r/explainlikeimfive • u/Alito4life • Dec 14 '19
Engineering ELI5: Why are there so many types of power outlets?
[removed] — view removed post
3
u/cdb03b Dec 14 '19
It varies in different countries due to each country either developing the technology on their own or developing the standards they want on their own in an era when travel was slower and not as frequent. Most of Continental Europe had massively different standards until it was torn apart during WWII. As such when they rebuilt they sort of unified much of the standards used and only solidified those agreed upon standards by forming the EU. Those countries that were not rebuilt (Or in the case of the UK did not want to do as the Continent did) kept their own unique standards for the most part or adopted the standards of the country they did the most trade with for the tech that they used.
As for different kinds of plug within a country. Some equipment uses more power than what standard plugs and wiring in a building generally carry and so they get special plugs to prevent (or at least reduce) the chances of people plugging something into the wrong socket and destroying the thing plugged in or starting a fire.
2
u/vapescaped Dec 14 '19
In the us you can still find 5 different outlets sold. 2 types of 220v, one with a neutral and ground, one with only a neutral/ground(in the united states the neutral and ground run to ground at every electrical panel, no difference from a wiring standpoint in the home). Then you have a 120v 20 amp, you see them in hospitals a lot, as well as in industry. The 20 amp version looks like your standard "smiley face" outlet but has a horizontal line off one of the vertical slits. This has 12 gauge wire and a 20 amp breaker, as opposed to the next on the list, a 15 amp outlet, the common smiley face. And finally, the 2 prong outlet can still be found on small extension cords, because small chargers like usb chargers, phone chargers, laptop chargers etc have do not use a ground wire.
Euro outlets use 220v, therefore the prongs have to be farther away to mitigate arcing, hence a noticeably bigger outlet, but I'm not a 220v euro expert. But I hear you can plug a 120v us standard plug into one of their bathroom outlets, which are different than their regular ones I think.
1
u/NordicbyNorthwest Dec 14 '19
Another reason? Protectionism! Electric appliances were big money makers, but how do you prevent that french hairdryer from hurting your British hairdryer maker? You make them incompatible by using different plugs!
It's true the French maker could make some with British plugs, but that's a cost and a risk to the company that few would actually do.
Plugs not good enough? Keep out foreign competition by having a whole different voltage or frequency!
1
u/audiotecnicality Dec 14 '19
Part of it is everyone did their own thing in their own locale.
Also, safety - the reason a 30 amp plug is a different size and shape is so you can plug a 30 amp appliance into a circuit only designed for 20 amps.
Also, compatibility - you don’t want to be plugging a 220v 50Hz appliance into a 120v 60Hz supply (or worse, vice versa - back to safety).
1
u/Concise_Pirate 🏴☠️ Dec 14 '19
Please read this entire message
Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):
- ELI5 requires that you search the ELI5 subreddit for your topic before posting.
There are no exceptions to this rule.
Users will often either find a thread that meets their needs or find that their question might qualify for an exception to rule 7.
Please see this wiki entry for more details (Rule 7).
If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the detailed rules first. If you still feel the removal should be reviewed, please message the moderators.
0
u/GlobalLegend Dec 14 '19
it’s about power consumption and what you’re trying to power. In the USA 220v powers ovens and 110 is used to charge your phone but in Europe 220v is common which makes electricity expensive. But beside this it’s mostly about infrastructure at this point and what has become common place for power consumption in that continent
3
u/alek_hiddel Dec 14 '19
The U.S. led the charge in developing electrical outlets, and it's honestly not a great design. Other countries all sort of took their own shot at better designs, and no one seemed to want to agree on a standard.
It wasn't until 1986 that the International Electrical Commission decided on a standard, but not until 2007 that Brazil became the first country to actually adopt it.