Socket question

savcab

brownbake wrote: »

Hi - we just retiled our kitchen and replaced the sockets with these

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/45851/Electrical/Switches-Sockets/Stainless-Steel/Volex-Brushed-Stainless/Volex-White-Insert-Kitchen-Starter-Kit

Look pretty good against the new tiles and cheaper than buying individually. Brushed chrome don't show up fingerprints as much as polished chrome.

Just be sure to make sure the cooker switch is off when you remove as my partner found out and blew the socket up and scolded the tile!!!

I hope you remmebered to earth the socket front plates

Some chrome can tarnish when theres moisture around. Brushed chrome i feel looks better and is less likely to mark.

TighterThanTwoCoatsOfPain

brownbake wrote: »

If the socket accidentally "falls off" if all you are doing is removing the retaining screws I would suggest that it wasn't wired in very well in the first place and could be dangerous anyway

It was a "fall off" in the same vein as "it was already there guv".. but yeah you're spot on!

I tend to sit in the "if you have to ask dont do it" camp.. I sold a Ceramic Hob on ebay a little while back.. The bloke complained and asked where the Flex was... Told him not to be so soft as it draws 7Kw... He said "ahhh well, i'm just gonna chuck a plug on it"... Sent him a big note instructing him not to be so daft. Hopefully he listened!

brownbake

We just retiled and changed the sockets as a new kitchen was completely out of range money wise. Got a sparky to change all the sockets and add a fused spur for a dishwasher under the cabinet - just in case we got one - and was being tiled.

It was all signed off and certificated and he put the sockets on a new MCB next to the consumer unit.

They had to be removed to fit the large tiles - partner switched off the "sockets" and assumed that the cooker switch was a socket. He got a big surprise when he offered up the new socket to the tile cut out and it exploded in his hand!!

I can't believe that he was so lucky as he was handling and messing about with live wires. He was more annoyed that he ruined the tile that took him an hour cutting out and blew up the socket costing another £13!!! LOL.