Date   : Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:18:31 EDT
From   : AlembicPrs@... (AlembicPrs@...)
Subject: Leccy @ Acorn World '09

Sockets at or just above floor level - depends which way up the socket is  
fixed, as to whether the cable gets crushed. But trailing wires from a 
higher  wall socket still trail across the floor, and can get crushed. Most
of my 
walls  are stone, and have no skirting boards, so sockets tend to be 6" or 
so above  floor level. But I do have some at ceiling height as well - no 
idea what for,  they came with the house. Guess the electrician was saving on 
wiring, since most  cable runs are surface, and from the loft area downwards 
(stone walls and 700  year old elm beams being not conducive to having holes 
drilled through them).  And most cables are fixed with the old foldable 
(and hence re-usable) flat metal  cable clips, not the modern plastic ones that 
tend to break if   you hammer too hard.
 
Some of my power socket outlets I re-wired some years ago into the off-peak 
 circuit, though being careful to keep only one socket per radial given 
that  there was sometimes still an off-peak night storage heater on the radial 
as  well. As we have an old tariff, the off-peak supply runs 24 hours some 
parts of  the year, so we can move TV, computers, washing machine, etc to 
those circuits  and save a bit on the cost of the electricity.
 
All the circuits are RCD protected at the consumer unit.
 
I notice that in the old days (?) socket outlet adaptors could only cater  
for 3 plugs. Then trailing units for four plugs appeared, along with the 
13amp  plugs. And now one sees trailing units for eight outlets or more. I do 
sometimes  wonder how many people load up eight devices onto basically the 
one fused plug.  Ok if they are all minimum load appliances, I guess, but how 
much power do pcs,  monitors, laser printers, Tvs, etc use at start up?
 
David Bolton