Metal plug sockets are they a good or bad idea?

confusedLG

Simply because if they are metal would they conduct? I have a bland cheaply rented flat and I have the skills to rewire plug and light sockets and I think metal ones would make the property much nicer at a cheap price.

The other reason I ask is that I used to use fan heaters in plastic sockets in the past and when they have been on for a while I have to turn off the power at wall for about 30 minutes before removing plugs as the expansion of the plastic.

jhs14

confusedLG wrote: »

Simply because if they are metal would they conduct? I have a bland cheaply rented flat and I have the skills to rewire plug and light sockets and I think metal ones would make the property much nicer at a cheap price.

Yes, but they must be earthed (metal light switches as well as sockets).

The other reason I ask is that I used to use fan heaters in plastic sockets in the past and when they have been on for a while I have to turn off the power at wall for about 30 minutes before removing plugs as the expansion of the plastic.

Because the plug is too hot? That is very worrying. Also it must have been a very low quality socket.

HappyMJ

Not really worth it. It would be better to hide the sockets as much as possible rather than making them look nice. I'm not bothered as how they look. I don't go to people's houses and think wow you have those nice metal plug sockets. They are still plastic underneath so I don't believe it would fix the fault you describe.

As you are renting I wouldn't bother upgrading a property which is not your own. The landlord would appreciate it if you paid for it but I doubt you will be given permission to DIY. The landlord is responsible for any faults and if he allows you to rewire it and you rewire it incorrectly the landlord could be liable for any injury caused.

Gordon_Hose

I have metal light switches and they are earthed. Never had a shock.

I have white plastic plug sockets so they don't scream, "LOOK AT ME, I'M A MASSIVE PLUG SOCKET!!!!!!".

DRP

HappyMJ wrote: »

The landlord is responsible for any faults and if he allows you to rewire it and you rewire it incorrectly the landlord could be liable for any injury caused.

Agree with this^^

DRP

confusedLG wrote: »

Simply because if they are metal would they conduct? I have a bland cheaply rented flat and I have the skills to rewire plug and light sockets and I think metal ones would make the property much nicer at a cheap price.

The other reason I ask is that I used to use fan heaters in plastic sockets in the past and when they have been on for a while I have to turn off the power at wall for about 30 minutes before removing plugs as the expansion of the plastic.

Really?

I would have thought a bit of paint, new curtains or a rug would make the property 'much nicer'.

And given it is rented, a rug or curtains are much more portable...

confusedLG

I was about to say that it was a 2kw heater so shouldnt get that bad but realised it is a 3kw one, at my last property I had it on and the plug melted about a week after I moved in within minutes of turning it on but used it daily till then, the plug had a bubble on it and was jammed in socket, had to use a knife to lift it out of socket where it just crumbled and socket was cracked and burned, LL did replace it and I got a replacement from Argos of the same one as it was under warranty but ran it at half, when I moved to current one I had the same issue that after about 2 weeks of running it at full for a hour or two a day the plug and socket broke but replaced it myself and again got a replacement from Argos, this one I cant even set to full as it trips itself each time its on full but again fine on half.

Could just be a cheap and nasty brand of heaters.

jhs14

confusedLG wrote: »

I was about to say that it was a 2kw heater so shouldnt get that bad but realised it is a 3kw one, at my last property I had it on and the plug melted about a week after I moved in within minutes of turning it on but used it daily till then, the plug had a bubble on it and was jammed in socket, had to use a knife to lift it out of socket where it just crumbled and socket was cracked and burned, LL did replace it and I got a replacement from Argos of the same one as it was under warranty but ran it at half, when I moved to current one I had the same issue that after about 2 weeks of running it at full for a hour or two a day the plug and socket broke but replaced it myself and again got a replacement from Argos, this one I cant even set to full as it trips itself each time its on full but again fine on half.

Could just be a cheap and nasty brand of heaters.

Could be. The reason it's melted could be because there's too much current going through the plug. Sockets are rated to 13A so should be able to cope with 3kw. Was the plug fused?

More likely, it's because the plug or socket had a loose connection, causing a high resistance connection and therefore heat.

The reason it trips however is because the circuit is overloaded. What circuit breaker is on the circuit - 16A or 32A? If 16A, then you're using most of the circuit capicity for the heater alone.

As worrying as all of this is, none of it has anything at all to do with using plastic sockets rather than metal sockets.