Old voltages in Europe

[ppppenguin]

Originally Posted by nasadowsk;2984150th

UK power is weird - ring buses, a switch at every outlet, plugs the size of a US dryer plug...

The best of the European power outlet systems is probably the German "Schuko". Also used by France and others. Good reliable connector, not too big. The US 2 pin connector may be standardised but it's not exactly wonderful. The UK 13A (BS1363) system may look odd to foreign eyes but it designed just after WW2 as a rationalisation of the old mixture of stuff we had. Can also use radial circuits instead of ring finals. The ring final does have some economic advantages but modern installation tends towards radials.

We can also connect a washer, dryer, electric kettle etc to a standard outlet in the UK

Originally Posted by nasadowsk;2984150th

BTW, the US isn't a single grid, it's 3 - east of Rockies, west of Rockies, and Texas. There may be some DC interties between them. We 'share' power from Canada, too. In other words, they feed NYC, we feed them money

I was in Vancouver when the eastern grid went down in 2003. Rather glad there isn't full interconnect. The US/Canada grids do seem rather fragile. I worry that the UK grid is going the same way.