5 Ways British and American Plugs Are Very Different 

Um, so guess Lawrence was doing research for this video and that explains his hair?

I like how Lawrence’s hair looks like he put a fork in the socket

Stepping on those British plugs really Hertz .

This video reminds me of the time back in college (electrical engineering) when a female student who was not experienced in any hands-on work with electricity asked the professor why various connectors where referred to as 'male' and 'female'. As he began to explain it to her, it suddenly clicked in her mind and an entirely new and brilliant shade of red was observed.

Don't forget one of the coolest safety features of the British socket is the shutters that physically block entry to the live wires until the ground prong has been inserted, as well as the thinly insulated portion of the prong that don't allow energized metal to be exposed.

Not since Arthur Weasley has their been a man so passionate about British plugs!

In the rare instances when a plug gets damaged in the US, we can cut it off and mend it with a replacement plug available at hardware/home improvement stores. Those can be opened with a screwdriver and you follow the directions to match the correct color wire to the correct screw terminal. It's a good idea to unplug the appliance from the wall before cutting off the defective plug ... ... ... don't ask.

Laurence Brown is the only person that can make me watch a video about electrical plugs and be entertained.

"It was once said by me in a second from now.." Truly why I love this channel!

Oh My God !!! Wow I’ve just reacted to this video and my jaw just dropped off my face !! Thank you so much for mentioning me - as always your videos are superb, well research, delivered and so so funny !! My 100% fav content creator !! Stay safe my friend and much love to you (and your cat) from across the pond !! ♥️ 🇺🇸 ♥️ 🇺🇸

I stayed in a hotel in India that had a strip of plugs for almost any country. Convenient. Then I went to another place and blew out the circuit with my hair dryer!

RU-vid plugged this vid so I watched it and got a charge out of it glad I’m current!

"I don't have a plug" I don't know why that made me actually laugh audibly and not just the smile and blow air from my nose type laugh, but I thank you!

No matter which plugs the electricity bill keeps getting more expensive.

Through his hair, Laurence's commitment to the story brand is commendable. I also enjoyed the bit where @oldfashionedAF said that she didn't have a plug. Now that you've tagged @MR H and Friends, it's time to feature @beesley in a future video.

"....because I was 14 once." I feel there's a story there! 😅

I learned the hard way by melting two curling irons whilst stationed in Germany. I bought a German friendly hair dryer and took it to Italy in January for a ski trip. That trip taught me two things: 1. Don’t ski in jeans and 2. Germany and Italy have different plugs. Well, I learned a third, check the operation of hair appliances before washing your hair in frigid temperatures.

I've found "Mr. Haitch" & I very much enjoy his videos as a Brit watching and giving his reactions to your videos (Lost In The Pond)! Thanks for being so kind as to permit this, so that we can enjoy BOTH!

When in the US, plugging a British appliance into an adaptor and then into the wall socket is terrifying to me. Our British plugs are so heavy that the whole thing looks like it is going to fall out of the wall at any moment... I also got freaked out when I noticed there is no on/off switch. These sort of differences make the world so interesting 😊

I spent exactly one week in London a few years ago and was so happy to have encountered another American in Gatwick who was on her way back and had 3 of those converters that she was generous enough to give us to use while we were there. They were a lifesaver!

If Arthur Weasley had access to the internet, he would LOVE this video!

“Because I was 14 once.” Hilarious!

I know his hair is meant to look electrified, but I spent the entire video half convinced he was somehow hanging upside down. XD

A few things you didn't mention: That British plug diagram showed a fuse inside it. American plugs usually don't have fuses. Hardware stores and home supply stores in America sell plugs that can be disassembled. This is useful for home repair. But new appliances and other devices come with sealed plugs. American type A plugs have one prong wider than the other, and the sockets have one hole wider than the other. The narrow side is the hot side, and the wide side is the neutral side. This makes it hard to put a type A plug in backwards, which could be hazardous. For instance, if you have a toaster with a metal exterior, or a lamp socket with a metal base, the exposed metal parts could become electrified if the plug were backwards. American homes are supplied with 240 volts. There are three lines coming into the building: two 120 volt lines that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, and a neutral line. The voltage between the two 120 volt lines is 240 volts. In a typical house, one of the 120 volt lines will supply power to half the house, and the other line will supply power to the other house. There will often be 240 volt sockets for high-power appliances like electric ovens and dryers. Most electric cars can be recharged with either 120 or 240 volts, and the higher voltage will recharge the car's battery pack in far less time. British sockets are designed so that the earth (i.e. ground) prong (which is longer than the other two) will "unlock" the socket. Also the hot and neutral prongs of a British plug have insulation along most of their length (their tips are bare). These two features make the British system a lot safer. Newer (and recently remodeled) American homes have ground fault interrupter circuits in many of their sockets, especially those that are near water (like in kitchens and bathrooms). A GFI circuit compares the current going out of the hot side of the socket with the current coming back. If they're different, it shuts off the power immediately. This greatly reduces the chances of getting a serious shock, even if you do something stupid like drop a hair dryer in a bathtub full of water.

