UK Plug - bypassing the fuse.

Hello to all, 

Anyone here tried bypassing the fuse in UK plug? I am not sure but I think it made a slight difference. Subtle but worth a try. 

Just a word of caution..do not bypass if your equipment do not have internal protection fuse.

Regards.

Hi STC,
     You are not alone. Done this many moons ago.

Yes indeed it brings a subtle change in performance. And yes, you are right. Quite dangerous if your equipment doesnt have a fuse to offset the one you bypassed.

US type power cables don't have fuses. So, basically the fuse in the UK type plugs only degrade the performance. I have bypassed the fuse in all my UK type plugs for my audio equipment. But I have not really compared the difference between having the fuse and bypassing the fuse.

I have made the conversion and compared.  There is an improvement.  When using US plug/UK plug, ensure polarity is consistent.

I always thought UK plugs to be better because of the large contact surface compared to US plugs.

But, US plug got no fuse or switch. Technically, they should be better. 

The most obvious difference is the nagging amp hum disappeared. Not sure why?

Amp hum.....could be contact issue

Hi STC,
     Amp hum could be something else. Maybe you have finally made the ground contact?

 In my Amp, no ground contact means I get a nice 120V shock on the chassis. I got that once when the ground contact came loose. It was just a minor hum which was only heard standing about 1 meter away.

The hum didnt come out of the speakers so never really bothered to attend to it.

Hi STC,
      Sometimes the hum could be because of high voltage input coming from the main. Or due to DC leak from other sources into the main.

Your transformer is doing a great deal to overcome all these.

adrian4454 wrote:Hi STC,
      Sometimes the hum could be because of high voltage input coming from the main. Or due to DC leak from other sources into the main.

Your transformer is doing a great deal to overcome all these.

Dear Adrian, I think you could be right. As I had mentioned earlier regarding excessive voltage a couple of weeks ago, TNB finally brought down the supply where during peak hours it is about 238V. So it could be that too and coincidently it could have happened at the same time I was going fuseless.

Any idea how to get rid of the DC in the supply?

Cheers!

Hi STC,
     No expert here, from what I remember; you need a transformer to properly reduce the DC. Like those Torus power conditioner.

As far as my knowledge, we follow British Standards or IEE regulations on electrical safety and all 13Amp plugs are fused. 15Amp are for motors, or high powered appliances where a separate circuit breaker is installed or incorporated within the appliance. Appliance line fuse or circuit breaker is the 2nd level of safety and protection. 
Of course audiophiles think otherwise and you choose/compromise between safety and better sound quality that you may expect.
One matter which may be overlooked or taken for granted the home earth rod planted outside is in good condition. The earth rod/terminal can rot away in a few years or develop high resistance. Its worth checking it out or plant a new earth if it cannot be found or rotted away. A good earth system is quite essential for good hifi sound, also for safety.
My 2 sen.

I tried to make multi quotes but it is just not working.

Adrian, I have used high quality industrial grade isolation transformer and voltage stabiliser but the hum comes on and off. I am told it could be found loop.


CMBoy, I have two 12 foot earth rod. Tried various combination but the intermittent hum was still there. The last resort is to try to change the phase. Unfortunately, the current phase is the worse among the three phase power supply. It require extensive rewiring


Update:

Decided to troubleshoot the problem once and for all. Removed all plugs and replugged one by one directly to each individual wall plugs. Rerouted the cables to avoid unnecessary loop. The hum has completely stopped. The only item currently not connected is the power conditioner which seemed to be the culprit.