Pop, flash, smoke - what was that?!

[Burt Stormberger]

Hi everyone

A strange one happened today...

Following using the iron, I went to switch the socket off before removing the plug. As I switched the socket off, there was a pop and a flash followed by a small puff of smoke. The RCD tripped at the same time.

It seemed coincidental that it would happen as I switch the socket off, but I assumed the most likely thing to be at fault to be the iron so opened up the plug and had a look inside. Everything looked clean and the fuse was still ok so i moved my attention to the socket.

I took the socket away from the wall and inspected the cabling but again, everything looked clean and ok, cables seated correctly and secure.

In the absence of any obvious fault, I reset the RCD and tested the socket and iron and all worked ok.

I expected to find a fairly obvious smoking gun given the pop, flash, smoke and tripped RCD, but nothing.

Any ideas? Should i be concerned our just forget it ever happened?

Thanks
Burt

 

[aptsys]

If the smoke came from the socket, then it seems logical there was an internal flashover. Replace the socket.

 

[John D v2.0]

Agreed I'd replace the socket too, must be a barrier missing or soiled/damp for that to happen.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Or there was an intermittent earth fault now "cleared" by the event which generated a flash followed by a small puff of smoke, and now the socket has lost its earth.

Who knows what it was.

Maybe the socket needs replacing, and maybe it doesn't, but one thing which is not a maybe is

Should i ... just forget it ever happened?

ASAP - turn off the power, remove the socket, and look for any signs of damage, burns etc.

 

[333rocky333]

Is it a powerful iron, sometimes with cheap sockets , the switches dont switch cleanly and you hear them fizzle and see them spark a bit.

 

[DaveHerns]

Socket loose in backbox, wires fretted away until one shorted out? Happened twice in my mum's house.

 

[SUNRAY]

Is it a powerful iron, sometimes with cheap sockets , the switches dont switch cleanly and you hear them fizzle and see them spark a bit.

I had exactly this happen at a relatives house, coincidently with the socket that more or less only gets used for the iron. The switch was feeling a bit 'soft' and OP description of the incident is perfect.
I replaced the socket there and then and, as there was no visible signs of damage, removed the brown part from the white to reveal the flash burn around the switch which had tracked to the earth bar.
BTW this problem is not limited to cheaper makes, this was one of the last MK components in the property.

 

[Seb101]

Had this with a socket after doing a bit of renovation. Took the socket apart (including the internals) and found the whole thing was FULL of dust, both the plug receptacles and the switch rockers. Hoovered it out and re-assembled and no problems since. If you're not confident re-assembling the socket correctly, they are a little fiddly, just buy a new one.

 

[Mottie]

I once switched on a kettle and had the most terrific bang and flash from the socket. I removed the socket and found a couple of thousand fried ants in there!

 

[John D v2.0]

I once switched on a kettle and had the most terrific bang and flash from the socket. I removed the socket and found a couple of thousand fried ants in there!

Fried ants sounds like a Chinese delicacy! Did they stay for a cup of tea?

 

[Ian H]

I once used the iron

 

[SUNRAY]

I once used the iron

IMPOSTER!

 

[JohnW2]

I once switched on a kettle and had the most terrific bang and flash from the socket. I removed the socket and found a couple of thousand fried ants in there!

I've seen that with outdoor stuff, usually spiders rather than ants - they seem to manage to creep in through pretty tiny 'drainage' holes.

Kind Regards, john

 

[SUNRAY]

IMPOSTER!

perhaps traitor is a better word

 

[SUNRAY]

I've seen that with outdoor stuff, usually spiders rather than ants - they seem to manage to creep in through pretty tiny 'drainage' holes.

Kind Regards, john

I found this was a serious problem in some farm buildings where the installation was littered with brown JB's which were filled to the brim, to the point that it became a solid (moulded) mass and not easy to remove, with a selection of different creatures. Mostly earwigs and ladybirds.
I started looking because of the constant load (the meter going round) otherwise it would have gone on forever.