Plug stuck in socket

[Sophieo128]

Hey!

My kettle plug is stuck in the socket.
We rent and we are unsure if this is a problem with the socket or the plug itself?
Can anyone explain what is likely to have happened to cause this?
We’ve had this kettle for about 2 months now. The plug is never left on after use.
Thank you

 

[terryplumb]

Most likely the socket needs replacing. Contact your landlord .

 

[ericmark]

I would agree does not really matter which was at fault, now you need to replace both. Be it over heating melted plastic or arcing welded it in, does not matter now, replace both.

 

[BS3036]

I would agree does not really matter which was at fault, now you need to replace both.

Well, the landlord does...

 

[johnny2007]

Call the landlord

 

[ericmark]

If over heated than the spring grip is lost, so socket needs replacing.

Unless the plug was not made to BS 1363 or it did not have a fuse to BS 1362 which is unlikely, then the landlord has really no option, he needs to swap the socket, and at around £1:20 price of socket is nothing, what costs is the tradesman to change it and issue the minor works certificate.

 

[Sophieo128]

Thank you so for for the responses.
We have contacted our landlord. Who asked us to arrange an electrician to take a look or for us to remove the plug and socket ourselves. We have no experience with electrical faults and so arranged for an electrician who will be charging us of course. We let the landlord know the price etc but now they are saying they won’t pay the charges as they are blaming the kettle. Either way the electrician will be coming as it’s a danger however is it certain to be the socket or will the electrician be able to tell once he’s taken a look?

 

[Sophieo128]

I would agree does not really matter which was at fault, now you need to replace both. Be it over heating melted plastic or arcing welded it in, does not matter now, replace both.

I totally agree both need replacing and will be This is more a question about who is responsible for the electrician charges. I should of been more clear in the question.

 

[Diver Fred]

*ecking tight landlord... Such stuff as your problem is tax deductible. If this is a recurring problem then maybe I'd be looking to you to pay but if it's the first then I (as a landlord of 40 years) would cheerfully pay up (or do it myself).

 

[Diver Fred]

*ecking tight landlord...

For BobbyD's benefit - I'm expressing an opinion here!

 

[sparkwright]

Get the electrician to tell the landlord a faulty socket caused this to happen.

 

[333rocky333]

Check the make of socket or even take a photo once its off, a cheap socket or an old worn socket can overheat due to the load of the kettle, though in an ideal world it should take the load of a kettle.

A newish kettle would normally have a moulded on plug, so unless you unplugged it thousands of times and worn down the metal pins, there should not be a problem.

On the kettle will be a WATTAGE rating on a label, can you see what it is and what make is the kettle.

A kettle is unlikely to cause a fault to overheat the socket, as said the plug is out of your hands as its moulded on, the kettle cannot normally produce a sustained overload to melt a plug, unless there was a serious manufacturing defect, though I have encountered moulded plugs overheating in the past, but its rare.
Any serious overload would have blew the fuse or tripped the circuit off, well before the plug melted.

I would say the socket was not up to task, though the Normal working load of a non faulty kettle is what pushed it over the edge.

 

[SUNRAY]

As a landlord myself I actively discourage my tenants from doing any electrical work on MY property.

I would attend at the earliest possible opportunity or send in an electrician to replace the socket and their plug at my cost. If the fault was the socket, I'd expect to cover whatever damage occurred to their kit without quibble.

 

[Sophieo128]

Check the make of socket or even take a photo once its off, a cheap socket or an old worn socket can overheat due to the load of the kettle, though in an ideal world it should take the load of a kettle.

A newish kettle would normally have a moulded on plug, so unless you unplugged it thousands of times and worn down the metal pins, there should not be a problem.

On the kettle will be a WATTAGE rating on a label, can you see what it is and what make is the kettle.

A kettle is unlikely to cause a fault to overheat the socket, as said the plug is out of your hands as its moulded on, the kettle cannot normally produce a sustained overload to melt a plug, unless there was a serious manufacturing defect, though I have encountered moulded plugs overheating in the past, but its rare.
Any serious overload would have blew the fuse or tripped the circuit off, well before the plug melted.

I would say the socket was not up to task, though the Normal working load of a non faulty kettle is what pushed it over the edge.

The socket is 100% the cheapest they could find no doubt.
The make is George Home and it says 2550-3000W. The plug is moulded.

thank you so much for your response. I think sometimes the landlord hopes tenets won’t know any better to question these things but just from the quality of the rest of this new build I felt something was off.

 

[Sophieo128]

As a landlord myself I actively discourage my tenants from doing any electrical work on MY property.

I would attend at the earliest possible opportunity or send in an electrician to replace the socket and their plug at my cost. If the fault was the socket, I'd expect to cover whatever damage occurred to their kit without quibble.

I wish you were my landlord haha! Thank you for being a good one. Once the electrician has been, if he can determine the cause is the socket we will be charging for a new kettle too. We wouldn’t normally but he seems to be trying to pull the wool over our eyes.