fuse confusion - is it safe to replace the face on a plug socket yourself?

muckybutt

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Do people really need to be told how to change a fuse! It's so simple and straight-forward a teenage child if not younger should be able to do it.

Not asking how to change a fuse ! OP is asking if the socket is fused and how easy is it to change a socket.

OP I am sorry but if you have to ask a question like you did then in my eyes you are not competent enough to do the task, I am not having a go or dissing diyers but if you dont get it right then at worst it could mean an electric shock / death / fire.

All too many times sparkies like myself and others on here get call outs to diyers that get it wrong or we go to correct their mistakes. Socket terminals should actually be tightened with a torque screwdriver nowadays to ensure a decent and tight secure termination.

brightontraveller

muckybutt wrote: »

Not asking how to change a fuse ! OP is asking if the socket is fused and how easy is it to change a socket.

OP I am sorry but if you have to ask a question like you did then in my eyes you are not competent enough to do the task, I am not having a go or dissing diyers but if you dont get it right then at worst it could mean an electric shock / death / fire.

All too many times sparkies like myself and others on here get call outs to diyers that get it wrong or we go to correct their mistakes. Socket terminals should actually be tightened with a torque screwdriver nowadays to ensure a decent and tight secure termination.

I agree if you have to ask and it involves gas / electric / structural works then get someone in… Its not like many works that chances of death fire etc are slim to non existent not heard of many deaths from tilling, painting, carpentry etc … If done incorrectly it will set on fire/electrocute etc and could kill you…

prowla

brightontraveller wrote: »

I agree if you have to ask and it involves gas / electric / structural works then get someone in… Its not like many works that chances of death fire etc are slim to non existent not heard of many deaths from tilling, painting, carpentry etc … If done incorrectly it will set on fire/electrocute etc and could kill you…

Changing a plug socket is a quite simple task, and the procedure is straightforward and repeatable.

Crossing the road is dangerous unless you follow a procedure.

wallbash

gas / electric / structural works then get someone in…

But not a paid electrician, just someone who has done it for years, who will guide your first time.
You needed help from the Green Cross Guy , but you moved on.

adonis

muckybutt wrote: »

Not asking how to change a fuse ! OP is asking if the socket is fused and how easy is it to change a socket.

OP I am sorry but if you have to ask a question like you did then in my eyes you are not competent enough to do the task, I am not having a go or dissing diyers but if you dont get it right then at worst it could mean an electric shock / death / fire.

All too many times sparkies like myself and others on here get call outs to diyers that get it wrong or we go to correct their mistakes. Socket terminals should actually be tightened with a torque screwdriver nowadays to ensure a decent and tight secure termination.

I wonder how many electricians have a torque screwdriver in their tool kit and how many that do actually get them calibrated every year, if we change a wheel on our cars without a torque wrench we are supposed to go to a garage to have them checked but who does.

I would rather someone ask questions before they do a job than after when it all goes wrong.

brightontraveller

Its down to liability exercise regardless of works use a "competent person" liability passes to them.... Don’t then it stays with person doing works / those instructing them to do so etc, Defining competent could well be a minefield but in most cases a court would suffice that membership of a recognised governing body is sufficient to deem competent be that electrical, gas, structural legal etc

Rodders53

Every 13A socket I've ever bought has come with a little leaflet explaining how to install it. e.g. http://www.free-instruction-manuals.com/pdf/pa_359542.pdf from Electrum (Crabtree).

The dodgy advice I'd question in this thread is to use a chocolate-block connector to extend a too-short wire! {Unless someone has really badly bodged the original socket install they will almost certainly not be too short. But chock-blocks are not a good idea!}

Replacing existing socket outlets one of the few things we are still allowed to do under Building Control Regs.

jeallen01

Rodders53 wrote: »

The dodgy advice I'd question in this thread is to use a chocolate-block connector to extend a too-short wire! {Unless someone has really badly bodged the original socket install they will almost certainly not be too short. But chock-blocks are not a good idea!}
.

My view, having had to do this on several occasions over a number of years, is that the fact is that there is sometimes no other option apart from ripping out the plaster/plasterboard and rewiring all the way back to the consumer unit, and it is perfectly same if done reasonably carefully, thus:


1) The approach will only work where the wall-box is reasonably deep (35mm or deeper, but not the 20mm deep ones) and the socket face is one of the shallower ones, if it is a flush-fitting type - so make sure you choose one of those;
2) Buy the terminal block from a reputable source such as your supplier of electrical installation materials in general or one of the large DIY chains (Wickes tends to be good and well-priced) as they should sell only reasonably good quality materials - I would not recommend internet purchases from unknown sources!;
3) The terminal block used must have terminals holes of appropriate size - neither too small (and the conductors won't fit in properly) nor too big (the terminal screw might not clamp the conductors adequately). Preferably the holes should however be large enough to allow the conductors inserted from both sides to slide almost all the way through, so that they lay parallel with each other before the screw is tightened);
3) The terminal block must have the metal block well recessed at either side from the outer edge of the surrounding plastic moulding, so that any potentially loose strands, or exposed conductor, is not visible from the outside after the terminal screw is tightened; similarly the top of the screw head must be well-recessed down the plastic tower around it when tightened.
4) Connect the conductors from the wall to the terminal block, and then use just sufficient insulated extension conductors to reach the appropriate terminals on the back of the socket face, whilst still allowing enough length to allow the terminal block to be located in the rear of the wall box without the conductors coming under strain when the socket face is screwed in to position.
5) And, as I said before, make sure you "double-tighten" all the terminal screws on the terminal block and the socket face before you screw the latter in place - and use common sense, and not "gorilla force" to tighten those screws, as they need to be secure but not so tight that you can't get them out again, or else strain the screws to the point where they shear off!


As for torque wrenches? Good in theory, except that virtually no-one has one except for the occasional humungous thing they have in the garage for the bolts on the car; but, even if they do have a very small one, the installation leaflets that come with each socket face don't state the requisite torque figures, so what torque setting would you actually tighten the screws to? (if the socket face suppliers thought you needed a torque wrench, they would specify that in the leaflets and give the relevant torque settings - never ever seen that, and expect that I never will )

prowla

Torque wrench for a plug socket = baloney!

jeallen01

prowla wrote: »

Torque wrench for a plug socket = baloney!

Can I not but totally agree