Hey folks this seems cheap only $1 for this Arlec double adapter usually it is $1.65.
Plug 4 into each other to get a 5 socket power board :P
Last time i payed about $3.50 for a double adapter i didn't see this one at Bunnings i went fancy bought a HPM.
"fancy HPM" lol
Happy Power Management
It's the fanciest
Sweet I'll buy 3 and join them together then I got a cheap 4 adapter ;)
And because they're Aussie approved, you don't need to worry about burning your house down or voiding your insurance, unlike some of those dodgy imported power boards that feature on OzBargain from time to time.
And because they're Aussie approved, you don't need to worry about burning your house down or voiding your insurance …..
Oh, I think you still need to be worried about burning your house down. These things are not a good alternative to a quality powerboard. There's two power cords connected to them, either of which can rock the adapter and cause the integrity of the connection to the powerpoint to be compromised.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Well this is sad, you've got a stack of upvotes for this and I have no idea what it means :)
Don't know if it's still the case, but some insurance policies would be void if you used a double adaptor
That's correct. My home insurance policy explicitly states that it's void if I use electricity.
Since when?
Can you find one insurance company that does this?
Whooooosh
Bunnings does sell an Arlec 4-outlet powerboard with overload protection for like $2.49… Just saying, probably cheaper than 3 of these and safer(for a $2.49 powerboard).
Great value that's $9 for 10 plug adaptor.
"Plug 4 into each other"
Coming up, how to extend ladders :-p
Brought to you by Molly Meldrum
The ladder thing, or "plug 4 into each other"?
Human centipede?
https://www.tradesmenontime.com.au/double-adaptor-dangers/
I'll just leave that here. The true bargain is the new house/contents for your insurance +$1
Everything else is dangerous. Just hire us to add more powerpoints. Yeah no conflict of interest there at all.
Find me a loungeroom where there is no double adapter or powerboard. I'll wait.
I've noticed that you finish a lot of your paragraphs with "I'll wait."
He’s a patient man
Glad you're such a big fan.
Can't wait to read the comeback. I'll wait.
;-)
You should read some of the rubbish they post on this site.
Go on, have a read, I'll wait.
I personally like to connect 2 uncertified Xiomi Power boards into double adapters.
Are Double Adaptors Safe?
Yes.
If they were not they couldnt be sold.
Lets keep reading
Double adaptors don’t have any type of overload protection built in
Neither do power points.
They both rely on the circuit overload protection
The sloping side design of many double adapters means that it is easy for leads to become partially dislodged, exposing a part of the live pins.
That was an issue with all appliances.
That is why we now have AS/NZS 3112: 2000 which requires all plugs to have insulated pins.
Every time you piggy-back a double adaptor you are increasing the risk of fire and creating overloaded circuits.
Circuits have overload breakers
When you pull the double adapter from the socket, it is easy to grab the live pins with the socket, increasing your risk of electrocution.
That was an issue with all appliances.
That is why we now have AS/NZS 3112: 2000 which requires all plugs to have insulated pins.
Double adaptors are considered such a risk that they are banned from Victorian building sites under mandatory safety standards.
The tools used on building sites generally operate at a high current (power tools etc) where one tool can draw the maximum current that a circuit can supply.
There are also other factors unique to building sites that are not seen in homes. Like heavy objects falling on them which could break open the plastic case and expose live wiring.
Many Double Adaptors Have Been Recalled
Lots of products have been recalled and people dont know about it
The problem is that double adaptors tend to sit in cupboards for years, which means that people may not be aware of the danger or that they have been recalled. This is such an issue that the ACCC issued a warning to people to check all double adaptors and power boards against their recall list.
This is a pointless statement. All appliances sit around and unless people check to see if they are recalled then they will not know.
If you have double adapters in your house, throw them away today and replace them with a quality power board
But they might be dangerous too because the ACCC issued a warning to people to check all double adaptors and power boards against their recall list.
We can install 4 gang power points in place of most existing power points
There is is, the reason for that whole article. They want to scare you so that you get them to install power points.
Converting a single outlet power point to a 4 outlet power point is no different to using double adaptors or a power board.
The wiring is still the same and like a double adaptor a power point has no built overload protection.
If you were to use a power board instead then you would have overload protection built into the power board and also be protected by the circuit overload protection that you get by using a power point or double adaptor.
underrated comment ;)
"This article exposed, you won't believe the shocking truth" ;)
Well said.
