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How can I work out the maximum load for a power point so I know which appliances can be used at the same time, without problem?
Good Evening @Else
10A is the maximum for a power point.
To be technical, here is an equation I learnt a looooooong time ago.
P = E*I
Power = Voltage times Current
So 240 * 10 (max for a power point) = 2400W
or think of an old school Bar heater, 2400W. They would have 1 large bar and 1 small bar, small one was 1000W and large was 1500W ish
The Power circuit you have in your home is rated to have (x) amount of powerpoints on it, most houses have two power circuits that share the load across rooms of the house. This does not include lighting, stove, hotwater, air con. (they are seperate)
There is a fudge factor with the loading, at work the circuits get tripped out as people keep adding little heaters. Eventually the circuit itself is too full and bingo, and when it is reset and ALL the items are turned on at the same time, it trips again.
At home, a similar instance of not what to do would be to plug a power board in, then a kettle, microwave, toaster and a airfryer into said powerboard You get where I am going... A cold dinner for sure. However if you use say two of them and dont start them at the same time the overall load is less at that point in time, circuit stays on. A power circuit will have something like 15 double power points (thats a memory recall that matched up with google lol)
More technical info if you want.
Your appliance have wattage ratings,
Fridge = ?
Microwave = 1100W commonly
Kettle = 1000W commonly
Toaster = ?
Air Fryer = ?
Tv = 1200W (guessing from memory, it will be on the back of the tv or look up the model you have)
Computer = 800W (average)
Computer screen = 150W (approximatly)
Dave
G'day @Dave-1
"Tv = 1200W (guessing from memory, it will be on the back of the tv or look up the model you have)"
I never really thought about this till now. I just had a look at my old 2011 Panasonic plasma TV = 700W.
Certainly more than I thought.
I wonder what the defunct cathode ray style TVs pulled in?
No wonder dad would yell at us as kids - "Turn the TV off if you're not watching it!"
Cheers mate!
Thanks Dave! That was really helpful.
I've checked all the kitchen appliances & the kitchen's ok...
But so I'm sure I'm on the right track...
If I have only 1 x double power point in my bedroom & the heater is 1500 watts, does this mean I need to make sure anything I use in the other power point (at the same time) is 900W or less?
And if I plug my 2400W heater into a double power point in the living room, does that mean I shouldn't use the other side of the power point at all?
G'day @Else welcome aboard 👋
Great information provided already but I wanted to add that it's not uncommon to have power points in the same room actually on different circuits, think of circuits like tendrils from the house mains panel, this approach spreads the load across more of the wiring system.
A single 2400w convection panel heater is right on the limit for one 10A power point outlet, using an extension lead adds resistence and the result is an extension cord that gets quite warm (this is not good), thus if you are powering a 2400w device place it directly into the outlet and not a power strip, double adapter OR extension lead.
They do make a device that can be used to determine the actual power draw/consumption of appliances (see the link below) otherwise the products are labelled on the back with their maximum power requirements.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-energy-cost-electrical-meter_p0586167
+1 for the Electrician consult (especially for peace of mind)
Hi @Else
just to expand a little, with AC (alternating current which power in the home is) Resistance isn't so much of an issue compared to Inductance (this is why they use AC for power to the home as the resistance of the cables is much less of a factor). Inductance is where power can be transferred from one length of cable to another by electro magnetic radiation. This can happen in the same length of cable if it is coiled up so if you have one of those leads that wind up, you should fully unwind it before use or the chances of overheating are amplified. This is also the reason power cables have to be kept seperated from voice and data cables.
Afternoon @Else
If the powerpoint is a double powerpoint then in theory you could plug in two high energy devices. (Heater plus a heater) In practice I wouldnt. Heater one side, clock, stereo, tv, computer the other, or Phone charger. even a powerboard to plug in several devices always keeping in mind the total that you are using. Rem its generally sometimes use for all items not an always use so it ballences out.
The double power point allows to high energy devices, I just wouldnt plug in two 2400w heaters 1 heater, the other for the tv, recorder box, siurround sound, floor lamp.
If you really want to get into seeing what you use in your house, there are inline energy meters that you plug between the powerpoint, then the device you want to see. Some even allow you to input how much it costs per kilowatte Yes we have this convo at work all the time, every 6 months it pops back up and we go around testing items
Afternoon @Noyade
Yeah Plasmas loooooved chewing up the power, you can warm your hands off the screen as you walk past on some
The interesting thing I found when I went from a plasma to an LED the wattage stayed the same as in consumption tho the screen became bigger So no less power I used but the screen was way bigger. Parents sometimes do know better hahahhhaha
As to the old CRT's I think they used less then plasma's in generally but weighted several times more. my old 80cm one rocked when it was all the rage but then Plasmas came out and they kicked the CRT's behind
The biggest one I have found to impact my electricity bill was old school incandesent lights being left on compared to new LED lights, I can run my house LED lighting on the same amount of electricty that 1 of 100W uses
I noticed it when I switched my front door 100W and the 500W near the steps in the front yard to 11 of 5W LEDs for lights about the yard including one for the steps and the door.
Old way = 600W (2 Light sources)
New way = 55W (11 of light sources)
Dave
Ahhh, that's helpful info. I knew I shouldn't use a coiled cable but now I know why. Thank u!
Is it ok to wrap a cord into a coil, for storage?
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