How to use a tower extension lead
Updated: 24 October 2026
The tower is on the floor, the plugs are in your hand, and every empty socket looks like spare power. This is how to use a tower extension lead in a UK home: one wall socket, a dry hard surface, a load inside 13 A, and a stop when the plastic smells hot. Choosing length and plug type stays on the [tower extension lead buying guide](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/socket-tower/sub/socket-tower-buying-guide). The listings are on the [socket tower comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/socket-tower). Products Compared did not lab-test these units. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The tower is on the floor, the plugs are in your hand, and every empty socket looks like spare power.
The tower is on the floor, the plugs are in your hand, and every empty socket looks like spare power. This is how to use a tower extension lead in a UK home: one wall socket, a dry hard surface, a load inside 13 A, and a stop when the plastic smells hot. Choosing length and plug type stays on the tower extension lead buying guide. The listings are on the socket tower comparison. Products Compared did not lab-test these units. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Use it for | Limit | Stop if | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  HAFINO HAFINO 8-way tower with night light | A light desk on one socket | 13 A, 3,250 W | USB and the light stay on | 8.8 | about £20.62 | View offer |
| Best value |  Addtam Addtam 8-way tower, 1.8 m | A short braided lead on one socket | 13 A, 3,250 W | No switch stated; unplug at the wall | 8.2 | about £17.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  TESSAN TESSAN tower extension lead with USB-C | Eight sockets you can see | Plate, not 8 A and 101 A | It tips with bulky plugs | 8.7 | about £25.99 | View offer |
On this page
Put it on one socket, in one place
Unplug the tower before you inspect it. A UK plug has three rectangular pins and a fuse. If the earth pin is bent or snapped, stop. A KLINTOS review says the earth pin arrived broken and the buyer fitted a new plug. That is a return, not a repair you improvise. The earth pin is what opens the shutters on a BS 1363 socket. Stand the column on a hard, dry, level surface you can see. A carpet edge or the back of a sofa is a poor seat, because a plug-in brick leans out and the tower can tip. hotimy buyers report a tower that topples however the plugs are arranged. TESSAN reviewers say it will not stay upright with plugs bulkier than a standard 3-pin. Push each plug fully home. Keep the flex where feet will not trap it. Kent Fire and Rescue warns against flex under a rug, because a covered cable can overheat out of sight. The choice between a column and a flat bar is on tower extension lead vs power strip.
Add up the load, not the sockets
A usual UK socket and a usual extension are rated at 13 A, about 3,000 W to 3,250 W depending on how the listing writes the voltage. Eight or twelve sockets do not multiply that. Lichfield District Council’s household guide puts a kettle around 13 A, a toaster around 9 A, a microwave around 7 A to 10 A, a phone charger under 1 A and a laptop around 2 A to 3 A. Those are the council’s figures, not a measurement of your own appliance. The label on the appliance wins. A desk of a laptop, a monitor, a lamp and phones sits inside 13 A on that guide. Add the label watts and divide by about 230 if you want a check. USB charging is a small part of the same budget. The ceilings are on the tower extension lead USB C page. A kettle, toaster, microwave or heater belongs in the wall socket. London Fire Brigade says those high-draw appliances should not share an extension. If the tower’s plate says less than 13 A, follow the plate. TESSAN prints both 8 A and 101 A, so you use the mark on the unit, not an average.
Do not daisy-chain
Plug the tower into a wall socket, not into another lead, a reel or a cube. Electrical Safety First’s rule is one extension per socket. A second tower on the back of the first is the same mistake. If a 1.8 m or 2 m lead does not reach, use one lead of the right length. Do not join two short ones. A block adaptor is not an escape. London Fire Brigade and Scottish Fire and Rescue prefer a fused in-line lead to a plug-in cube, and they still say not to overload it. Hanging a cube off the tower to gain one more socket adds weight and another joint. If the tower is how the room runs every evening because the house has too few sockets, Electrical Safety First points you towards a registered electrician. Extra wall sockets remove the reason to chain leads.
Stop when it smells hot or a switch has failed
Unplug at the wall if you smell hot or burnt plastic, or if you see scorch marks, sparks, melted plastic, or fuses blowing for no clear reason. Do not keep using it while you watch. Electrical Safety First treats a hot or damaged lead as something to replace. An SE UKASE review reports a burnt-plastic smell and overheating in a living room. That unit comes out of service. A toomke 12-way review says a side button failed after about a year of light use. A failed switch or a constant beep is a stop, not a quirk. If the wall socket is hot, cracked or loose, leave the tower unplugged and use a registered electrician. Do not open it, and do not fit a larger fuse to stop it blowing. A side switch may leave USB and a night light on. That is inconvenient, and it is different from a burning smell. If you only want the USB rail dead, unplug at the wall. The shortlist for a light desk is on best tower extension lead.
Common questions
Can I plug this tower into another extension lead?
Use one tower in one wall socket. Electrical Safety First tells you not to daisy-chain leads. A reel, a cube or a second tower in the back of this one is the same pattern. If the cable is short, replace the whole lead with one that reaches, after you have checked that the length on the listing matches the box.
Can a kettle, heater or microwave go on the tower?
Put a kettle, a toaster, a microwave or a heater in the wall socket. London Fire Brigade gives that warning for shared extension leads. Lichfield’s guide puts a kettle near 13 A on its own, which would consume a typical 13 A fuse, and your appliance label overrides that guide if they differ. Empty sockets on the tower are not spare capacity for those loads.
Is a desk of a laptop, a monitor and phones inside 13 A?
On the council’s rule of thumb, a laptop is about 2 A to 3 A and a phone charger is under 1 A, so a normal desk sits well below 13 A. Add the watts on each label if you want a figure for your own kit. These towers are sold for that lighter mix. The moment a kettle joins the same column, the kettle should move to the wall socket.
Where should the column stand?
On a hard, dry, level surface you can see, with each plug pushed home and the flex out of the walkway. Keep it off rugs. hotimy and TESSAN reviews both describe towers that do not stay upright once the plugs are bulky. If it tips, take the awkward plugs off before you add more.
What do I do if it smells of hot plastic?
Switch off at the wall and unplug. Leave it out of service. Scorch marks, melted plastic, sparks, or a fuse that blows without a clear reason are the same stop. An SE UKASE review describes a burnt-plastic smell and overheating. If the wall socket is the part that is hot or cracked once the tower is removed, that is a registered electrician’s visit, not a replacement tower in the same socket.
Should I run the cable under a rug to hide it?
Leave the flex in the open. Kent Fire and Rescue warns against flex under rugs, because the cable can heat where you cannot see it. Do not bury a mains lead in a wall either. If the only tidy route is a hidden one, ask for a fixed socket. Tape along the skirting is a trip hazard and a poor substitute for a lead that actually reaches.
When do I call an electrician instead of buying another tower?
Call one when the wall socket is hot, cracked, discoloured or loose, or when you are relying on extension leads every day because the room has too few outlets. Electrical Safety First separates those jobs from simply replacing a damaged lead. A failed switch on the tower is a reason to stop using that tower. It is not a reason to chain a new one into the same damaged socket.
Related pages
Sources
Sources taken from the research digest. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in the stored listings. This page did not run a lab test.
- Electrical Safety First — extension leads, cable reels and block adaptors (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Electrical Safety First — overloading sockets (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Electrical Safety First — plugs and fuses (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- BEAMA — extension lead safety check-list (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- IET — Surge protective devices (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Kent Fire and Rescue Service — electricity safety (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- London Fire Brigade — cables, fuses and leads (retrieved 22.10.2026)