Thanks :)
Every time you piggy-back a double adaptor you are increasing the risk of fire and creating overloaded circuits.
Circuits have overload breakers
What about the fire bit? I don't think that was relating to overloading, more about bad connectivity.
The article said "Every time you piggy-back a double adaptor you are increasing the risk of fire and creating overloaded circuits."
Electrical circuits have overload breakers so that you do not overload them.
Circuit breakers are there to stop the wiring in your walls form overheating which can then cause a fire.
Their statement there has nothing to do with bad connectivity of a double adapter.
You are wrong on this. Completely wrong.
More sockets = more electronics. You can't put 3x900W cooker/blow dryer/kettle etc on one power point, but you can with 2x double adaptor, that's increasing the risk of both fire and overloaded circuits. 2700W (or even 3x1100W) won't necessarily trigger any protection in this case. The "circuit" here includes the "base" double adapter.
If you are using a quality powerboard, this will trigger the fuse. Yes you still can't use all of them at once, but it's protection the wires from overheating, and you don't have to unplug everything when you are done with one.
You are wrong on this. Completely wrong.
How?
It is true that
Electrical circuits have overload breakers so that you do not overload them.
and
Circuit breakers are there to stop the wiring in your walls form overheating which can then cause a fire.
Because that is why circuit breakers are there!
You can't put 3x900W cooker/blow dryer/kettle etc on one power point, but you can with 2x double adaptor,
I never said you could or that you should
that's increasing the risk of both fire and overloaded circuits
Wrong.
It is increasing the risk of an overloaded power point. The circuit will be fine and is protected by the circuit breaker.
The "circuit" here includes the "base" double adapter.
To say that means the GPO is part of the entire circuit, which means that a circuit cannot exceed 10 amps. Which is not how circuits in houses are built.
If you are using a quality powerboard, this will trigger the fuse
Not just a quality powerboard but an Australian compliant one. It is illegal to sell one in Australia without overload protection.
It is there to protect the power point, not the circuit
but it's protection the wires from overheating
That is why circuits have circuit breakers.
Their statement there has nothing to do with bad connectivity of a double adapter.
Really? What about this bit?
Every time you piggy-back a double adaptor you are increasing the risk of fire ……..
Bad connectivity can mean arcing, heating, etc with the degree relative to the connected load. Maybe the statement refers to the extra load that can result from being able to plug in more devices, but I think the risk is also there because of the chance that the double adapters come loose easier and therefore have a higher risk of bad connectivity.
Out of interest, how does a 20 amp circuit breaker in you power board stop you trying to draw 18 amps through a single 10 amp power point and double adapter (or power board)?
@spaceflight:
I give up. You simply don't understand physics. An electrical circuit is a network consisting of a closed loop, giving a return path for the current. That INCLUDES any "power point", adaptors, wires and electrical equipments.
Without a closed loop the circuit-breaker is useless. You are confusing the wiring with circuit, it's only PART of the circuit.
As I said before, a double adapter makes overloading the circuit - wiring and socket - easily possible, you just need 2*2000W resistive device.
And even (after removing other parts of a circuits as risk) operating at 16A is NOT SAFE especially where there is a contact point, and there are at least 4 attached to the wires in the wall. Heat builds up in the wall, in case you are too ignorant to know, and higher temp = higher resistance, guess what, that = more heat. That's increased risk regardless of what you think.
"Safety" is always a relative term. 16A is ALWAYS riskier than 10A over the same wire regardless of what the maximum allowed current is, the difference is whether or not the risk falls in "acceptable" category - an arbitrary value.
@jdr:
Bad connectivity can mean arcing, heating, etc with the degree relative to the connected load.
Yes it can. It can happen on any device and any power point.
Out of interest, how does a 20 amp circuit breaker in you power board stop you trying to draw 18 amps through a single 10 amp power point and double adapter (or power board)?
If you have a 20 amp circuit breaker in your power board you have a non compliant power board so that would be your first problem.
If you have a compliant power board it will have a 10 amp circuit breaker built in which will prevent you drawing 18 amps from a 10 amp power point.
An electrical circuit is a network consisting of a closed loop, giving a return path for the current.
That is a single closed loop electric circuit, yes.
That INCLUDES any "power point", adaptors, wires and electrical equipments.
You are confusing the wiring with circuit, it's only PART of the circuit.
In a house an electric circuit consists of many power points. A typical circuit in a house is not some wiring and one power point.
The entire circuit of power points is protected by a circuit breaker.