Tom Scott and electroboom also have excellent videos going more in depth on the differences if anyone's interested.

As a North American ( Canadian ) viewer, I was aware of most of this. That converter plug at the end must be used with EXTREME caution !!! Even if an appliance is rated 120 / 240 V, it may need to be switched. Check your owners manual, and peace and cookies to all.

Your hair reminded me of what happened to my baby brother many years ago, before the safety plugs became a thing. He was 2 or 3. We had visitors and he'd gotten really quiet so my Mom told me to see what he was doing. As I walked through the dining room, he had a butter knife trying to stick it in the outlet. I screamed for him to stop but, as bull-headed kids are, he was going to do it or die trying. It knocked him all the way across the room, 10-12 feet. Physically he was fine and it happened so fast that I don't know if he even knew what hit him. It burned the knife, removing a chunk that resembled a big bite out of a cookie. His hair indeed looked a lot like yours here.

The other feature of the British type G is that the earth pin is slightly longer than the other two, this serves two purposes, combined with the vertical cable at the bottom of the plug it makes it more difficult to pull out accidentally and it also opens the live and neutral ports on the wall socket. This is a safety feature, useful in stopping kids from poking things in the live or neutral holes.

Lawrence: "Hey wife, my plug is bigger than your plug" Tarah: "I don't have a plug" Me: kudos Mr. Brown

"....or plugs that would definitely get me demonetized." Lol

At the hardware store, go down the aisles with the lights and ceiling fans. In the same area, you'll find US plugs you can screw apart if you really really want. Go ahead and snip all the ends off your power cords and replace them with un-screwable plugs. Personally, I use them to make extension cords at work because I only have so much budget to play with and it's marginally cheaper to make your own. But we all have our own things we do.

Actually, American homes ARE wired for 240v. Look at the plug of your cookstove, your electric dryer or you large window unit air conditioner. On those lines back at the fuse/breaker box you'll see that they use two breakers per outlet as opposed to one breaker for 120v outlets and the plugs for the stove and the dryer are massive as well and you won't bend their prongs and you can get inside them with a screwdriver. Mainly because if you buy a new dryer or electric stove they don't come with cords and plugs, so typically you either buy them separately, or you remove them from the old appliance you're chucking out and re-use it on your new appliance.

At least it is only one type of plug in the UK now, you are too young to remember the 5, 10 and 15 amp round pin plugs used up to the introduction of the standard fused 13 amp ones now. They were all of a different size and would only fit the relevant outlet, some of which would take all three sizes of plugs. The round 3 pin 5 amp is still used but for lighting circuits only.

Sorry as an electrician this is ABSOLUTELY my kind of video

Our biggest issue when visiting the UK was the lack of outlets at almost everyplace we went. Of course we were carrying all our electronics, so each family member had a laptop and phone plus we had cameras and video games that all needed charging every day. Our tourist hotel near Paddington just had 3 outlets and one was in the bathroom. It was lucky I brought a 5 outlet USB charger so at least all of our phones could charge each day.

Wiring of plugs had to be taught in UK schools. Up until 90s UK appliances did not come with plugs. You had to buy your own plug and wire it yourself. If you have a vintage UK appliance that won't work the first thing to check is that the plug is wired properly with the right fuse

Today's episode brought to you by power adapter companies across the Atlantic.

Uh, oh. Lawrence gets a Pinocchio. It would be a 'step up' transformer to use a UK device in US. In order to 'step up' the 120 volts to 230 volts for the device.

What I love most about this channel is his american humor in the british accent. It makes every joke seem so serious and ironic. Pure gold

UPDATED VIDEO ON PLUGS NEEDED 1/ British appliances had to have a plug attached by the consumer (PLUGS THESE DAYS ARE ATTACHED TO ALL ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES) which often meant taking a plug of an appliance to use on the new appliance 2/ Fuses in old plugs may need changing and plug can be opened by screws holding front and back of plug together 3/ Most appliances now have sealed plugs which cannot be opened although some have a cap on back of plug that can be prised off to change the fuse

Anyone who’s ever traveled abroad with a hair dryer has been schooled already. 😂

Every time you make a pun you look around like you're worried someone will try to hurt you for it...

