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How to use an 8 way extension lead

Updated: 23 October 2026

You already have the bar, and the risky moment is when it disappears behind the television or under the desk. An 8 way extension lead still has one 13 A fuse. Check the marking, keep one lead to one wall socket, add up what will run together, then place the bar so it can lose heat. The [8 way extension lead comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-8-way) is where the models sit. This uses amazon.co.uk listings and public UK safety guidance, updated 20 October 2026. We did not lab-test it. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have the bar, and the risky moment is when it disappears behind the television or under the desk. An 8 way extension lead still has one 13 A fuse.

Our top picks

Brennenstuhl Brennenstuhl Primera-Line, 2 m, black

Best overall

Brennenstuhl Brennenstuhl Primera-Line, 2 m, black
8.6/10about £18.62
View offer
Masterplug Masterplug BEN210-MP, 2 m, white

Best value

Masterplug Masterplug BEN210-MP, 2 m, white
8.5/10about £11.99
View offer
Pro Elec Pro Elec 8-way, 5 m, switched

Alternative

Pro Elec Pro Elec 8-way, 5 m, switched
8.3/10about £16.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you hide it behind the cabinet
  2. 2.One wall socket, one lead
  3. 3.What can share eight sockets
  4. 4.Placement, switches, and mounting
  5. 5.When you stop and unplug

Before you hide it behind the cabinet

Read the rating on the bar and on the plug before the furniture goes back. Most UK extension leads are 13 A devices with a 13 A BS 1362 fuse. Kent Fire and Rescue’s ceiling is about 13 A or 3,000 W for everything that runs at once. None of the bars in this set claim an RCD. If the plug, the fuse, or the rating mark looks damaged, do not hide the lead.

One wall socket, one lead

Electrical Safety First’s rule is one extension per wall socket. A second 8 way lead plugged into the first does not create 26 A. It leaves the same fuse and adds contacts behind the cabinet. If the room needs more outlets, a registered electrician fits another socket. Do not cut the moulded plug off to rewire it.
Brennenstuhl Brennenstuhl Primera-Line, 2 m, black

Testsieger

Brennenstuhl Brennenstuhl Primera-Line, 2 m, black
8.6/10about £18.62
View offer

What can share eight sockets

Add up appliances that will run at the same time, not plugs that merely sit in a socket. A television, a console, a router, a lamp, and a phone charger are usually a modest slice of 13 A. A kettle, a toaster, a microwave, a fan heater, or an iron can take most of the fuse alone. Bulky plugs often fill the bar before the amps do. The USB page covers those ports. Surge joules do not raise this total.

Placement, switches, and mounting

Put the bar where air can move and where you can still reach the plug. Do not seal it against a hot television vent or trap the cable under a rug. A 2 m cable suits the same wall. Spare length on a 5 m lead should lie loose, not coiled tight. A power light only tells you the bar is live.

When you stop and unplug

Stop if the plastic is hot, if you smell warming insulation, or if you see scorch marks. A fuse that blows for no clear reason is not a prompt to fit a larger fuse. Unplug at the wall first. A lead that has popped or failed once is finished. Call a registered electrician if the wall socket is warm. The buying guide is the checklist if you replace the bar.

Common questions

How many watts can I put on an 8 way lead at once?
Keep the simultaneous load inside the marked rating, as a rule of thumb about 13 A or 3,000 W, which is 2,990 W at 230 V. A label of 3,120 W or 3,250 W is the same fuse written at 240 V or 250 V. Count appliances that run together. A socket with nothing drawing power does not use the budget, and a socket with a heater does.
Can a kettle, fan heater, or iron go on it?
No. Those appliances are the loads London Fire Brigade and Electrical Safety First want on a wall socket, not shared across one extension. Invero’s own bullets make the same point for heaters, fridges, washing machines, and dishwashers. One of them can approach the whole 13 A fuse before you have plugged in the television.
Can I plug one 8 way lead into another?
No. Daisy-chaining leaves one 13 A fuse at the wall and adds joints you cannot see once the cabinet is back. Electrical Safety First states the rule directly: one extension per socket, and do not plug an extension into an extension. If the layout needs more outlets, ask a registered electrician about another socket.
What fuse do I fit if the plug fuse blows?
Use another 13 A BS 1362 fuse, and only after you have found what overloaded the lead. The fuse is there to open when the current is too high. A larger fuse removes that limit and leaves the cable as the weak part. If the fuse blows again with a normal light load, stop and unplug rather than cycling fuses.
Where should I put the bar behind a TV or under a desk?
Keep it in free air, off a hot television vent, and off the floor where feet and chairs can crush the cable. A same-wall television usually suits a 2 m lead. Do not coil spare cable under a rug while it is plugged in. You should still be able to reach the wall plug without moving the whole cabinet.
What are the danger signs I should stop for?
Heat in the plastic, a smell of warming insulation, crackling, scorch marks, sparks, or a fuse that blows without an obvious extra load. Unplug at the wall socket and leave the bar out of service. A surge light going out, if you have one, is a separate sign that the surge parts may be spent. The sockets can still pass power after that, which is why the fuse and the RCD are different layers.
When do I call a registered electrician instead?
Call one if the wall socket is hot, the breaker or RCD trips as soon as you reset it, you want new sockets because a lead has become everyday wiring, or you are about to add a heater or an EV charger to a circuit you do not understand. Choosing a different 8 way bar does not repair a warm socket. Mounting holes on the bar do not change that.

Related pages

8 way surge protected extension lead

Extension lead 8-way

Best 8 way extension lead for the TV, value or 5 m

8 way extension lead buying guide for one 13 A fuse

8 way extension lead with USB for phones, not laptops

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 19 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.

  1. Electrical Safety First — Extension leads (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Electrical Safety First — Plugs and fuses (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First — Appliance ratings (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. BEAMA — Extension lead safety check-list (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. BSI — BS 1363-2:2023 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. OPSS — Tower power strip recall (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Philips UK — What is a joule (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Kent Fire and Rescue — Electricity safety (retrieved 19.10.2026)