I know what you are saying but a circuit when used in the situation of wiring in a hose is not a single power point setup.
I said before, a double adapter makes overloading the circuit - wiring and socket - easily possible
It makes overloading the single power point possible, not the entire circuit and internal wiring.
operating at 16A is NOT SAFE especially where there is a contact point, and there are at least 4 attached to the wires in the wall.
Yes it is. On an electrical circuit and power point designed for 16 amps
If you have an electric oven it will probably have a power point rated for more than 16 amps and operate as safe as your kettle.
Heat builds up in the wall, in case you are too ignorant to know, and higher temp = higher resistance, guess what, that = more heat. That's increased risk regardless of what you think.
No need for personal attacks!
Heat doesn't build up in the wall. It builds up in the wire. The wall is not part of the electrical circuit and has no electrical conductivity.
That is why circuits are protected by a circuit breaker with a protection current that is lower than the wiring is designed to carry. It will shut the current off before the wiring can get too hot.
If you have a 20 amp circuit breaker in your power board you have a non compliant power board so that would be your first problem.
Just to clarify, by power board, I really meant to say distribution panel where all to power and lighting circuit breakers live.
Car to have another try at answering?
@jdr:
It doesnt, and it is not designed to protect a single outlet.
You should not draw more than 10 amps through a single outlet. Double adaptors tell you this.
It is no different to people grinding down 15 amp power plugs to use them in 10 amp sockets.
You should not do either.
Maximum pwnage!
I will admit to owning just one of these type of things.
The rest I use at home are quality Xiaomi, or other better quality powerboards.
I have tried to get rid of older powerboards and try to minimise the use of anything where any signs of age or damage or dicky safety switches etc.,
I guess I am careful with overloading power outlets near the microwave or refrigerator or any other area with a high current/voltage draw.
I do understand what people are saying about electricians wanting more work and promoting their interests.
But I am still uncomfortable with the design of these.
The problem with double adaptors are that they have no internal current limiting/protection.
All appliances that plug into Australian standard power points are designed to not draw more than 10amps and therefore the power point itself is designed for that 10amp maximum. If you plug in a double adaptor (or a powerboard with no protection), then you are able to draw 20 amps for that plug, which could overheat the plug and result in a fire.
Circuit protection is about protecting the wires in the wall, not the plug. There are multiple powerpoints all on the same circuit and the circuit breaker is just protecting the wires from overheating when multiple powerpoints are drawing simultaneously.
tl;dr
The socket has a rated maximum current that can be easily exceeded by a double adaptor or unprotected powerboard. This is below the current rating of the wiring in your wall which are protected by a circuit breaker (sockets are not).
Overload protection does exist in double adaptors but it isnt very common
http://www.anyware.com.au/pb2sug.html
But you are correct and double adaptors do state 10 amp maximum for this reason.
Like any warning if people ignore it then bad things can happen.
It is just like grinding down a 15 amp plug to fit into a 10 amp socket
Your statement that "then you are able to draw 20 amps for that plug" is just plain wrong.
You can only pull as much power through a circuit as the fuse or breaker will allow. If you try to draw more than 10 amps on the whole circuit then you will trip the breaker or blow the fuse. The fuse/breaker protects the whole circuit, including wiring and sockets. It doesn't matter whether you try to pull that power through one socket or multiple.
You may argue that you are more likely to do this with a double adapter, but it is no different to plugging into a different socket on the same circuit. And it is no more dangerous.
Your statement that "then you are able to draw 20 amps for that plug" is just plain wrong.
It is correct.
If you plug 2x 10amp devices into a double adapter then you can potentially draw 20 amps from an outlet without tripping a breaker.
This can happen if the circuit is protected by a 32 or 40 amp breaker.
If you try to draw more than 10 amps on the whole circuit then you will trip the breaker or blow the fuse.
That isnt how circuits are designed.
The maximum a single outlet is designed for is 10 amp but you can have many outlets on a circuit so circuits are designed to provide more than 10 amps.
Your kettle and microwave might be on the same circuit and even though your kettle draws 10 amps you can use your microwave at the same time.
A circuit might be protected by a 16 amp breaker meaning that all appliances on that breaker can draw up to 16 amps
Your kettle and microwave might draw a total of 14 amps so the circuit breaker will not trip.
It doesn't matter whether you try to pull that power through one socket or multiple.
It matters a lot.
100 amps through a single outlet is not going end well.
