Powerboards for the kitchen

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Yorkshirekid

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#268133 1-Mar-2020 14:35

Not happy - I've gone through 2 of these things in the last 3 years; I'm about to exchange the lastest failure for a third powerboard. I shop at Mitre10 but this time I thought I'd ask members what they recommend. My requirements are:

4-6 outlets
surge button or similar
strip design rather than a cube shape
individual power on/off buttons would be nice, but not essential.
the bloody thing doesn't kark it in under a couple of years
lead is as close to 30cm as possible.

I'm using this in the kitchen for kettle, m.wave, toaster etc. I can usually have two devices on at a time, say toaster and kettle, and any more pops the surge switch. So we've learnt not to overload. All good, we can live with that but after a year or so of being fine, the strip won't function at all or only allows a 10-20 working time before 'popping off'.

Spakies reading this may comment on something basic I'm doing wrong? But anyone with a know brand / model that will last the course, please let me know.

Thank you

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#2429620 1-Mar-2020 14:57

Sounds like you are overloading stuff.

Most kettles draw just under 10Amps. A single domestic power outlet is rated at 10A.

A toaster will use 2-5 A.

The circuit breaker in power strips are known to be poor quality, but yours appears to be doing its job of stopping your wall socket from melting.

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timmmay

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#2429622 1-Mar-2020 14:57

You might be better off getting an electrician to put in a four point outlet rather than using a multibox.

RunningMan

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#2429666 1-Mar-2020 15:38

Basically, the kettle all by itself is enough for it to be at it's max capacity. Microwave (depending on model) could be up there too. If you're using the kettle and anything else, you are already overloading both the power strip and the outlet itself. The overload cutout on those power strips is also pretty rudimentary, and has to either have a massive overload or be overloaded for a long time before they trip. As @timmmay recommends, safest option is get a sparky to install additional outlets, and establish what the capacity of the circuit is that's feeding them.

EDIT: Grammar & spelling

Lias

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#2429667 1-Mar-2020 15:40

I vaguely remember reading somewhere and being very surprised at how low the life expectancy of a typical cheap power board was.. If I recall it was something like 6 months for a basic $5-10 one.

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Yorkshirekid

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#2429669 1-Mar-2020 15:45

Ok guys - I've read enough to decide I'll get a sparky in to upgrade the outlet.

Thanks for the support.

richms

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#2429673 1-Mar-2020 15:52

2 things is probably overloading it, you need to look at the watts or the amps of the device, for watts divide it by 230 to get the amps, and use the higher of what you calculate or the labeled amp value, add them together and if it exceeds 10 then you are the problem, not the powerstrip.

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MadEngineer

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#2429725 1-Mar-2020 18:50

Wow.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

kiwigander

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#2429834 1-Mar-2020 22:39

OP, if your sparky just upgrades the powerpoint from a double to a quad, you're shifting the problem but not solving it.

Even a quad powerpoint is still rated at 10 A total. So a kettle and another high wattage appliance will be overloading the powerpoint. The circuit should be good for 20 A, so the breaker won't trip, but the powerpoint may eventually fail.

I am not an electrician, but it strikes me that here is a flaw in NZ wiring practice: a powerpoint can easily be subjected to excessive current draw, and there is no protection in the circuit against that.

If I were building new, or rewiring a kitchen, I'd be inclined to go with a mix of double (for 'ordinary' appliances) and single (dedicated to high wattage appliances) powerpoints.

Any comments from real sparkies?

MadEngineer

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#2429841 1-Mar-2020 23:54

You’re right. No sane person tries to put more than a 10 amp load on a single outlet. They quickly learn otherwise. Some learn quicker than others.

The right thing to do is to spread those appliances across multiple outlets on different circuits. Microwave goes in a dedicated wall unit with its own outlet. Toaster uses the outlet on the bench but is put away between uses. Kettle is given an outlet of its own.

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Technofreak

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#2429876 2-Mar-2020 08:29

kiwigander: Even a quad powerpoint is still rated at 10 A total.

Are you absolutely sure about that?

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timmmay

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#2429879 2-Mar-2020 08:46

That the powerpoint is limited to 10A as a whole is also my understanding. It's to do with the wiring that comes into the back of the power point. You can put thicker wire and a bigger fuse in if you want to, but that might be a dedicated circuit, and you still need wall outlets that support that arrangement.

In practice we sometimes run a washing machine and drier on a double outlet, which probably consumes 15A at times, but we try not to.

chevrolux

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#2429882 2-Mar-2020 09:04

Technofreak:
kiwigander: Even a quad powerpoint is still rated at 10 A total.

Are you absolutely sure about that?

For a standard GPO in a house... yep 10A. It could be a 30-way plug, and still only do 10A. Maybe a 15A breaker if you are lucky, but extremely unlikely.

But yea, OP, you have probably the three most power hungry devices connected in the same place. If you got the outlet swapped to a quad, probably the internals won't burn-out like they would in a multi-board. But you will pop breakers.

Technofreak

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#2429905 2-Mar-2020 09:53

timmmay:

That the powerpoint is limited to 10A as a whole is also my understanding. It's to do with the wiring that comes into the back of the power point. You can put thicker wire and a bigger fuse in if you want to, but that might be a dedicated circuit, and you still need wall outlets that support that arrangement.

In practice we sometimes run a washing machine and drier on a double outlet, which probably consumes 15A at times, but we try not to.

It's always been my understanding the circuit breaker or fuse at the distribution board protects the wiring to the power points. Putting limits/protections at the far end doesn't make sense to me.

There is usually more than one power outlet powered off each CB or fuse. Go and count the number of CB's and fuses then go,and count how many power outlets you have. Each one of these power outlets is rated at 10 amps.

Also it was my understanding the 10 amp limit at the socket was to prevent overheating within the individual socket, both within the switch if one is fitted and the prongs of the socket and pins of the plug of the appliance.

With a multipoint you need to limit the total power draw to protect the socket it's plugged into.

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Bung

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#2429913 2-Mar-2020 10:04

Technofreak:
kiwigander: Even a quad powerpoint is still rated at 10 A total.

Are you absolutely sure about that?

The Standard that plugs and sockets are tested to only loads 1 socket during the temperature rise test. Some older dual outlet sockets were just 2 singles on 1 face plate each with their own input terminals. Some newer single input have substantial internal metal straps while others are as flimsy as cheap multiboards. Anything that heats up the socket reduces the tension in the socket contacts which leads to more heat. Whatever they are they are still only tested at 10A from 1 of the sockets.

Running more than 1 socket at 10A is becoming less of a thing now since circuits that routinely were given a 20A breakers are derated to 16A to allow for cables being potentially surrounded by insulation.

mclean

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#2429978 2-Mar-2020 10:51

timmmay:In practice we sometimes run a washing machine and drier on a double outlet, which probably consumes 15A at times, but we try not to.

I wouldn't do that, especially if I'm out of the house or sleeping.

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