Outlet and wire size for water heater

[fma]

The 110V water heater on my US spec SO 45 has a dedicated AC circuit with 2.5mm (14 gauge) H07RN-F cable yet terminates in a French style AC receptacle with a French plug connected to the water heater via 1.5mm (16 gauge) H05VV-F cable.  Issue is, the plug has melted the receptacle (clearly undersized for the load) and could have caused a fire.  All the other AC outlets are US style with 2.5mm/14 gauge H07RN-F and correct, just this one odd French outlet with 16 gauge wire for the water heater.

Curious if anyone else has seen this setup (French outlet on US spec boat), and I'm wondering if the element was swapped by the PO for a higher wattage unit without understanding the implications, as it appears someone has been messing with the element based on how the cover was not correctly fitted.

[Trevor]

Hello FMA,

I think sometimes if the outlet is dedicated to one purpose and hidden out of the way, the socket may simply be chosen to suit the plug on the appliance like the HWS. It is a bit disappointing but maybe helps the factory by not needing to change the plug on the water heater.

Sounds like a good time to swap out the plug and socket to something a little mor sturdy.

Lucky it didn’t cause more problems.

Regards

Trevor

[johannes]

What current is the heater specified for? A French type E (or combined E/F) outlet/plug is specified for a maximum current of 16A, although it is not recommended to use it at higher than 10A for long time periods (hours). 

In a fixed installation, 16A requires 2.5 mm2 cabling and 10A 1.5 mm2. 1.5 mm2 can be used for 16A in loose appliance cords since they are assumed to not be built into walls etc and are thus better cooled.

Some people in Europe use Type E/F plugs to charge their electric cars at 16A, which generally works but in some cases has lead to fires if the outlet is old and in poor condition. They were designed a hundred years ago when nobody thought about using them for drawing high current for long times.

[fma]

Supposedly the heater element is 1200W/110V so 10A, meaning "technically" the 1.5mm2 cable is within specification for the 10A load.  I suspect someone installed the incorrect heating element and its drawing too much power (will measure it next time I'm there).  Anyway, appreciate the input everyone, and apparently this combo (mixed European and US style outlets) was common on US spec boats.  




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