Electrical outlet and power plug type G are used majorly in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Malta, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
The plug, which is rated 13 Amps, has three rectangular pins arranged in a pattern that forms an isosceles triangle.
The central pin has a length of 22.7 mm and is 4 mm by 8 mm.
The line and neutral pins are 4 mm by 6.35 mm and are 17.7 mm long. There is a 22.2 mm space between the line and neutral pins.
There is a 22.2 mm center to center distance between the middle of the imaginary line connecting the two power pins and the earth pin. In addition, the pins have a 9 mm insulated sleeve to prevent electrocution when partially connected.
As stipulated by the British Standard BS 1363, any appliance that uses the type G plug must have grounded three wires and a fused plug for every connection to the mains.
Class II appliances with two wires are not often earthed but have plastic grounding pins, which often open the socket’s shutters.
Type C plugs do not have earth pins, and as a result, it’s difficult to connect the plug to a type G socket.
However, most times, the Type C plug is forced into the type G receptacle by inserting a pointing non-conductive object into the receptacle’s center hole, which will open up the two holes, making way for connection.
In the United Kingdom, one of the countries where the use of the type G socket is primary, ring circuits are used in connecting sockets in the house. These sockets are connected by 32 A circuit breakers.
This connection is somewhat exclusive to the United Kingdom and requires fused plugs.
Appliances such as mobile phones have fused plugs, a 3 Amps cartridge fused plug, while heavy-duty appliances boast fused plugs with higher current.
Unlike in the UK, most countries use radial circuits where sockets have circuit breakers in the main switchboard, thereby eliminating the use of fused plugs.
For travelers who’ll take foreign appliances to the UK, this has to be taken into account. An adapter can be used to prevent damage, but it has to be the correct fuse value as the plug.
Type G plugs became appearing in 1946, and it became a standard plug in 1947. In the 1950s, type G plugs were highly favored in new installations in the UK.
By the 1960s, most old connections have been rewired to meet the type G standard. This is hardly surprising, as the inclusion of switch in all type G plugs makes it extra safe.
The Type G plug is one of the safest in the world, but it’s bulky. There are often jokes about British plugs being bigger than the appliances connected to them.
But, that’s a small price to pay for extra safety.
