Electrical power is measured in watts, W, a unit of power. Electrical current is measured in amps, A, the rate at which electricity flows.
| Domestic Portable Appliance | Amps Used | Watts Used |
| Laptop | <0.5 | 65 - 100 |
| Mobile phone charger | <0.5 | <12 |
| Kettle | 13 | 3000 |
| Satellite TV box | <0.5 | 30 |
| Printer | <0.5 | 50 |
| Radio | <0.5 | 40 |
| Radiator | 8.5 | 2000 |
| DVD player | <0.5 | 28 |
| Hair dryer | 10.0 | 2200 |
| Landline cordless telephone charger | <0.5 | 10 |
| Computer monitor | <0.5 | 100 |
| Desktop computer | 3.0 | 700 |
| Television 42" HD | 0.5 | 120 |
| Games console | 0.86 | <200 |
| Washing machine | 10 | 2200 |
| Toaster | 9.0 | 2000 |
| Tumble dryer | 11.0 | 2500 |
| Dishwasher | 10.0 | 2200 |
| Iron | 12.5 | 2800 |
| Microwave | 4.5w | 1000 |
| Vacuum cleaner | 9.0 | 2000 |
| Radiator (oil filled) | 13.0 | 3000 |
- The fuse in a plug is a safety device designed to protect the lead rather than the appliance. It is a deliberate weak link in a circuit which will 'blow' if an electrical appliance or extension lead draws too much current due to either an overload or a fault. The blown fuse cuts off the electricity to stop the lead and appliance from overheating and causing a fire.
- Appliances meeting the relevant product safety standards will always be fitted with a plug having a correctly-rated fuse. If you have to replace a fuse, it's essential, having checked and corrected the reason for the fuse blowing, to replace it only with another of the same rating.
- As a rule of thumb, fuses are rated according to the power rating of the appliance. Plugs for appliances rated up to about 700 watts should have a 3 amp fuse (coloured red). Plugs for appliances rated between about 700 watts and 3000 watts (the maximum rating of a wall socket) should be fitted with a 13 amp fuse (coloured brown). (Some older appliances were fitted with 5 amp fuses (coloured black), which are still available to buy.)
Overloading Socket
Avoid overloading sockets and risk of fire by following this simple advice:
•Check the current rating of the extension lead before plugging appliances into it. Most are rated at 13 A, but some are rated at only 10 A or less - the rating should be clearly marked on the back or underside of the extension lead. If not, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.
•Never overload an extension lead by plugging in appliances that together will exceed the maximum current rating stated for the extension lead. This could cause the plug in the wall socket to overheat and possibly cause a fire.
•Use our overload calculator (below) to check if you’re exceeding the maximum load.
•For an indication only of the current ratings of commonly-used domestic appliances - check out our information about Amps and Watts above.
•Only use one socket extension lead per socket and never plug an extension lead into another extension lead.
•Use a multi-way bar extension lead rather than a block adaptor, as this will put less strain on the wall socket. Some block adaptors do not have a fuse, which increases the risk of overloading and fire.
•Consider having additional sockets installed if you regularly rely on extension leads and adaptors - and use a registered electrician to carry out the installation work.
•Check regularly for the following danger signs:
- a smell of hot plastic or burning near an appliance or socket
- sparks or smoke coming from a plug or appliance
- blackness or scorch marks around a socket or plug, or on an appliance
- damaged or frayed leads
- coloured wire inside leads showing at the plug or anywhere else
- melted plastic on appliance casings or leads
- fuses that blow or circuit-breakers that operate for no obvious reason
HAVE A GO AT THIS SOCKET OVERLOAD TEST
An easy to follow and useful website for couriers to checkout to gauge socket overloading
http://www.twothirtyvolts.org.uk/socket-overload/
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