Extensions and leads

The more wall sockets you have in your home the less you will need an extension cable or adapter. Unfortunately many portable electrical items like lamps and radios are supplied with relatively short cables. So sometimes it is unavoidable not to have to use one, but beware of the following dangers.

• Damaged cable, due to leads being walked over, continually bent at the same point or stored badly.
• You can trip or fall over taut, over-stretched cable.
• Leads on power tools frequently become tangled, leading to one of the conductors eventually failing – this could cause danger.
• Overuse of multi-way adapters or adapter blocks, which increases the risk of fire.

An extension lead should only be used whenever it is not possible to reach a wall socket with the equipment cable. When the use of an extension cable is unavoidable – follow these simple suggestions

• Only use an extension lead which was bought ready-assembled.
• We recommend that no extension lead be more than 15 metres long.
• Only use extension leads fitted with suitably insulated connectors and plugs. (Never join two lengths of flexible cable by twisting the bare ends of wires together.)
• Position an extension lead carefully to prevent any risk of damage.
• If the cable has to cross a pathway, cover it with a rubber protector strip.
• Always check that leads, plugs and sockets are undamaged.
• Always check the extension lead plug contains the correctly rated fuse for the equipment being used.
• If using a cable drum extension lead, it should be completely unwound to avoid overheating.
• For general use, 2-core extension leads should not be used.

Get rid of and replace damaged extension leads – never repair them. Sticky tape isn’t enough. It’s not strong enough and won’t provide enough protection from electric shock.

Avoid adaptors – If you use two appliances regularly on one power point, replace it with a double socket. Multi-way adapters should be used with care

• When an adaptor is used with a number of plugs, the angle and weight increases the stress on the socket.
• There is also a danger of electrical overload as the combined loads may exceed the ratings of the socket-outlet.

If you must, then a multi-way trailing socket with minimum cable length can be used – though care should be taken not to overload the socket.