The first time I went to England I was amazed at the size of the plugs. You could power a clothes dryer with one and they put it on a lamp. American plugs seem to be designed according to the just enough philosophy whilst the UK plugs were designed according to the just in case philosophy.

As a teenager in 4-H, we learned to wire plugs. Hardware stores sold the makings (including the housing) for this as most people understood the process and often wired their own plugs, lamps, generators, coolers, drop cords or extension lights, etc. (speaking of farm equipment, you see). Happy Day!

His hair looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket Edit: for those few harping on me for this little comment, I'd like to say that i made that comment before he even got to that punchline in the video. I'm not even the first one to comment on his hair so why am I in the hotseat?

I lived in Saudi Arabia. They don’t produce their own products mostly so importing them from everywhere else without fixing the plugs and then just concerting is pretty standard. We had so many adapters and a huge power box for converting the power from 110 to 220 (?) Not sure I got that right). Our appliances were all different from each other and our stove electrocuted you if you stirred soup with a metal spoon and no socks. Adventures!

I love that you mentioned Mr. H. Both of you are great!! ♥️🙂

In the right context it may be understood, but generally non-electricians in the US do not say "(the) mains". To quote Wikipedia "Mains electricity": In the US, mains electric power is referred to by several names including "utility power", "household power", "household electricity", "house current", "powerline", "domestic power", "wall power", "line power", "wall current", "AC power", "city power", "street power", and "120 (one twenty)".

I love how your hair looks like you were playing with electricity before the video!

The best thing to come out of Grimsby since Birds Eye Fish fingers & the A18 !! Top work top lad !!!

It's also worth mentioning there are 240V circuits in North American homes that are widely used for electrical stoves, clothes dryers and power equipment. However power delivery in those are happening in a completely different manner than that in UK. Instead of feeding devices through hot wire and returning the current through neutral, it does both of those through two 120V phase hot wires (which is possible due to different phases). This is important because not all of the UK 240V devices will work in a North American 240V circuit (as not all of them can handle this, plus 50/60Hz difference may further complicate things with power tools (electrical motor will likely be rotating faster or slower depending on the frequency difference).

Another nuance in the British plug is that the earth wire is slightly longer than the neutral and live wire so that if the cable is yanked in any way, the first two wires to break are the ones carrying electricity to and from the appliance.

You missed a key safety point in Britain's favor, Lawrence. You forget to mention that British plugs contain a fuse, which besides offering extra protection from electrocution, is likely the reason British plugs can be taken apart in the first place.

You must've stuck your finger in a socket while playing with those plugs...

SO helpful this! Thanks for posting. Had no idea.

Great video, as always...thank you! (Regarding your hair, I see that Ace Ventura saw what he had to work with,...and “did his best”) 🤣 Cheers from sunny Phoenix, keep up the great work!

You can totally get type b Edison connectors that screw apart. I’ve used them extensively in live theatre applications

The US type A plug with only 2 prongs was the original plug type in US homes. The 3-prong type B came much later, and only became required by building codes in the early 1970s. A lot of older homes built before 1965 still have 2-prong outlets. Because a lot of modern appliances require 3-prong outlets, 3-to-2 adaptors are still available in stores, and a lot of work has been done to many of these houses to update certain circuits e.g. living room TVs. Some manufacturers still produce double insulated appliances that need only a 2-prong outlet. Some power tools, and Dell laptop power bricks, are 2-prong, while HP went the cheaper route and their laptop bricks are 3 prong.

If I recall, British power outlets are set up so that the live and neutral holes are blocked with an internal cover until you insert a plug. The slightly longer earth plug goes in first and pushes open the covers on the live and neutral holes allowing those prongs to be inserted. When the plug is removed the covers close over the live and neutral holes again on the outlet. This is to prevent someone from inserting anything other than a power plug into a live outlet and getting a shock.

Electrical engineer here. A few corrections/additional details First, American home do have 240V, the reason most receptacles and lights have 120V is because the neutral wire is connected to the center tap of the transformer, splitting the voltage in half. And there are such things as 240V plugs, usually seen on dryers and ranges (stoves). Speaking of different plugs for different appliances, in addition to the international designation of plugs, American plugs are given a "NEMA" type. (NEMA = National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a trade group that among other things, sets standards for electrical devices.) The "Type A" plug is NEMA 2-15, "Type B" is NEMA 5-15, most dryers use NEMA 10-30 or NEMA 14-30, and most ranges use NEMA 10-50 or NEMA 14-50. Finally, while most factory plugs are used molded rubber/plastic, they do make American plugs that can be unscrewed and opened. Usually they are made to repair a cord where the plug is damaged or been cut off. products.blains.com/600/80/804903.jpg

“Earth Wire” sounds like the name of an earthworm superhero.

