It is Burley Appliances policy not to recommend the use of extension leads with our appliances. We have found in the past that some customers have used inappropriate cable ratings in these leads. We have had examples of 13 amp fuses being used in extension lead plugs when the maximum rating of the lead was 5 amps. This practice leads to overheating of the cable and/or plug and possible fire hazards.
We realise that not all customers who wish to use an extension lead with our appliances would necessarily use an inappropriate lead but in the interests of safety we do not recommend their use at all.
It is important for the safe conduction of electricity that connections are not only electrically sound but are also mechanically sound, loose fitting wiring or plugs into sockets are liable to cause a resistance to current flow and overheating, it is not unusual to find that the wiring at the back of a wall socket has over the years become loose, this is due to the heating and cooling of the wiring as current is drawn through it. All currents produce heat in a conductor that is why it is important to use the correct size of cable to suit the current being drawn by the appliance.
The above conditions apply equally as well to the socket attached to an extension lead. Extension leads in general tend to have a much harder life than fixed wired wall sockets, it is too easy to pull on the extension lead and after a time the strain on the connections at the plug and/or socket end could lead to the connections becoming loose, this is the situation where overheating occurs.
In the event that the cable supplied with the appliance is unable to reach the socket outlet which the customer intends to use we recommend that the complete cable is replaced with an appropriately rated cable and plug. This action should be carried out by a suitably qualified person.