100 amps provided by 10x outlets on a circuit designed for 100 amps is fine.
but it is no different to plugging into a different socket on the same circuit
It is very different.
Outlets have a maximum rating of 10 amps, circuits do not.
A circuit might be wired with internal wiring that is rated for 18 amps.
But for safety you do not want to allow the full 18 amps because replacing internal wiring is hard and if it fails can cause a fire.
To keep things safe a circuit with wiring rated for 18 amps is protected by a 16 amp breaker meaning the circuit can supply 16 amps across all outlets on that circuit
I wish that were true at my place, I try and use the kettle and microwave together often and trip the fuse at the mains. It's old school too, I have to replace the fuse wire manually every time this happens.
It does depend on how your wiring was done and how much current each of those draws. And the you are using the correct rated fuse wire.
If it happens regularly you can get breakers that replace the old fuses
https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-16-amp-plug-in-circuit-break…
Power board is $2 at Bunnings too
One of my best friends is a Forensics Engineer - he gets brought in to look at things like fires etc, e.g. are they real, insurance scams etc. I've the same training but he actually works this area for a living.
One of his most common observation is that electrical fires stem from screw connections that work loose over time, cause arcing, and then potential fire. Mainly in his opinion it's due to shoddy workmanship originally in that the connections were a) never done up tight enough in the first place, or b) the wires weren't stripped correctly such that only a small percentage of the actual copper is making contact with said connector. Note, in these cases you will not necessarily trigger any safety device be it fuse/rcd/circuit breaker etc.
He has some concerns about power boards and 2-way adaptors but the above is the root cause in his experience, no matter how it's connected. Light fittings are particularly common apparently as often the bulb/globe producing quite a lot of heat very close to a physical wired connection.
Correct me if I'm wrong. But is overloading of a powerboard still a common problem?
I would have thought with today's newer, more efficient technology like LED Christmas lights, LED backlit TVs etc. The power hungry devices are not there to draw up the amps, which is where the heat in the cables causes the fire risk?
You forgot plenty of other appliances like heaters, kettles, and power tools. The appliances you mention were never that high energy usage (relatively high and inefficient, but not in the kilowatt range)
Yea fair enough. I was thinking more tv rooms etc.
Bought one of these less than 6 months ago and the inner spring or whatever mechanism it is for holding in whatever you plug in has already worn out. Highly unacceptable especially because I pull out and plug in cords infrequently. Would not recommend.
There are no springs, the contact is made because the metal is bent so that the gap is smaller than the width of a power plug pin.
I can't find a great image but you can see in the bottom of this https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Dual_3_P…
If you are using cheap/imported devices they sometimes save money by making the pins thinner than they should be which means the plug falls out easily.
Thanks for the lesson, learn something new every day!
The pins were working fine for the device I had plugged in, I even tried multiple other branded devices with a good rep and they kept slipping out also. There is the possibility I just got unlucky though.
That's okay, I dont know why people are negging you though!
It's a valid safety concern
Sounds like you got unlucky.
Or maybe the opposite of what I said, maybe something had thicker pins than it should have which has caused the metal in the double adaptor to have a wider gap than it should.
Thinner was my first though as I recently got one of those free/included pin converters that Chinese sellers include with electrical things and the pins are too thin to stay in.
If i put them in a power board and turn it over the converter falls out under its own weight!
Likely find if you opened it up that the metal has broken at the bend, not all the way through but enough that it doesn't have enough tension to hold on to the pin.
Those adapters the Chinese include are definitely a hazard. They are really Chinese plugs, not Aus, hence the thinner pins and no insulation. I've heard them arcing in the socket if you gave it a tap.
That's okay, I dont know why people are negging you though!
I do not know why either but upvotes for everyone!
The same happened here. I hardly used my adapter.
The company I work for (multinational) actually have the usage of double adapters listed as banned within the companies Safety policies. Essentially it's against company policy to use double adapters within any branch/office.
These are crap, cheap plastic deteriorates super quick and then the power cords will start falling out. Crap at 1.65 and just as crap at 1.
firestarter 🔥
I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated
Twisted firestarter
why not stick 10 into each other, make some popcorn then watch the house go up in flames..
I got one of these a while ago and it broke the first time I used it.
Return it?
I should have. It had an annoying triangle shaped security screw which a flat-head driver could pop open and I managed to somewhat fix it.
Do these have the safety tick? As per standards here
http://m.austest.com.au/site/austest3/au-nz-approvals?url=ht…
Excellent price! I'll look out for these.