Once again, I laughed throughout your vid...beginning with the hair! So funny!

All new UK appliances have the 3 pin plug moulded onto the power cable. You can't open them with a screwdriver, but the fuse can be removed/replaced from underneath - so you have to unplug it first!

Coming from a country with a different set of plugs, this was as informative as it was entertaining. I don't think I've ever heard as many puns and pop culture references in less than 9 minutes than in this video. (Yes, this is the first video I've seen of him, thanks to the algorithm gods.)

Mr H is awesome 👏🏻!!! I love watching him react to your videos 😁 my 2 favorite British gentleman ❤️👍🏻

I saw your hair and thought, "Oh no! Lawrence messed with the plugs"

In the 70s, I lived in Britain, and we would often go from house to house showing filmstrips. At that time, there were no standard plugs. We had to go to a store and purchase a multi-plug, in order to plug out filmstrip projectors in. It's much better now.

You forgot to mention that the top half of the pins on UK plugs are coated in plastic to stop you from electrocuting yourself. What's more, the earth pin is slightly longer than the live pins so that it makes contact before the live pins, again to prevent electrocution; it's also longer because UK sockets have plastic covers over the live holes, to prevent you (or children) from jamming metal things into them, that are lifted by a mechanism operated by the earth pin. Also, you forgot to mention how the earth wire inside the plug is slightly longer than the others, so that it is the last to be disconnected if you accidentally yank the cord out of the plug. Also, you forgot to mention about the fuse. And about how appliances used to come without plugs attached, which is why how to wire a plug is still fairly common knowledge in the UK today!

After watching this video, I think I know how Boris Johnson "fixes" his hair.

The only information I have on British or type g plugs are jokes on "As Time Goes By "

The vast majority of modern power supplies (including laptops) will automatically detect the line voltage and adjust themselves accordingly. But older ones had a mechanical switch, or were designed for only one voltage. Putting 120V into a device expecting 230V simply won't work... but putting 230V into a device expecting 120... BANG!

A note about North American outlets: Just because they accept three prongs doesn't necessarily mean they've been wired up properly and actually contain a ground wire, especially in older homes or renovated parts. I discovered a ground wire hooked up to a metal nail... that was in a wood stud inside the wall! We've seen GFI, ground fault interrupter outlets near water sources inside and outside the home become mandatory in new construction in Canada for several years now and in renovation. GFIs also cut power if if an item plugged in shorts out, like if a hairdryer falls in water, to prevent electrocution. A GFI can easily be installed to replace any outlet in your home to improve safety and convenience. Another advantage is they can help prevent the circuit breaker or fuse on the main panel from tripping or blowing. You reset the GFI outlet by pressing the switches on them. Very handy and highly recommended.

My boyfriend walked past as he heard about mushy peas and yelled, " I love mushy peas!"

The switch on plug ins threw me completely in my latest visit to London. I’d never noticed it before. The HUGE British plugs also flummoxed me.

When I was a boy in the UK, there were at least three different types of plugs, which meant a device could only be plugged in if the room had a corresponding outlet. We were all pleased when we moved into our second house, which was fitted with (IIRC) three-pin fifteen-amp outlets everywhere.

Years ago, In the mid 90s I traveled Europe the summer right after my high school graduation. I was given a gift made by Samsonite that was a set of several adapters for the many different plugs and outlets all over Europe. I had no clue at the time how different each country was in that area. That gift came in very handy.

the only reason I, an American who has never been to any part of England, know about the difference in voltage in the socket is because Barry set his toaster on fire XDD

There are plugs in America that you can buy at the hardware store that you can wire to your cord if the old plug is shot.

"The assembly hall incident of 1988..." Sounds very much like my "Tarpaper shack broken receptacle cover trauma of 1965." And, not having learned a damned thing in the intervening 56 years, "The front entry three-way switch debacle of 2021."

