airconkid

Apr 20 2007, 04:17 AM

How do you go about changing from a UK three pin plug, to an Australian two pin plug??

What happens to the earth wire from your appliance?

TTFN

Airconkid

*Paul*

Apr 26 2007, 05:41 PM

Dave, you can buy plugs from your local hardware store. When it comes to electrical stuff the electricians of this world don't like you to fiddle too much. They have safety laws over here to protect you - from shocks. That's usually the bill from the sparky after he's fitted a few plugs for you.

The plugs you buy to replace your UK clonky thing DO have an earth wire attachment. I bought about a dozen plugs and spent an hour re-wiring. For the garage tools I still use the UK plugs because I brought a nice wind-up UK extension lead with me. Trouble is, Aussie plugs don't have fuses in them. So should the UK plug fuse go pop I'm going to have to be inventive or just buy another extension lead and re-plug the lot.

Paul.

*Paul*

Apr 27 2007, 07:35 AM

There are residual current circuit breakers installed at the mains box.

Did you know that the official purpose of a fuse is to prevent the device from catching fire? I learned that from University Challenge when old Bamber was chair.

I remember when I were a young lad...

Koala Konnection

Apr 28 2007, 10:29 AM

I was a prefect, as a matter of fact! I was also keen to try things out - bit of a habit of mine to take things apart and see how they work.

I recal my old French teacher explaining to us the powers of bleach to remove ink stains from shirts. Of course, in those days we used fountain pens and wore white shirts. Perhaps he mentioned white shirts as opposed to coloured ones, but what ever he said I don't recall him doing so.

When I got some ink - don't ask me how - on my school blazer's badge, I immediately raided the bathroom cupboard for something that removed 99% of all known germs and, I hoped, ink from a school's insignia. You need to understand that my school badge, about two and half inches square, was composed of red, yellow and black dyes, plus the blue fountain pen Quink ink I had so carelessly sploshed over parts of it.

Liberally applied, I watched in horror as my badge disappeared in front of me in rather large chunks. OMG. :wacko:

After copious amounts of water and drying and more water and more drying, I set about detailing a new school badge by filling in the missing bits with a set of felt tip pens...

Picasso would have approved. Despite attempts to dry clean my school blazer I wouldn't let it leave my bedroom for obvious reasons. I was the only kid with a felt-tipped school badge for a whole year.

Things didn't get any better when I started college. I recall heating my clothes next to a paraffin heater before putting them on, looking at the ice on the inside of my bedroom window. I must have been day dreaming because I burnt a hole the size of a small pizza straight through the front of a sweater.

In a physics lab I managed to catch the elbow of another sweater on a splinter of an old work bench and proceeded to walk about and untangle the elbow part without knowing. Of course no one told me. Even the physics teacher thought it was hilarious.

The thing about swots with neat ties is they always get them re-arranged by the non-swotters... :rolleyes:

Paul.

*Paul*

Apr 28 2007, 06:06 PM

A parallel existence. Felt tips and all. Spooky!

As if to prove the point further you're moving to the Sunny Coast.

You weren't born in 64 were you? :lol:

P.

*Paul*

Apr 26 2007, 08:41 AM

Dave, you can buy plugs from your local hardware store. When it comes to electrical stuff the electricians of this world don't like you to fiddle too much. They have safety laws over here to protect you - from shocks. That's usually the bill from the sparky after he's fitted a few plugs for you.

The plugs you buy to replace your UK clonky thing DO have an earth wire attachment. I bought about a dozen plugs and spent an hour re-wiring. For the garage tools I still use the UK plugs because I brought a nice wind-up UK extension lead with me. Trouble is, Aussie plugs don't have fuses in them. So should the UK plug fuse go pop I'm going to have to be inventive or just buy another extension lead and re-plug the lot.

Paul.

airconkid

Apr 30 2007, 03:47 AM

*Paul*

Apr 26 2007, 08:41 AM

Dave, you can buy plugs from your local hardware store. When it comes to electrical stuff the electricians of this world don't like you to fiddle too much. They have safety laws over here to protect you - from shocks. That's usually the bill from the sparky after he's fitted a few plugs for you.

The plugs you buy to replace your UK clonky thing DO have an earth wire attachment. I bought about a dozen plugs and spent an hour re-wiring. For the garage tools I still use the UK plugs because I brought a nice wind-up UK extension lead with me. Trouble is, Aussie plugs don't have fuses in them. So should the UK plug fuse go pop I'm going to have to be inventive or just buy another extension lead and re-plug the lot.

