Why are outdoor sockets only protected with 10A? Can it be changed?

Hello,

Well, if all other sockets are protected with 16A and only the two outdoor sockets (which are also switchable) are protected with 10A, it is quite likely that it has to do with either the socket or the switch. The cable length is not longer than many other sockets.

With an outdoor socket, however, you assume that a cable reel or a long cable will be connected to operate the lawnmower. In other words, the expected cable length to the appliance is significantly longer and especially hardly predictable. Therefore, I don't think the idea of protecting these sockets with a lower rating is totally stupid at first... And it may also be that the switches themselves are only rated for up to 10 A.

And yes, Schuko sockets are rated for up to 3.5 kW. However, you should only load them that high in exceptional cases and not on a permanent basis.

Best regards,

Andreas

The switches look like normal light switches. In my research before the thread, I also thought it was just the switch (meaning that it is only rated for 10A). I think they are on separate circuits, I have to check again later... In any case, my question is answered in that the electrician could have a number of other reasons to protect the outdoor sockets with only 10A.

Most light switches are indeed only rated for a nominal current of 10 A, so in that respect the electrician has done it correctly. Either you bypass the switch or install a 16 A rocker switch (for example, the Busch-Jäger 2000/2 US-101), then the electrician is also allowed to replace the circuit breaker with one rated for 16 A nominal current.

By the way, according to the standard, a 16 A Schuko socket only has to withstand this for IIRC 30 minutes. Anything beyond that is a matter of luck... 10 A is always permanently permitted.

But what if the can doesn't hold up after all? Will the 16A come, the RCD, or will the place just go up in flames?

But what if the socket can't handle it? Will the 16A trip, the RCD, or will the place just burn down?

A new Schuko socket should also be able to handle 16 A continuously; only the contacts can corrode over time, the fittings become worse, dirt gets inside, etc. Then the contact area decreases more and more, leading to local overheating. In doubt, the Schuko socket or even the ETICS it was installed in will smolder...

If a Schuko socket must be able to carry 16A for 30 minutes according to the standard, that does not mean that manufacturers build their sockets in such a way that they catch fire after 30 minutes and 2 seconds.

The cable length as an argument makes sense... but not really...
A circuit breaker with B-characteristic must trip at 5 times the nominal current, which is 80A. We are talking about 2.875 ohms of line resistance. At the latest, from 2 ohms at the measuring point at the outdoor socket, the electrician should become suspicious, then something is wrong. I would expect values < 1 ohm consistently in a house installation, no matter which socket I measure.

And a 1.5² lawn mower cable with 50m length adds 0.6 ohms to that.

At 10 A, the circuit breaker must trip at 50 A... I can afford 4.6 ohms.

Especially since these are the values at which the circuit breaker must definitely trip under all circumstances. At the earliest, it trips at 3 times the nominal current...