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This article exists to give readers an insight into electrical wiring in Hong Kong.
| This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
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This article exists to give readers an insight into electrical wiring in Hong Kong.
BS 1363 is the mainstream wiring system in Hong Kong. In old buildings, the BS 546 system is also common.
Due to its proximity to mainland China, electrical products from there are present in Hong Kong, especially those as a result of cross-border purchase carried out by mainland Chinese immigrants. Nevertheless, even if the product meets the safety requirements in China, they are not necessarily confirmed to BS 1363 standard, thus may have plug and socket compatibility issues when using them in Hong Kong.
Before the enforcement of the Electrical Products (Safety) Regulation, many types of plugs could be found in Hong Kong. Using this old equipment sometimes leads to plug and socket mating problems. Nowadays, virtually all plugs fitted in equipment sold in Hong Kong are BS 1363 compatible.
Many overseas citizens who bring equipment in from their home countries do not use the British wiring system. Citizens from the United Kingdom and countries that use British wiring systems normally do not encounter plug-and-socket issues in Hong Kong.
The 2-pin plugs (with round or flat pins) in mainland China are compatible with the British converter plugs sold in Hong Kong. For shavers and electric toothbrushes that take less than 1A of current, British shaver adaptors can be also used.
Mainland China three-pin plugs cannot be converted with a British standard adaptors, which are commonly sold in Hong Kong. One can replace the plug or the power cord as appropriate. This is also the case for Australian three-pin plugs.
Special attention is to be paid to the earthing of Schuko plugs. Though British converter plugs for Schuko are occasionally found; they are not common. Plug replacement is often necessary. This problem is common for special equipment in optical shops and among the residents of European origin.
There are old electrical plugs that can be inserted into the British sockets BS 1363 or BS 546, but they do not meet the British Standards. Standards "BS 1363" or "BS546" are not marked on such old quasi-UK plugs. Some of them are missing the BS1362 plug fuse or the pins are lacking insulating sleeves, among other problems.
Sockets of BS546 are incompatible with BS 1363 plugs. Compliant adaptors are not available to convert a BS546 5Amp socket to a BS 1363 13Amp one.
See the page Common electrical adaptors in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom for information about how to use them safely. Some kinds of adaptors widely available in the United Kingdom are not available in Hong Kong. Moreover, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department discourages the use of some adaptors in Hong Kong.
The power cord of your equipment may be replaceable. In this case, new BS 1363 compliant power cords are available in electronic stores.
It is common for users in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong to wire plugs themselves. In fact, the methodology is included in the physics syllabuses of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and GCSE.
Plugs and extension cables (BS 1363) sold in the UK and Hong Kong come with instructions on how to wire them safely. They are marked on the extension unit, or in form of a separate sheet.
British standard adaptors are not always available for many kinds of non-UK plugs, including the 3-pin plugs from the mainland China. It is the only option to resolve the plug-and-socket compatibility problem in many cases.
Many books and websites provide information about wiring a UK plug correctly.
In Hong Kong, registered electrical contractors are required to carry out any electrical work (e.g. addition to, alteration of, inspection, testing and repair of an electrical installation), including those in connection with a renovation work. [1] See also Electrical wiring (UK).
British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and which is formally designated as the national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The BSI Group produces British Standards under the authority of the charter, which lays down as one of the BSI's objectives to:
Set up standards of quality for goods and services, and prepare and promote the general adoption of British Standards and schedules in connection therewith and from time to time to revise, alter and amend such standards and schedules as experience and circumstances require.
A 600 series connector is an obsolete three-pin connector with up to six conductors.
"Schuko" is a registered trademark referring to a system of AC power plugs and sockets that is defined as "CEE 7/3" (sockets) and "CEE 7/4" (plugs). A Schuko plug features two round pins of 4.8 mm diameter for the line and neutral contacts, plus two flat contact areas on the top and bottom side of the plug for protective earth (ground). The socket has a predominantly circular recess which is 17.5 mm deep with two symmetrical round apertures and two earthing clips on the sides of the socket positioned to ensure that the earth is always engaged before live pin contact is made. Schuko plugs and sockets are symmetric AC connectors. They can be mated in two ways, therefore line can be connected to either pin of the appliance plug. As with most types of European sockets, Schuko sockets can accept Europlugs. Schuko plugs are considered a very safe design when used with Schuko sockets, but they can also mate with other sockets to give an unsafe result.
The Electricity Supply Board is a state owned electricity company operating in Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concern in a "liberalised" and competitive market. It is a statutory corporation whose members are appointed by the Government of Ireland.
