Re: Can you plug a 10 Amp cord into a 15 Amp socket?

The Bunnings Workshop community can help with your home improvement projects.

Can you plug a 10 Amp device into a 15 Amp socket?

Do ready made adapter allowing you to plug a 10amp cord into a 15amp socket exist? I do know in most cases a 10amp plug will work fine in a 15 amp socket but my double 15amp outlet is safety shuttered and the smaller earth pin on a 10 amp plug does not always open the shutter on the 15amp earth socket pin without some wobbling it about and therefore I suspect/worry that when I do, the earth contact is probably not as good as it could or should be. I don't want to swap the leads on the 10amp devices to a 15amp ones as that would prevent their normal use on a 10 amp outlet. I could I guess make an adapter myself by attaching a 15amp plug to a 10amp extension lead or just making a very short lead with a 10amp socket at one end and a 15 amp plug at the other end but I would have thought there might be more elegant ready made solution around.

Perhaps it's something to do with the issue discussed here https://trailersailerplace.com.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=5800 i.e.

" .... suggests that newer 15 amp outlets (especially commercial ones) have a restrictor built in that stops 10 amp plugs being put into them direct, even though they would otherwise fit. This is to stop people using dodgy cords that they had made that are 15 amp female (to connect to van or boat) and 10 amp plug to plug in at home dodgy style. It appears that many were using these same dodgy cables at a proper 15 amp outlet so everything was 15 amp except for the plug - thereby potential for issues.

It appears that some new 15 amp outlets require the large earth pin of a 15 amp plug to release a cover that otherwise restricts the top diagonal slots."

I raised this topic on a motoring forum and a whole heap of tradies chimed in to tell me about contractor extension cables, boxes and boards that are apparently frequently used on building and construction sites that plug in to a 15 amp socket and have mix of 10 amp and 15 amp outlet sockets on them. Mostly Class H compliant, IP66 rated, fitted with their own circuit breakers and some with an earth screened lead too. None at Bunnings (yet anyway) so I can't post any links but an internet search with the string "Contactors Power Board" or "Contractors Extension Lead" will soon find them.

I emailed the Energy Safety Compliance Team at the WA at Building and Energy WA at be.energy@dmirs.wa.gov.au relaying the advice given from DETA via this site and I was assured that there is no issues at all with plugging a 10 amp plug into into 15 amp socket and it was perfectly safe to do so as basically the circuit is still protected and that a Australian 15A socket is meant to be designed to take both. They also said they were puzzled as to why DETA would produce a 15 amp socket that could not accept a 10 map plug. So this certainly raises some questions about the advice from DETA or perhaps even to what extent their products fully meets Australian standards.

Yes you can safely plug any domestic 10A plug into a 15A socket. It's smaller earth pin will be accepted by the larger one on the 15A outlet. It's this safety system that prevents the other way around. The appliance/tool being your plugging in will only draw what it requires which will be less than 10A/2400W

Hi @aussiblue,

In my understanding (as a qualified electrician/inspector here in NZ (we share the same regs)), you are meant to use 16Amp single phase IEC-309 Blue round pin connectors, using standard extension cords are not allowed, hence why the IEC-309 plug and socket arrangement was mandated in 1998.

On the side of your caravan or whatever, there is meant to be an "appliance inlet" that has pins on it.

Your flexible cord of 15m length should have a Blue 16Amp male plug on it to mate with any caravan park socket, the other end is the Blue 16Amp female cord connector that mates with the appliance inlet that you should have on your caravan.

Using anything other than this is not only non-compliant with the Electricity Regulations, but it is also very dangerous.

The reasoning behind this, was back in the '80's, every man and his dog had a caravan, run the power from his house, if the cord was too short he would make up an extra cord.

Phase transposition (as in phase and earth would get transposed), killed lots of un-suspecting wives and children when they touched the door handle on the caravan, mainly by Dad being colour-blind or not knowing which way the wires should go in either the plug or the socket end (which are different).

Sorry to come across as some sort of a fun-killer, but the only real way to have this right is to get the right equipment that ensures your family's safety,

that is what I am about.

Cheers,

Mike T.

I think you like many others here, have misunderstood completely and not read my posts entirely or properly. I am plugging a 10 amp plug into a 15 amp socket not the other way around and I don't have and have never had a caravan.

So,

What are you trying to do?

Any 10 Ampere male plug should plug into a 15A socket?

They are backwards compatible.

Are you trying to plug a 15A male plug into a 10A socket?, that is NOT going to work, as the Earth pin is larger for the 15A plug.

What are you on about that this has taken this long to sort out?

@MikeTNZ just an FYI its 15A not 16A over here mate and no blue colour coding or any other specific colour on leads or sockets/plugs.

No; I am not trying to plug a 15A male plug into a 10A socket.

Read all the posts in the whole thread and you will know why this thread is so long. There is no one liner to summarize it.

@MitchellMc I find Delta's statement hard to take serious from an electrical supplier that should have engineers onboard.

Under AS3000 wiring rules (the sparky bible) the minimum size protection device that is permissible for a 2.5mm cable which is used for power circuits is 16 amp and most common is 20 amp, now there are other factors and calculations that go into working out which protection device is required which I won't go into due to that is reserved to those that are qualified.

Now typicaly if you have a known 15amp device you run a dedicated circuit with a 15 amp outlet and that is so you don't overload a shared circuit but it is no higher rated than any other general power circuit unless those calculations I mentioned come into play.

So to plug a 10amp into a 15amp circuit bares no effect on the load of the circuit.

But!!!!

To plug a 15 amp into a 10 amp circuit without correct conversion and advisable protection could leave you in hot water. The old file down the earth pin is not acceptable. A 15 amp to 10 amp converter with inline protection starts from $50 and is worth the peace of mind.

The issue with just jamming 15 amp into a 10 amp circuit is you have the potential for overload. Now if that circuit has been calculated correct and the protection is spot on then the worst that will happen is you will trip the circuit.

If the circuit was poorly designed and it's scary how often it is not designed you can run the chance of the protection device not tripping and the cable along the run in a wall or ceiling catching on wire. If the circuit is to long and you have a fault your protection device might not trip and same thing call fireman Sam ( I have seen this).

Now a safety switch will only protect from electrocution not from overloading, shorts that's why you have circuit breakers or combos.

So why shutters on 15amp outlets? I'm not sure I can only speculate it's because there is concern of a chance that with a 10amp earth pin it may not make proper contact. Current will only supply what is required.

Anyways that's Carl's brain fart explosion for the afternoon apologies if you were standing in front of me 😆

I suspect the shutters might really be just there to stop water ingress for their IP 54 water protection. If you look at the specs for an almost identical looking twin 15amp outlet (and probably from the same factory) Voltex outlet on the Voltex site its says: "These high current outlets are rated to 15A, and are shuttered, to ensure maximum protection against the weather". Clipsal similarly say of theirs: "....while integrated shutters seal the power outlet apertures to prevent water ingress, ensuring an IP54 protection rating." While despite extensive "Googling" I can't find any similar claims from either DETA or HPM about there IP rated outdoor 15 amp sockets, ones suspects waterproofing might also be the reason theirs are also shuttered.