Electrical question - washine machine plug seized in socket

JimmyTheWig

Our washing machine stopped working, so we got Dyson to come and have a look at it.
Apparently the guy who came can't do anything as the plug has fused to the socket (as though it has melted) and he says we need an electrician.

It doesn't sound to me like a job that needs a qualified electrician.
My thinking is...
1. Turn the power off at the fuse box
2. Cut the cord
3. Get the socket off the wall
4. Replace the socket
5. Replace the plug on the washing machine
6. Turn the power back on

I can't see any reason why we can't do that ourselves, rather than paying out for an electrician. Or have I missed anything?
The only thing I can think of is that we'd be going from a moulded plug to a non-moulded one, which isn't ideal near where water will be. But presumably there's not much we can do about that, is there?
Presumably there'd be no reason why Dyson would require a qualified electrician to change the plug to keep it within its guarantee? I guess we could check with them...

Any thoughts?

mooncat

you dont need a qualified electrician.
what you do need is to be 100 % sure youve turned the power off

get a decent make replacement socket

malamute

Your method of tackling the job is more than adequate in my opinion. What i would be concerned about is how this has occurred is the plug not fully in the socket and allowed arching over the terminals?. Keep what you remove so that you can show the engineer if required or further investigation needed. Very unusual never came across this personnaly.

JimmyTheWig

mooncat wrote: »

you dont need a qualified electrician.

And you don't think we'd invalidate the extended warranty by cutting the chord ourselves?

what you do need is to be 100 % sure youve turned the power off

Absolutelty! I'll turn the power to the whole house off just to be sure.

get a decent make replacement socket

Such as? One that "looks good" in B&Q?

JimmyTheWig

malamute wrote: »

Your method of tackling the job is more than adequate in my opinion.

Yay! Thanks.

What i would be concerned about is how this has occurred is the plug not fully in the socket and allowed arching over the terminals?. Keep what you remove so that you can show the engineer if required or further investigation needed. Very unusual never came across this personnaly.

At the moment the plug doesn't look fully in place, so that might have been the problem.

Also, we've had some problems with this socket. It is directly under our bathroom and a while ago we had a leak. Might this have caused the problem?

JimmyTheWig

The other problem I've got is how to physicaaly remove the socket. When I first thought about it I figured I could just unscrew it.
But having had another look the plug is covering one of the screws on the front plate of the socket.

Do I just use brute force with a screwdriver or something?

shandypants5

You sound like you can handle the job just fine.

Just one thing though, while you have the socket off try to find out if the socket is part of the propper ring main or if it is a "spur" off another socket.

If its a spur this can cause an electrical hotspot and may be why the plug has melted.

A ring main socket should have 6 wires, 2 black 2 red 2 green /earth.
a spur will only have 3.

shandypants5

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

The other problem I've got is how to physicaaly remove the socket. When I first thought about it I figured I could just unscrew it.
But having had another look the plug is covering one of the screws on the front plate of the socket.

Do I just use brute force with a screwdriver or something?

if you can get 1 screw out the other may just break away from the fasia plate with brute force..

JimmyTheWig

shandypants5 wrote: »

if you can get 1 screw out the other may just break away from the fasia plate with brute force..

Sounds good to me.

shandypants5 wrote: »

If its a spur this can cause an electrical hotspot and may be why the plug has melted.

And so if it is a spur, anything I can do about it?

YorkshireBoy

shandypants5 wrote: »

If its a spur this can cause an electrical hotspot and may be why the plug has melted.

There is only (a maximum of) 13A flowing through the socket. How will that create a "hotspot"?

A ring main socket should have 6 wires, 2 black 2 red 2 green /earth.
a spur will only have 3.

It's not safe to assume that if there are 6 wires it's a ring. If someone has created a two socket radial circuit by spurring off a spur (and it happens!) then you will also see 6 wires.

YorkshireBoy

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

The only thing I can think of is that we'd be going from a moulded plug to a non-moulded one, which isn't ideal near where water will be.

That's not an issue Jimmy, because water could seep into the fuse receptacle between the pins of the plug anyway.