Hobbayne Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I have to buy one because I have lost some of my original ones over the years. I am sure I read somewhere that they have to be 13amp. Is that correct? I need to use on a Markbass combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]In short, a UK Mains to IEC (C13) Power Lead will do you fine.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Edit: But it probably won't fit your kettle. [/font][/color] Edited April 8, 2015 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Most of our amps only actually use a couple of amps (a glance at the back of your combo will tell you the power consumption, then divide by 240), but I mostly carry the full 13A cable ones so they can be used on pretty much anything. If buying new, the price difference is minimal, so you might as well go for 13A unless only the light ones are available. Yer actual kettle lead is for hot use, and has a notch so you can't put an amp lead into a kettle and melt the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1428488808' post='2741684'] Yer actual kettle lead is for hot use, and has a notch so you can't put an amp lead into a kettle and melt the thing. [/quote] That's right, a 'kettle' lead is actually a C15. *Bores self to death* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Which kettle is best for metal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) You'll probably find two types a 5A one and a 13A one. They have different cables but the IEC plug socket is only rated at 10A. Work that one out. Anyway, you might need a 13A one with a 10A fuse depending on your amp power and whether it has a 'soft start'. There's a grey area between 300w and 500w amps as to whether the manufacturer fits a soft start. Essentially you could have a 500w amp that randomly blows 5A fuses when you turn it on. Edited April 8, 2015 by TimR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 And here is a photograph of paint drying..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Don't most folk just pinch power leads from work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Although kettle leads are rarely made from HOFR cable..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1428489604' post='2741697'] ...you might need a 13A one with a 10A fuse depending on your amp power and whether it has a 'soft start'. There's a grey area between 300w and 500w amps as to whether the manufacturer fits a soft start. Essentially you could have a 500w amp that randomly blows 5A fuses when you turn it on. [/quote] I had a 500W Warwick ProFet which randomly blew 5A fuses when I turned it on. Changing to a 10A fuse sorted the problem. My GB Fusion lead came fitted with a 10A fuse. Presumably Bob knows what he's doing. Edited April 8, 2015 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Make sure the fuses are ASTA marked too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='Number6' timestamp='1428491808' post='2741721'] Make sure the fuses are ASTA marked too... [/quote] The American Society of Travel Agents?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1428491952' post='2741724'] The American Society of Travel Agents?? [/quote] Yep.....the only way you can be sure! 😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Do yourself a favour - get a NOS Bakelite plug....tone for miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I'm a little surprised by some of the figures quoted on here, as all my amps have run on a 5A fuse to date (though I should probably double-check that on my newer Ashdown...). I suppose if the cable can handle a higher current than the 5A (or 10A) your amp draws, that's no bad thing, but consider changing the fuse for the correct current - I'd be wary of running a 5A amp off a 13A fuse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeponehandloose Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Thomann now seem to be sending a Uk mains kettle lead with orders , free of charge.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 True kettle leads have a cable rated to handle a 13A load and can therefore be used with a 13A fuse. The leads we generally get with amps are rated to handle a 6A load. Sticking 13A fuses in them is not a great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1428493791' post='2741743'] The leads we generally get with amps are rated to handle a 6A load. [/quote] I thought it was a 10A load? And the plug fuse is to protect the lead - the internal amp fuses are to protect the amp. Or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfretrock Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1428494028' post='2741746'] I thought it was a 10A load? And the plug fuse is to protect the lead - the internal amp fuses are to protect the amp. Or something. [/quote] Yes you're right. The current rating of the lead should be moulded into the connector and it is usually 10A for IEC. Not seen a kettle with a connector for about 20 years, what are you lot using to make tea? Gold plated fuses (gold being a heavy metal) are best for metal. But don't tell the audiophiles, they have enough problems with oxygen free cables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 French (nor other countries...) electrical leads don't have fuses in them. The apparatus is protected by its own fuse, the building wiring is protected by the circuit breaker in the distribution box (normally 16A, plus a differential, of course...). I don't see what a seperate fuse in the plug is useful for, really. Just sayin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1428494028' post='2741746'] I thought it was a 10A load? And the plug fuse is to protect the lead - the internal amp fuses are to protect the amp. Or something. [/quote] Some of them handle 10A, some only handle 5A - bit of a bodged solution IMO. The only 13A IEC lead I own is for a wallpaper steamer, so their use in our industry is pretty sparse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Foot Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) I thought ... Edited April 8, 2015 by Left Foot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1428495356' post='2741763'] French (nor other countries...) electrical leads don't have fuses in them. The apparatus is protected by its own fuse, the building wiring is protected by the circuit breaker in the distribution box (normally 16A, plus a differential, of course...). I don't see what a seperate fuse in the plug is useful for, really. Just sayin'. [/quote] It provides discrimination. It's more convenient to blow a plug fuse rather than trip the entire ring main supplying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Never buy a kettle lead until you have used the adiabatic equation S=I2 t/k to calculate protective conductor sizing. Also take into account diversity, hysteresis losses and harmonics and any eddy currents..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1428496157' post='2741779'] It provides discrimination. It's more convenient to blow a plug fuse rather than trip the entire ring main supplying it. [/quote] That's probably reasonable if a 13A fuse blows before the tripping of a 16A circuit breaker. I'm not that much of an expert, but from what I see published as performance figures, it would seem that a modern CB would trip much faster than a fuse. Depending on the overload, a fuse can hold up for up to an hour before melting. Under those same conditions, a CB would last only a few minutes. For outright short-circuits, too, the CB wins each time.Fuses are a rather clumsy method, after all (which is why CB's were developed and adopted for domestic protection...). I'd be more convinced if there was a CB in the plug, rather than a fuse, but that would be too expensive, I suppose. Still, as long as Albion has its citizens protection at heart, all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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