Two appliances on a single electrical socket

HI,

My dishwasher spec says Anschlussleistung: 1930 W. The plug coming along with it is a normal plug which fits into the round sockets.

The problem in my kitchen is I only have one round socket and it is already occupied by the washmachine, so I dont know what to do?

Can I put an extension thing to the available one socket and then connect the dishwasher and washmachine both to the extension chord (like we do it for a computer monitor,tower, speakers, modem all connceted to one extension box).

At least I want to connect only 2 to the extension and not any more. Can it sustain it. Does any one have any idea? Pls, can you tell me what is the normal power rating of the German household plug sockets?

regards

The instructions for my dishwasher said you shouldn't plug it into an extension cable, but I did anyway, with my freezer on the same one. Both have worked fine for nearly 2 years now.

Normal power rating is 16 Amps.

That's quite a bit - 16*220 = 3520 Watts. However, your washing machine will also use a lot of power when it's heating water, so I would be wary about running both at the same time off one socket.

Mal, a freezer probably isn't using as much power as a washing machine.

As far as I know, german plug sockets are rated 230V 16A. If your dishwasher is rated 2kW it will draw around 8.7A meaning your washing machine may draw no more than 16 - 8.7 = 7.3A (and preferably a bit less, say 7A or under, to be safe and so it doesn't trip your breakers if there's a voltage spike in the supply). 7A at 230V equates to around 1.6kW.

Or you could just not switch the washing machine on when the dishwasher is running and vice-versa.

Thnaks Malcom,

The spec says this
• Connection voltage: 230V~
• Connection power: 1930 W

But does not restrict to use any extension cable.

But I read something interesting here

http://www.diydata.com/planning/ring_main/ring_main.php

Which basically says, adding extension will not hurt if it complies to number of extensions in a ring and also the extension cord should be as strong as the ring circuit one.

So each socket can support a max of 3000 watt is what it says. But sadly it is in the UK and I dont know if it is the same here in Germany.

Thanks all, I missed the last 2 posts before I replied. Any way I will buy an extension chord with a internal fuse (which costs a bit more than the normal ) and then connect the 2 devices. So by mistake if the 2 devices are switched on, instead of overheating the cable or corrupting the devices it will trip off.

So is it better to trip off in the central circuit or at the extension chord level. (At extension chord level, if at all it trips off then I have to remove the dishwasher to reset it again, as this will be behind the dishwasher, somewere in the dark)

Find out the power rating of your washing machine as well. The largest machines seem to have a max rating of 1.3KW so your 16A socket will be OK to accommodate both, just make sure your extension lead is up to the job.

OK, my washmachine saya it needs 2300 Watts.

So 1930 + 2300 is the total, if I use both the same time.

Then don't use them both at the same time

ok, thats the only solution I think.

But any way I dont understand one logic. See the sockets given out in a room are connected to a line which is a circuit. So if there is one outlet or ten out lets they are given to the same circuit. So lets assume there was an extra socket it should have been connected to the same circuit which is the same as an extension box. so theoretically it makes no difference.

And astonishingly on my extension box, there are three sockets provided and three of them have a reading 16A, which basically means I can connect 3, but on the back of it it is written 16A, which also means max 16 amps irrespective of how many sockets are used. Some how not clear.

I hope there are some electrical engineers or knowledgeable people out there. [I myself had studied Electronics Engineering, 4yrs with many circuits and stuff, I am glad that I am into software]

Of course its easy to consult an electrician, but I thought this would be useful to all the TT'ers.

regards

If all the sockets in the room (or several rooms) are connected to the same breaker, then yes - you need to consider all the equipment that you have plugged in there, and you may already be close to the 3600W limit.

What's the circuit breaker rated at? It's probably 16A, in which case I probably wouldn't bother getting a powerboard with a fuse or circuit breaker on it. As you stated, it'll be hard to get to. And the circuit-breaker in your fusebox will probably still blow first if your fridge is also on the circuit, and you'll still lose power to the fridge.

But electricians will often run extra circuits to locations where they expect washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and stoves to be placed, because they know that these devices need more power. So you need to check that.

Your powerboard has a 16A limit. That applies to the plug, to each of the sockets, and to the board itself. None of these components should exceed the 16A limit. Plugging in 3 devices that need 5A is ok (the plug is carrying 15A). Plugging in devices that need 15A, 0.5A, and 0.5A is okay (the plug is carrying 16A).

But plugging in two devices that need 10A is a problem - you're loading the plug (and the cable, the wall socket, and your wiring) to 20A. Assuming that both devices are drawing their rated power at the same time, that is.

Your options are:
- don't run both at the same time.
- have an electrician put in a new socket on a new circuit.
- run an extension cable from elsewhere in the house (on a not-so-loaded circuit) for the other device.

The last option might be the simplest. If your washing machine is on a separate circuit, you might be able to share the fridge's circuit with the dish-washer without any hassles.

We had a similar problem when we wanted a dishwasher in our previous home. In the end the electrician connected it to the supply for the cooker and we couldn't run the two simultaneously.

OK, I used the extension box and connected both the dishwasher and washing machine and tested them (not at the same time) and works perfectly.

So, I can live with not using the 2 machines at the same time.

Thanks all of you, for your valuable posts.

regards