What is the Difference between C13 and C15 Power Cords?
There is an array of power cords available in the market. It can get quite perplexing to choose the one that will fit your needs. In order to know more about them, you must have more information about these cords. This article will acquaint you with IEC C13 and IEC C15 power cords and how they are different from each other. But before that, let us understand what IEC is. IEC stands for International Electrotechnical Commission. Every cord is standardized by IEC before it is introduced in the market. These cords use the letter “C” which is followed by the number in their cords. Let’s get back to understanding the difference between IEC-C13 and C15 connectors. Some of them are mentioned below.
Difference of a Notch
One of the most apparent differences between the two connectors is the notch on C15 connector. Although C15 looks quite similar to C13, it has a little groove opposite the earth. The IEC-C15 connectors also work in the C14 outlets. But the IEC-C13 connectors do not fit in the C16 inlets.
Temperature rating
This is an important factor that makes IEC-C15 different from C13. C15 connectors are designed in such a way that they can handle high temperature devices like electric kettles, server rooms, computing networking closets and Power over Ethernet switches having high wattage power supply. These connectors work on the temperature rating of 120°C.
IEC-C13 connectors are rated at 15A/250V locally and at 10A/250V internationally with the temperature rating of 65°C. So when you need a power cord device having high temperature, you can use C15 instead of C13.
Uses
C13 and C14 power cords are usually utilized with personal computer. They are often known as “Kettle Cord”. However, kettles need C15/C16 power cords.
C15 power cords are used in high temperature surroundings like electric kettle and computer networking closet. They are also used in Cisco MDS9500 series rack-mounted SAN switches, Early Xbox 360 power supplies and HP Procurve Switches.
We hope this article must have brought a lot of clarity in understanding the difference between C13 and C15 power cords. Before buying one of these, you can get in touch with the company you are buying from and ask for all the information about these power cords. These cords can also be purchased online. Apart from getting the information, make sure you know the exact purpose of ordering one of these cords.
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