4 ms·
Please don't make me start complaining about the utter sheet stupidity of the Italian electrical plug (type L). It's pure and utter shite. 1. The C plug was fi
by qalmakka 4y ago
Please don't make me start complaining about the utter sheet stupidity of the Italian electrical plug (type L). It's pure and utter shite.
1. The C plug was fine. It doesn't carry more than 10A, and that is fine because it does not support grounding, so it would be unwise to use it for very powerful appliances, but it's well enough for bed lamps and phone chargers.
2. We Italians are famous for finding half-assed solutions to problems, so instead of developing a decent plug we just shoved a ground prong on the C type plug, so the 10A L connector was born.
3. Given that 10A plugs can only carry AFAIK a maximum of ~1500W, the 16A L connector was created as a chunkier version of the 10A one.
4. Given this whole nonsensical situation, companies catering to the EU single market largely ignore the L connector. Every single device sold in Italy either uses the C type ungrounded connector (Europlug) or the E/F "Schuko"-French combo connector.
5. Italian houses have either 10A plugs WITH 10A WIRING or 16A plugs (usually with combo 10/16A plugs, have I mentioned the two sockets are incompatible despite both being L?). This means that F "Schuko" adapters to L are a common fixture in Italian homes.
6. People buy devices with F plugs, which they then have to plug into their sockets using adapters. Adapters can either adapt to 16A plugs, or, unfortunately, to 10A, which is extremely dangerous given that Schuko is a 16A connector and 10A plugs often do not have the proper wire gauge for that. The fact that no Schuko adapter supports nominally over 1500W doesn't help either.
Long story short: Italian homes are full of high power devices, such as microwave ovens, air friers, hairdryers, kettles, ... plugged in 10A wall sockets through adapters that do not allow more than 1500W of power. It's absolutely stupid and moronic. Yes they get hot. Yes they are a hazard.
The solution would be to mandate everywhere the C/F/L combo socket in new buildings, but given that 16A wires are more expensive and the Italian government has been historically extremely pro-business, it will never happen.