AC power plugs and sockets connect electric equipment to the alternating current (AC) mains electricity power supply in buildings and at other sites. Electrical plugs and sockets differ from one another in voltage and current rating, shape, size, and connector type. Different standard systems of plugs and sockets are used around the world.
IEC 60309 is a series of international standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for "plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes". The maximum voltage allowed by the standard is 1000 V DC or AC; the maximum current, 800 A; and the maximum frequency, 500 Hz. The ambient temperature range is −25 °C to 40 °C.
Mains electricity by country includes a list of countries and territories, with the plugs, voltages and frequencies they commonly use for providing electrical power to low voltage appliances, equipment, and lighting typically found in homes and offices. Some countries have more than one voltage available. For example, in North America most sockets are attached to a 120 V supply, but there is a 240 V supply available for large appliances. Often different sockets are mandated for different voltage or current levels.
In electricity supply design, a ring circuit is an electrical wiring technique in which sockets and the distribution point are connected in a ring. It is contrasted with the usual radial circuit, in which sockets and the distribution point are connected in a line with the distribution point at one end.
Industrial and multiphase plugs and sockets provide a connection to the electrical mains rated at higher voltages and currents than household plugs and sockets. They are generally used in polyphase systems, with high currents, or when protection from environmental hazards is required. Industrial outlets may have weatherproof covers, waterproofing sleeves, or may be interlocked with a switch to prevent accidental disconnection of an energized plug. Some types of connectors are approved for hazardous areas such as coal mines or petrochemical plants, where flammable gas may be present.
Electrical wiring in the United Kingdom is commonly understood to be an electrical installation for operation by end users within domestic, commercial, industrial, and other buildings, and also in special installations and locations, such as marinas or caravan parks. It does not normally cover the transmission or distribution of electricity to them.
The Europlug is a flat, two-pole, round-pin domestic AC power plug, rated for voltages up to 250 V and currents up to 2.5 A. It is a compromise design intended to connect low-power Class II appliances safely to the many different forms of round-pin domestic power socket used across Europe. However, it is not compatible with the rectangular-pin BS 1363 sockets found in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malta and the United Kingdom. Europlugs are non-rewirable and must be supplied attached to a power cord.
IEC 60906-1 is an international standard designed "to provide a standard for a safe, compact and practical 16 A 250 V AC system of plugs and socket-outlets that could be accepted by many countries as their national standard, even if not in the near future." The standard was originally published by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 1986; the current edition is ed2.0 published in 2009. Although it is almost identical to the Swiss SEV 1011 T12 plug for 10 A 250 V a.c. standardised in 1937, its dimensions are slightly different and its polarization is flipped. As of July 2014, only South Africa has introduced a standard based closely on IEC 60906-1. Brazil used it as the basis for its NBR 14136 standard, but this is not compatible with IEC 60906-1. In 2017 the European Union (EU) published recommendations advising against the harmonisation of domestic plug and socket systems in the EU.
As a former British colony and territory, technical standards in Hong Kong of today has been largely influenced by that of the United Kingdom, with some exceptions due to local and practical considerations.
AS/NZS 3112 is the harmonised Australian and New Zealand standard for AC power plugs (male) and sockets (female). The standard is used in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and several other Pacific island countries. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) "world plugs" Web site calls this plug Type I.
British telephone sockets were introduced in their current plug and socket form on 19 November 1981 by British Telecom to allow subscribers to connect their own telephones. The connectors are specified in British Standard BS 6312. Electrical characteristics of the telephone interface are specified by individual network operators, e.g. in British Telecom's SIN 351. Electrical characteristics required of British telephones used to be specified in BS 6305.
South African National Standard 164: Plugs and socket outlets for household and similar purposes for use in South Africa is the South African Bureau of Standards' standard for domestic AC power plugs and sockets. As a former British colony, South Africa's electricity standards are of British derivation, and it uses 220/230 V at 50 Hz AC.
Plugs and sockets for electrical appliances not hardwired to mains electricity originated in the United Kingdom in the 1870s and were initially two-pin designs. These were usually sold as a mating pair, but gradually de facto and then official standards arose to enable the interchange of compatible devices. British standards have proliferated throughout large parts of the former British Empire.
Plugs and sockets for portable appliances started becoming available in the 1880s. A proliferation of types developed to address the issues of convenience and protection from electric shock. Today there are approximately 20 types in common use around the world, and many obsolete socket types are still found in older buildings.
CEE 7 is a standard for alternating-current plugs and sockets. First published in 1951 by the former International Commission on the Rules for the Approval of Electrical Equipment (IECEE), it unified standards produced by several continental European countries. The 2nd edition was published in 1963 and last updated in March 1983. It remains available from the IEC, but they state that "this standard shall not be used alone, it is to be used in addition to IEC 60884-1".