15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

[whitie8000@hotmail]

Hey,

Recently I was checking out a Mobile Coffee Caravan, and they have a short 1Metre Cord 15amps plugged into the caravan inlet plug which then plugged into a 10amp extension cord which then went into mains power. Is this possible and safe?

I was lead to believe this wasnt possible, as the 15amp coffee machine would be pulling too much power and blowing the circuits.

If this cord is possible, where do I buy them from, and how do they work?

[Randy_G.]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

These sorts of adapters are available at every RV store in the US. I carry a few in my motorhome. Some work to adapt 50 amp outlets to 30 amp cords or thirty amp outlets to 15 amp cords. For example, when parked at home I run a heavy-duty extension cord to the motorhome from the garage and use an adapter to be able to plug the thirty amp cord of the motorhome into the 15 amp extension cord to keep the batteries charged.  

But just because you can does not mean you should. If the machine they are running plus whatever other electrical equipment in the caravan totals more than 10 amps then running all that on a cord rated at ten amps is not a good idea. I would venture a guess that if you had grabbed the cord, particularly near the ends, it would have been warm. On its own it probably would not blow the circuit, but it could melt the cord or cause arcing in the plug/socket connection which could cause resistance, heat, and then fire, and possibly a shock hazard. With as strict as the electrical codes there seem to be (from what I gather from reading this site) I would think they would be more careful.  

[fivegallon]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

These sorts of adapters are available at every RV store in the US. I carry a few in my motorhome. Some work to adapt 50 amp outlets to 30 amp cords or thirty amp outlets to 15 amp cords. For example, when parked at home I run a heavy-duty extension cord to the motorhome from the garage and use an adapter to be able to plug the thirty amp cord of the motorhome into the 15 amp extension cord to keep the batteries charged.  

But just because you can does not mean you should. If the machine they are running plus whatever other electrical equipment in the caravan totals more than 10 amps then running all that on a cord rated at ten amps is not a good idea. I would venture a guess that if you had grabbed the cord, particularly near the ends, it would have been warm. On its own it probably would not blow the circuit, but it could melt the cord or cause arcing in the plug/socket connection which could cause resistance, heat, and then fire, and possibly a shock hazard. With as strict as the electrical codes there seem to be (from what I gather from reading this site) I would think they would be more careful.  

Using these sort of adapters is a great way to start a fire. Theres a reason some cables/plugs are rated at 50amps and why others are rated at 30amps.. or whatever the rating may be.
As Randy says - "just because you can, doesnt mean you should"

[bassway]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

The standard hard wire to an outlet plug in Australia is rated at 16 amp. So it is possible but how do you know what the circuit is rated at and if the wire supplying the plug isnt the older rubber style. Also if it is a double plug and someone comes along when you arent looking and uses the other plug you will be drawing more power than the wire/circuit is rated at.

The cable doesnt work any different. It is just the rating. The 10amp is rated to safely work at 10 amp. You could change the 15amp plug to a 10amp plug. But any downgrade change is more dangerous and could lead to a fire.

My advise, forget all the info I just told you. A little knowledge is dangerous. If your machine uses 15amp, use a 15amp cable into a 15amp socket.

[beanflying]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

While it is really dangerous it was fairly common with Caravans that had 15A inlets while some Caravan Parks had 10A outlet boards. Either that or it was common to file down a 15A earth pin so it would fit either  

Pic below is of a 10A plug fitted to a 2 group machine I now own. The plastic on the plug has melted.

DONT DO IT !

[maheel]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

it was common to file down a 15A earth pin so it would fit either  

DONT DO IT !

was thinking this but thought better not type it.....

the silly part is you can rock down to the hardware shop and buy all you need to do plenty of dodgy wiring no questions asked...

[Andy]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

Nah, you dont need the 15amp to 10amp adaptor, you can do the same thing with a bent fork and a coathanger.

:

Seriously though... Drawing more power through a lead than it is rated for turns it into a heating element.  The chance of you turning the 10amp into a molten mess is pretty high, worse if it happens in the wall cavity where you cannot see it until the fire brigade appear.

JUST DONT DO IT

[whitie8000@hotmail]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

Wow, thanks for the visual image, would hate to think what can happen in the walls, were insultation and gord knows what other flammable items are there.

So is there anyway to use my 15amp Expobar off a 10amp plug for a couple of hours, under little to no stress. Am I able to disconnect an element to make this work?

[beanflying]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

It will depend on the element but a lot of the modern elements have 3 legs so it might be fine.

My Z9 for example (plug above) was wired to 3500W or about 15A back through 10A rated cable and plug top and worse still plugged into a double adaptor  >

With one leg of the three disabled it will just come in just under 10A and if it finishes up on the kitchen bench it will be fine. As indicated above domestic circuits are higher than 10A total.

Minor consideration (in your case not mine) then is if you plug in a grinder, pump, lights fridge etc. on the same circuit as it puts you back over the 10A mark again intermittently.  Biggest problem you will face is keeping up if you get a bit busy especially with two operators.

So certainly far from ideal to run it off a single 10A lead but if you "have to" get a 15A one and change the plugs to limit the voltage losses in the lead at least.

Prattling right along my 3grp Izzo has been detuned back from 4500W to 3000W to run off a 15A outlet and the rest of the gear is fed by a seperate 10A circuit and lead. Both leads are 20M runs but both are rated for the job. It keeps up fine with 2 users but it has a HUGE boiler

[whitie8000@hotmail]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

Thanks heaps for this information! When I say little to no stress I mean, stupid me put my hand up to make espresso for my family, occassion birthday party. I wont even do 20 coffees I dare say.

Just un-plugging an element, is it as easy as un-plugging one of the cords that are connected to the boiler elements? Tried to put a picture up but bloody technology has let me down. The Expobar has Four wires going into the boiler element, which one do I dis-connect?

[A_M]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

Thanks heaps for this information! When I say little to no stress I mean, stupid me put my hand up to make espresso for my family, occassion birthday party. I wont even do 20 coffees I dare say.

Just un-plugging an element, is it as easy as un-plugging one of the cords that are connected to the boiler elements? Tried to put a picture up but bloody technology has let me down. The Expobar has Four wires going into the boiler element, which one do I dis-connect?

Get an electrician in and do it right...

Any thing else is just plain risky and dangerous...  

(It is all related to safe working practices and knowledge of said systems and electrical supply - you sound like you light on in both - so get a Qualified person)

[whitie8000@hotmail]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

If I need an electrician to do it, I dont think I will bother, as I would like to keep the Expobar as a dedicated 15amp for my future plans, I thought it was just removing one of the wires which would have dropped the watts down and simpliy re-connecting the wire to have it back to 15amps, oviously not!

Thanks for all the advice!

[A_M]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

If I need an electrician to do it, I dont think I will bother, as I would like to keep the Expobar as a dedicated 15amp for my future plans, I thought it was just removing one of the wires which would have dropped the watts down and simpliy re-connecting the wire to have it back to 15amps, oviously not!

Thanks for all the advice!

It can be that simple but if done incorrectly you could cause major problems.. Or even kill your self or some one else.

[whitie8000@hotmail]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

Whats Involved?

[beanflying]

Re: 15amp Plug Adapter to 10amp

Temporarily ignoring safety concerns you have a 2 leg (not 3) element so dropping the power will be by half. This will be ok for home use or a small gathering and will get you around the 10A thing easily. Boiler recovery time and initial heatup will be really slow.

As a suggestion for you spend the $$ and pay to get it done correctly and have an appropriate key switch (or similar) added to the machine to switch in or out the extra element without having to pop the top each time you want to run at home etc.