Paul.

Could always fly you out some 13A fuses.

You can bet that I will be bringing a boat load of them out with me.

Yes, a multi point 3 pin extention for the DLUG
And for the TV, DVD, etc.
And I'm going to use the extention I am now using for my computer, printer etc..

That way, only one plug to change............

Aircon

*Paul*

Apr 30 2007, 10:25 AM

Dave - Got a handful mate! Anyway, I'll get around to changing things to Aus plugs when the garage is fully sorted / built.

Something else you all might want to think about - how it fits in with what you want / need to bring out is up to you. Australia's power system isn't as reliable as you're used to. Power surges are common and can wreck electronic devices like TVs, computers, etc. My computer and the lap top have spike protection, as do the TV, DVD, video, telephones, printer, etc. You'll have to buy an Aussie surge protection device to fit the local Aussie plug, and for the computer it'll be a multi-plug unit with something to run the telephone line through for the modem. For the TV it'll be a multi-plug unit again, protecting the DVD player, TV digi-box and video player. Now what are you going to do?

Think about it for a moment. It could be an issue. The simplest solution is to replace the UK plugs with $3 aussie plugs. Just a thought from someone who came out here with UK plugs attached to everything, including the kettle.

I think, for me at least, the complication only exists in the workshop, and this will probably be resolved when I get around to it with the new wiring set-up.

Paul.

cathnpaul

Apr 30 2007, 09:28 AM

*Paul*

Apr 30 2007, 10:25 AM

Dave - Got a handful mate! Anyway, I'll get around to changing things to Aus plugs when the garage is fully sorted / built.

Something else you all might want to think about - how it fits in with what you want / need to bring out is up to you. Australia's power system isn't as reliable as you're used to. Power surges are common and can wreck electronic devices like TVs, computers, etc. My computer and the lap top have spike protection, as do the TV, DVD, video, telephones, printer, etc. You'll have to buy an Aussie surge protection device to fit the local Aussie plug, and for the computer it'll be a multi-plug unit with something to run the telephone line through for the modem. For the TV it'll be a multi-plug unit again, protecting the DVD player, TV digi-box and video player. Now what are you going to do?

Think about it for a moment. It could be an issue. The simplest solution is to replace the UK plugs with $3 aussie plugs. Just a thought from someone who came out here with UK plugs attached to everything, including the kettle.

I think, for me at least, the complication only exists in the workshop, and this will probably be resolved when I get around to it with the new wiring set-up.

Paul.

Does that mean if we bring powerbreakers out with us for the UK plugs and then plug into the aussie adapter it would work in the same way??

cathnpaul

Apr 30 2007, 08:28 AM

*Paul*

Apr 30 2007, 10:25 AM

Dave - Got a handful mate! Anyway, I'll get around to changing things to Aus plugs when the garage is fully sorted / built.

Something else you all might want to think about - how it fits in with what you want / need to bring out is up to you. Australia's power system isn't as reliable as you're used to. Power surges are common and can wreck electronic devices like TVs, computers, etc. My computer and the lap top have spike protection, as do the TV, DVD, video, telephones, printer, etc. You'll have to buy an Aussie surge protection device to fit the local Aussie plug, and for the computer it'll be a multi-plug unit with something to run the telephone line through for the modem. For the TV it'll be a multi-plug unit again, protecting the DVD player, TV digi-box and video player. Now what are you going to do?

Think about it for a moment. It could be an issue. The simplest solution is to replace the UK plugs with $3 aussie plugs. Just a thought from someone who came out here with UK plugs attached to everything, including the kettle.

I think, for me at least, the complication only exists in the workshop, and this will probably be resolved when I get around to it with the new wiring set-up.

Paul.

Does that mean if we bring powerbreakers out with us for the UK plugs and then plug into the aussie adapter it would work in the same way??

cathnpaul

May 2 2007, 07:42 AM

Hmmm - the words long term future did it for me I think .haha.

changing plugs it is then!!

airconkid

May 2 2007, 06:13 PM

cathnpaul

May 2 2007, 07:42 AM

Hmmm - the words long term future did it for me I think .haha.

changing plugs it is then!!

Can YOU change a plug Cath?

I know my Kath can't..................

I'll teach her in Oz.