How to use 15 amp cooker with 10 amp power point?

[ms4807]

Hi there,

I have a cooker which is 15 amp, just wondering how I can use it safely at home with 10amp plug?

Is there any adapter, convertor or RCD that would let me safely do it?

Cheers,

Morty

[JacobZ]

Hi Morty (@ms4807),

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

Typically, electric ovens will have a dedicated 15A plug for their use and you can get dual 15A power points like this DETA 15 Amp Solid Plate Double Power Point, so if you have an electric oven, it might be worth checking behind it to see if one is available.

Otherwise, you can use an Ampfibian 15A To 10A Micro Compact Power Adaptor to adapt down from a 15A plug to a 10A powerpoint.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[ms4807]

Thanks Jacob, the second solution looks perfect.

Cheers,

[Noyade]

Hi @ms4807 and @JacobZ 

"just wondering how I can use it safely at home with 10amp plug?"

Electrician I am not - but I thought if your appliance requires a 15 amp supply, you cannot or should not attempt to connect it to a 10 amp supply?

I thought it was all to do with the copper wiring cross-sectional area in your home?

[Noyade]

I should add to this belief. We were thinking of a new stove and air-conditioner - but the electrician told us that being 15 amp appliances he would have to run dedicated 15 amp wiring to each, back to the fuse box. We couldn't use the 'current' wiring in the house as it was 10 amp.

Is this because the appliances can consume power greater than 2400 watts?

Just curious.

[JacobZ]

Hi @Noyade,

I was under the same impression before looking into this question. 

I wasn't previously aware of them, but the Ampfibian 15A To 10A Micro Compact Power Adaptor looks like a good product. It was designed for this specific purpose, includes safety features such as overload protection in the form of a breaker switch and RCD and complies with all relevant standards.

I am certainly not an electrician either, but the product seems good and with the warranty and safety features, I'd be inclined to trust it.

I will mention that the instructions state it must be connected directly to a power point and that it should not be used as a permanent solution, for example with things like an oven. If the usage is sporadic, it is a good option, but for things that will be used every single day, a dedicated 15A plug should be installed.

Jacob

[Noyade]

Thanks Jacob.

To me, it's just a portable RCD device that will 'stop' people configuring 15 amp cord male ends into a 10 amp male end or filing down the 15 amp earth plug.

Which of course is a good thing.

But at the end of the day, if Mort's "cooker" drags more than 2400 watts (10 amps) - this thing will trip every single time.

Is that how you see it?

I guess feedback from Mort would be good. 😁

[Spud_Mc_Fuddy]

It is not something I would recommend. A 10 amp circuit should have a 10 amp fuse so you would likely find you would trip a breaker or blow a fuse of you used your oven fully. Worst case scenario would be a house fire in an older home and if it was due to this, you may find an insurance claim would be denied. It's not much work for a sparky to replace or add a 15 amp breaker and pull a heavier wire through. Certainly cheaper than having to replace your house. We have a heater at home which obviously has thin cable or terminals not up to the job. The plug got hot, as did the wire when it was used on full power.

[Noyade]

G'day Spud @Spud_Mc_Fuddy 

My house fuse box wiring is 16A RCDs. Is that standard?

To me - if Morty got an electrician to change his cooker plug to a 10A one - he is more likely going to have better success in operating it than going through that 10A portable RCD?

No?

[ms4807]

Hi all,

To clarify this cooker is actually an steam cooker that I want to use in a food truck. There is a chance that I get 15Amp supply in the events but wanted to find an alternative just in case. I am going to do either this solution or anything else starting from next month.