As someone living on the other side of the pond a few of things worth mentioning about US plugs and sockets. 2-wire US plugs can be polarized, the neutral prong is wider so it only fits one way, The historical color code for US wiring is green for the ECG (equipment grounding conductor) white for neutral and black or red for the hot or phase conductor. The reason for two phase colors is the US system is 120/240V 60HZ also called split phase, using red and black make it easy to tell which leg is which. To harmonize with the EU the green/yellow stripe ground and brown/blue are often used for power cords that use the IEC connector. It is true most OEM plugs are molded and nonrepairable, to reduce cost. However there are plenty of plugs available that allow the end user to wire in the field. There are tamper resistant sockets intended to minimize shock hazard of children sticking things into the socket but it is not as safe as the UK system since the socket must work with grounded and ungrounded plugs. The presence of the ground prong cannot be used to trigger the shutters. US building practice is to locate sockets near the floor so using a socket mounted switch is not practical. I believe the 50/60 Hz was due to companies battling for supremacy during the early days of electrification and patenting everything. Fun fact the early Niagara Falls power system was only 25 HZ. Lastly the unique British loop wiring system is why the plugs need to be fused increasing the size and cost of the plug.

The electric puns were shockingly good.

"Hey wife, my plug is bigger than your plug!" Wife deadpans, "I don't have a plug." Laurence looks a little confused for a second, then needs to go back to the studio to contemplate his plug and the demonetizing plugs.

I've been to Rome, Florence, France, and London; and, the power converters really helped. I don't remember that well because that trip was a while ago 😅 Also, the commitment of filming an entire video with the hair... I applaud your devotion to your work

Aloha from ther Island of Oahu! We are planning a trip throughout the U.K. this October. Your video was wonderful in explaining electricity in both countries & your video was very timely. Mahalo (Thank You)! Aloha!

For all the north American's who cry about stepping on Lego, have never found a type G plug with barefeet before 😂

I can’t stop looking at the hair. It looks cute! Give us more videos with visual hair support please.

Hi Lawrence, I am from Saudi Arabia. Previously, I think around more than 10 years ago, we have many different types of plugs, Type A, G, and European plugs. But from around 10 years onward, there was a big change in the electrical system in the country. Nowadays is a transmission period, Type G is a standard with 230V and 60Hz. In the future, type G will remain as a standard plug, with 230/400V and 50Hz.

Fun fact. In North America we use a split phase system, where in the UK is just a single phase system. All our houses get 240v but we split it in half using the neutral wire. (hense the need for the red and black for hotwires, red to neutral is one half, black to neutral is the other half). To get the full 240v you dont use the neutral wire, just connect both hotwires. (these are usually found for stoves, clothes dryers, and HVAC systems.) you can tell if the circuit is a 240v by looking at the breaker in the electrical box, the breaker that takes up two spaces, or has a bar connecting two breakers together is 240v.

I have no "horizontal" outlets in my American House! Is that even up to current "Code". I can't think of anywhere I seen a "horizontal" outlet, other than bathrooms in homes that are over 50 years old. They don't even have a breaker outlet!

My hair looks like that when I've just woken up.

Also the reason why UK plug sockets have a switch on them, is so that no electrical current is running through the socket when it is switched off with no plug in it, Saving any little explorers from getting a nasty shock when they decide to experiment with the plug sockets, by sticking any metal objects in them, 🥄⚡️👶🏼

It should be noted that not all British plugs are grounded/earthed even though they all have a 3rd prong. British outlets have shutters covering the live and neutral that are opened by the "ground" prong. Ungrounded plugs often just have a plastic "ground" prong.

Hard lesson learned: you can’t use an simple adapter to use an American curling iron in the UK. 2X the voltage, 2X the heat, and your wife will burn her hair and get really upset at you because you said it would be fine.

Love the new electric hairdo, it suits you!

Most items you would travel with can run on AC with a voltage anywhere between 100 and 240 volts. It is even rarer that anything would be sensitive to the difference between 50 Hz and 60 Hz. This includes phone and camera chargers, laptops and tablets, coffee warmers, and CPAP/BiPAP machines. Hair dryers, irons, electric razors, and electric toothbrushes might be an issue. Note that Philps electric toothbrushes are dual voltage. If you must travel with them, make sure that they are compatible with the country(ies) that you're visiting. In some hotels, you might find a 120-volt outlet in the bathroom which will be labeled for "electric razors only." Also, there is sometimes a type "D" plug in the U.K. for bedside lamps.

We moved from Florida to London and were not able to use some electrical things so they got left behind (Dyson vacuum). But the things we did bring, some were ok with plug adapters (lamp, phone chargers) while others needed a transformer (kitchenaid mixer).

That wild hair of Laurence's reminded me that "plugs" don't always go into the wall. Some go into one's scalp.

Mr. H & friends! I love him!

I grew up with British plugs and hated how bulky they are. The advantage they do have is the plug is easy to change out, that wall sockets have switches. Beyond that, I hated them.

6:56 nop, as we told on other youtube vids, US is 120vac - 0v - 120vac giving 220vac as its two phase (delta). As UK is 230(240)Vac - 0V single phase (star).