Faulty Outlet Socket: DIY?

[LongEars]

My spark fitted a box style double wall socket about 6 months ago.

Worked fine until a few weeks ago, now the left socket can't be turned off. The switch can be set to the off position but anything plugged in remains live.

Is this as simple as buying a new outlet switching off at the mains and replacing it myself?

Cheers

 

[bernardgreen]

Is this as simple as buying a new outlet switching off at the mains and replacing it myself?

Yes if you have the necesary knowledge to connect the new faceplate correctly.

They may be a reason the switch has failed. What was the socket used for and was the switch used to control a heavy load such as a 3 kW heater / kettle

 

[JohnW2]

My spark fitted a box style double wall socket about 6 months ago. Worked fine until a few weeks ago, now the left socket can't be turned off. The switch can be set to the off position but anything plugged in remains live. Is this as simple as buying a new outlet switching off at the mains and replacing it myself?

Basically, yes .... but if it is only 6 months old, you should not need to pay for a new one. Did your electrician supply the socket? If so, it would probably be down to him to replace it.

Kind Regards, John

 

[LongEars]

They may be a reason the switch has failed. What was the socket used for and was the switch used to control a heavy load such as a 3 kW heater / kettle

Good Spot, there was 2-3 month period where we ran a 2.4kW fan heater daily for a few hours. Outside of that nothing more demanding than a laptop.

 

[JohnW2]

Good Spot, there was 2-3 month period where we ran a 2.4kW fan heater daily for a few hours. Outside of that nothing more demanding than a laptop.

A load within the rating of the socket should not really result in the switch contacts being damaged (e.g. welding together) within 6 months (if that's what has happened).

Are you aware of a fault current (e.g. due to some sort of short circuit in an appliance) ever having flowed through the socket? Such a current could possibly be hundreds of amps (until a fuse blow or some breaker tripped) and could potentially result in switch damage.

Also, I wonder if, when it was being used for the fan heater, the socket switch was ever 'switched off' under load (i.e. whilst the heater was running)? Although the switch really ought to be able tolerate that, it is again a possible cause of switch damage.

Having said all that, it could simply be a 'mechanical switch failure', the switch lever having become disconnected from the switch mechanism (probably due to some manufacturing imperfection), which is permanently in the 'on' state.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Keithmac]

I switched our toaster off once at the socket while it was on, the socket didn't like it!.

 

[John D v2.0]

Good Spot, there was 2-3 month period where we ran a 2.4kW fan heater daily for a few hours. Outside of that nothing more demanding than a laptop.

We had the same with one of our old unknown make sockets, the builders were running a 2kw heater and 800w light pair plus probably other things off it, now it's just on all the time as soon as you plug in.
Get a known make of socket and hopefully it will be better.

 

[JohnW2]

We had the same with one of our old unknown make sockets, the builders were running a 2kw heater and 800w light pair plus probably other things off it, now it's just on all the time as soon as you plug in.

Me too. As I've implied, I suspect that when it happens it's most commonly due either to the switch having carried a (very high) fault current, or to the switch being used to break 'large' loads (although they really should be designed to break currents up to the capacity of the accessory!).

As I've also said, mechanical breakdown (rather than 'welding of contacts') does also happen. I've seen (usually cheap/nameless) sockets in which the switch lever/rocker/dolly ceases to do anything (even stay in any particular position), presumably indicating a failure of the mechanical linkage to the switch mechanism.

Kind Regards, John