Power socket flashes
- Thread starter lucy2222
- Start date
if you have a high current appliance running when you switch it off it isnt that abnormal, its just worsened by cheap/old switches. what is plugged in when you see the spark? -an iron? its best if you can turn the appliance off at its own switch first. irons dont have switched as such but if its hot and you turn it down it will turn off (until it drops below a certain temperature).
JohnD said:
Yes the flash is close to the switch and is blue. An oil heater was plugged in to it at the time and i'm not sure if it was switched off. Couldn't tell you the brand name, it is a standard plastic cover. Could you recommend a good brand before I attempt to replace the others?
The old ones have no switches and are ancient so do need replacing
Good brands widely available:
MK, Crabtree, MEM
there are cheaper ones which are cheap for a reason.
If you have the chance to buy them with dual-pole switches, they are slightly preferable to single-pole.
You can usually buy them in a carton of 10 or so at a much better price than if you buy them singly in the high street. If you have an electrical wholesaler near you, call in, after looking at the prices in your DIY shed. Check that the wholesaler is telling you the price including VAT. Make it clear that you want a number of them, not just one.
Old sockets sometimes do not have green and yellow sleeving on the earth wire, so buy a few metres of that too. You can also add 6-inch earth links between the metal back-box and the earth terminal and the socket, this is good practice. Use a paintbrush to clean dust and grit out of the boxes while you have the front off. Have a small tub of filler handy to touch up any broken plaster exposed when you take the fronts off, this will make it easier to redecorate neatly next time.
MK, Crabtree, MEM
there are cheaper ones which are cheap for a reason.
If you have the chance to buy them with dual-pole switches, they are slightly preferable to single-pole.
You can usually buy them in a carton of 10 or so at a much better price than if you buy them singly in the high street. If you have an electrical wholesaler near you, call in, after looking at the prices in your DIY shed. Check that the wholesaler is telling you the price including VAT. Make it clear that you want a number of them, not just one.
Old sockets sometimes do not have green and yellow sleeving on the earth wire, so buy a few metres of that too. You can also add 6-inch earth links between the metal back-box and the earth terminal and the socket, this is good practice. Use a paintbrush to clean dust and grit out of the boxes while you have the front off. Have a small tub of filler handy to touch up any broken plaster exposed when you take the fronts off, this will make it easier to redecorate neatly next time.
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