5 ms·

They don't ignore it; Schuko (CEE 7/3) plugs also keep earth connected while live and neutral pins are pulled out. Same is true for the French (CEE 7/5) and Dan

• DanBC 12y ago
  That's when you pull the plug out of the socket. OP is talking about the failure mode when you pull the cable out of the plug - the live and neutral cables are shorter and tighter and will fail first, leaving the earth wire to fail last.
  • ptaipale 12y ago
    I didn't quite understand the whole concept. The idea in Schuko plugs is that you cannot pull the cable out of the plug. It's totally fixed (either inside solid plastic, or attached with a strain relief that fixes it). edit: now that I think of it, Schuko plugs of the install-yourself kind where you can attach cable with a screwdriver (not solid plastic with the cable) are done so that the earth cable is longer than L/N are inside the casing.
    • Symbiote 12y ago
      So are the British plugs. Perhaps pulling the cord out should be called an extreme failure mode? (It was probably more useful 20 or more years ago, before moulded plugs were common.)
    • dfox 12y ago
      Most combination Schuko/French plugs I've seen recently are even designed in such way that when all wires are same length then the PE one has larger slack inside the plug.
      • ptaipale 12y ago
        Right, that's what I meant (i.e. the earth wire sticking out of cable end is "unnecessary long" if it is the same length as L/N). However, it is very unusual if the cable comes loose from the plug casing.