South Africa’s new sockets and plugs - All the details

[Hanno Labuschagne]

South Africa’s new sockets and plugs - All the details

The aim of the new plug and socket standards in South Africa is to reduce the number of adapters required in households and businesses.

This is according to South African Bureau of Standards’ (SABS) lead administrator Jodi Scholtz who was speaking to Radio 702 about the new standards.

The SABS has introduced several changes to South Africa’s plug and socket standards to make it safer for consumers.

 

[dabbler]

What is going to happen to the new 3-pin socket when a heater is left plugged into it for a few hours?

 

[Thor]

Tender?

 

[genetic]

What is going to happen to the new 3-pin socket when a heater is left plugged into it for a few hours?

Nothing. They have the same current rating as the existing 3 prong design.

 

[Petec]

Mmmm, a lot of people run the type of heaters that after running a few hours, when you touch the live prong on the plug, it damn near burns you. This is Joule Heating.
That amount of heat in a pin rather than a much thicker prong? There are going to be a lot of issues.

And before you say "Ya, but heaters all have 3 prong plugs..." Yes, you can't do that currently, because the 2 pin plugs don't have an earth, and the DB will trip. But with the standardization of the 3 pin plugs/sockets, people are going to be cutting off the 3 prong plugs and replacing them with 3 pin plugs the second they figure out they now have this new option.

Now add kettles, toasters, portable stoves, aircons, etc, to the mix... People do stupid things to electrical devices.
And adding a logo about not stacking adapters... Erm ye, a nice picture is going to stop SA peeps from doing just this.

 

[HavocXphere]

They want that fugly logo on all plugs???

I'm liking this though - will work better with intl travel adapters

 

[D tj]

A single hot prong on a heater plug is almost certainly from poor contact: wire in prong or prong to wall socket or wire in wall socket,
The thinner brass of the new plugs is able to carry the current and is area wise, greater than the wire attached to it.

 

[D tj]

Does this Jodi Scholtz realise the USB is already making way for USB-C charging?

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Tender?

Ive already started converting my wall plugs at home and have found the ones on Takealot very well priced

 

[genetic]

Tender?

Eh? It's not a government contract. You can choose any brand of plug socket you want.

 

[ebendl]

Where's the multiplugs for the new plug standard?

Here's my single biggest problem with SA plugs:




How do I fit these two into a single new socket without an adapter?

How do I combine a bunch of these (laptop / ext screen / phone charger / external HD / router / Wifi ) into the same outlet? Granted, this is currently difficult to do since it is a combo of old SA triangle 3-pin plugs and a bunch of wall-warts. But also because multi-plug designers design this:



How am I supposed to use more than one wall-wart in there??

 

[tetrasect]

Finally!!!

These plugs have been in use in Europe for decades. Way safer, easier to use and visually pleasing.
Always wondered why SA continues to use such clunky plugs that look like they were designed in the 1800's...

 

[piet70]

Finally!!!

These plugs have been in use in Europe for decades. Way safer, easier to use and visually pleasing.
Always wondered why SA continues to use such clunky plugs that look like they were designed in the 1800's...

As of July 2014, only South Africa has introduced a standard (SANS 164-2)[2] based closely on IEC 60906-1.

IEC 60906-1 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mister]

The aim of the new plug and socket standards in South Africa is to reduce the number of adapters required in households and businesses.

Excellent.
You've solved the adapter "problem."
Is this problem also solved?

 

[cr@zydude]

Finally!!!

These plugs have been in use in Europe for decades. Way safer, easier to use and visually pleasing.
Always wondered why SA continues to use such clunky plugs that look like they were designed in the 1800's...

You're wrong. Most of mainland Europe uses French or German style sockets, with many europin plugs. The socket SA has introduced is only standard here with Brazil using a non-conforming version. Swiss plugs look like the new SA ones, but are different.

 

[Thor]

Eh? It's not a government contract. You can choose any brand of plug socket you want.

I don't care about the plug brand.

What is wrong with the current standard, I am assuming you don't change a standard without someone in government making money off it.

 

[ebendl]

I don't care about the plug brand.

What is wrong with the current standard, I am assuming you don't change a standard without someone in government making money off it.

The old, 3 pin standard sucks!
The plugs are some of the most massive ones in the world. It's completely over-engineered.
It takes up a ton of space.
Nobody else uses them.
We're too small for anybody to make AC-DC adapters and cables that fit those natively, so we started using the two-prong european plugs. Thereby requiring the need for adapters.

And the new plug standard allows me to go from something like this:



to something like this:

 

[tetrasect]

Where's the multiplugs for the new plug standard?

Here's my single biggest problem with SA plugs:

View attachment 928831 View attachment 928833


How do I fit these two into a single new socket without an adapter?

How do I combine a bunch of these (laptop / ext screen / phone charger / external HD / router / Wifi ) into the same outlet? Granted, this is currently difficult to do since it is a combo of old SA triangle 3-pin plugs and a bunch of wall-warts. But also because multi-plug designers design this:

View attachment 928835

How am I supposed to use more than one wall-wart in there??

Lesco Domestic Multiplug 12 Way, 6 x 16A, 5 x IEC, 1 x Shucko

Lesco Domestic Multiplug 12 Way, 6 x 16A, 5 x IEC, 1 x Shucko | Shop Online with door to door nationwide delivery anywhere in South Africa

www.livecopper.co.za

This will probably be a better bet:

 

[tetrasect]

The socket SA has introduced is only standard here with Brazil using a non-conforming version. Swiss plugs look like the new SA ones, but are different.

Interesting... Here I was thinking they were the same.

My Laptop from Switzerland seems to plug into my wall socket (https://www.livecopper.co.za/collections/wall-sockets/products/veti-2-single-switched-rsa-socket-with-3-x-v-slim-sockets-charcoal) just fine... Bit of a tight fit but not a problem... Maybe the SA plugs don't fit into the Swiss sockets?

 

[backstreetboy]

No thanks will take decades for the old plugs to get phased out.