DIY Electrics in the Kitchen

[davidflett]

Okay, here's my set-up. In my Kitchen I have two double sockets. Only one of these is in a usable position, and it is used for 5 small appliances (kettle, toaster, george foreman, microwave, coffee maker).

For convenience I had hoped to add in another double socket adjacent to the existing one, however from my understanding of the rules in Scotland for Kitchen electrics, especially for Flats, I would need to have it done by a qualified electrician.

However, I was also looking at one of these MK Triple Switched Socket. Would it be possible for me to replace the existing switch with one of these?

Either that, or does anyone have any other "cheap" suggestions?

 

[ColJack]

Part P doesn't apply to scotland, but you lot may well have your own set of rules.. I have no idea since I don't work that far north on domestic..

 

[rebuke]

While a double socket can theoretically have 26A pulled through it (2x13A plugs), and a triple socket theoretically 39A, they are only rated for 13A total (in fact I suspect the triple socket will have a 13A fuse built in).

In particular in a kitchen, this means that if you have a (for sake of example, 3kW) kettle plugged in it, then when this is boiling, you shouldn't run anything else off the socket it's connected to, so the 5 appliances you have on your double socket at the moment could seriously overload the socket if all used at once (at which point the socket could melt a bit, or in an extreme case catch fire).

If I were you, I would replace the existing double socket with four single sockets...

 

[davidflett]

That switch does have a 13A fuse built in.

Hmm, I came in here hoping for a possible solution which would be cheap and instead I get told that it could catch fire and to install four sockets (£££).

I will have a good look into this now that you have scared me rebuke!

 

[davidflett]

Oh, one thing though, I NEVER have all five at once on the socket. At most two, it was just the constant swapping that was giving me grief. I know using an extension lead here would not be a good idea!

 

[rebuke]

To have a fire would be a very extreme case, but I have seen charred sockets where too much load was drawn through them (common example is people put the washing machine and the tumble dryer on one double socket).

The three socket thing you talk about would be safe, as it has a 13A fuse in (i.e. the fuse should blow before any damage occurred), but obviously it might mean the fuse blows during 'normal' use if you run too much at once...

 

[bernardgreen]

Hmm, I came in here hoping for a possible solution which would be cheap and instead I get told that it could catch fire and to install four sockets

Unfortunately a lot of things "done on the cheap" do result in damage and / or danger. At least you asked unlike many who do it on the cheap and are then faced with large bills to repair the damage.