because a) the plug was most likely a moulded plug so they'd have to have brought a replacement with them if they were expected to rewire and b) delivery guys are not electricians. They may well have NO practical experience on how to correctly wire up a plug (note 'correctly' there...) and so they would (in these days of ambulance chasing devils I mean lawyers, be left open to potential prosecution if they got it wrong!

[sparkyweb]

I have found this post most interesting!

Like many other posters I can add that Yes my Dad did teach me how to wire a plug. (That was in the 80's)

 

Now I have taught many people to wire up plugs, I, as people may know in my spare time run a Scout Troop, most of my scouts can wire a plug correctly with some element of knowledge because I have taught them.

 

I do find it disappointing that I as a volunteer have to give them what I feel is a bog standard life skill, but also grudgingly (sp) accept that it is down to the nanny state that we are now in.

 

I do have an advantage to the majority of physics teachers out there as I have a piece of paper that states that I am a qualified Electrician.

 

Mark

[Ynot]

Right

 

I'm going to take this s step further and pose a new challenge to those young 'uns in this post who've said thet yes - they CAN wire up a plug.

 

The challenge is to describe to me, in a PM, PRECISELY how you would go about wiring up a basic 13A plug. Don't post here for now - let's have independent work, guys... :)

The discipline is almost exactly the same for wiring a 5 or 15.

 

And hint - it's FAR from just knowing which colours go where! :)

 

Anyone who PM's me in the next couple of days will be checked, and I'll publish each one in a summary post together with a 'grading' if you like.

 

I'd put Monopoly money on many of you NOT being able to get the whole thing quite as right as you might think!! (Dad's may not always be 100% right, by the way...!)