Melted socket, plug and wiring

[strength_10]

Hello. Long time reader but not many posts. After more of a bit of insight than anything else as I have asked for a local electrician to come and have a look next week (unless anyone reading is near BS39 in Bristol/Bath and wants to have a look).

I have a washing machine (couple of weeks old as previous one had bearings failing) and a tumble dryer in my utility room. Both appliances are individually plugged into single sockets under the counter which are separately fed from 2 FCU above the worktops. Both FCU are fitted with 13A fuses. Have been happily (I think) like that for 6 years since the house was rewired and had new consumer unit fitted just after we moved in and had solar panels installed.

Couple of days ago washing machine stopped working. Assumed it was an unlucky new appliance to Samsung sent out an engineer. He spotted (quickly) that the plug was damaged and the socket starting to melt through. He then spotted that tumble dryer plug was even worse and socket properly melted through. Good news is the new washing machine doesn't seem to be broken after all. Bad news is both sockets and both appliance plugs are broken. I removed the fuses from FCU, isolated the MCB and unscrewed the sockets to find wiring inside is blackened and a bit melted.

Obviously I'll need the wiring and sockets replaced and the circuits tested but I'm after a bit of insight (I appreciate it's a bit of guesswork from afar) as to:

a) what causes this sort of damage?
b) why it may have happened to 2 separate sockets and plugs being fed from 2 different FCU feeds in short succession?

Thanks in advance,
Cameron

 

[Grant webber]

Approved by Asia printed on the bottom right of the socket outlet, says it all. Cheap

My bad says approved by asta. Still they don't look great quality

 

[westward10]

The problem is now those burnt conductors need cutting back and extending so another joint. An outlet plate is a better option but it may put off service engineers. I would personally fit some Crabtree sockets with good quality plugs fitted by a competent person.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

On a different note, is there any benefit in asking for the replacements to be flex outlets as they are fixed appliances which don't really get moved rather than plug and sockets?

removing plug from the appliances would almost certainly immediately invalidate the warranty on that nice new machine you bought!
its hard to say if there are other loose connections or terminations on the circuit that have high resistance, its possible it only showed at these sockets as they were under high load and combined with low cost / quality sockets failed much sooner.
It does look though as if the most significant melting happened behind on the cable which makes me think poor termination and contact resistance.
when the electrician comes out and tests the circuit, make sure the replacements fitted are of a decent make, Hager are a good choice,
out of interest is there much slack in the cable that can be pulled down to re terminate? as the wires look quite badly damaged.
Not wanting to step on another sparks toes as it were, I am based in central Bath and BS39 is quite a large area - you could be quite close or quite a bit out, but if you get nowhere with the electrician or want a second opinion then drop me a message. I can come out and have a look.

 

[LankyWill]

Quite an easy fix for any spark, just make sure you buy some decent accessories. Brands like Hager, Click and schneider, dont go for the budget range, they're going to need re-terminating due to the corroded insulation.

 

[GeorgeCooke]

Cutting off and changing plugs does not invalidate the warranty. Just as well as that new machine needs a new plug now anyway.
Flex outlets are not a good idea, one reason is it makes them a pain to service.
You should not have FCUs feeding the sockets either as the plugs are already fused. If you want above counter isolation (which is not a requirement) it is best to use 20 amp double pole switches.

 

[strength_10]

removing plug from the appliances would almost certainly immediately invalidate the warranty on that nice new machine you bought!
its hard to say if there are other loose connections or terminations on the circuit that have high resistance, its possible it only showed at these sockets as they were under high load and combined with low cost / quality sockets failed much sooner.
It does look though as if the most significant melting happened behind on the cable which makes me think poor termination and contact resistance.
when the electrician comes out and tests the circuit, make sure the replacements fitted are of a decent make, Hager are a good choice,
out of interest is there much slack in the cable that can be pulled down to re terminate? as the wires look quite badly damaged.
Not wanting to step on another sparks toes as it were, I am based in central Bath and BS39 is quite a large area - you could be quite close or quite a bit out, but if you get nowhere with the electrician or want a second opinion then drop me a message. I can come out and have a look.

Thanks Gavin, I’ll give you a shout if needed. I’m Clutton. Don’t really have a choice but to remove the plug if you look at the picture in 1st post :-(

 

[strength_10]

Cutting off and changing plugs does not invalidate the warranty. Just as well as that new machine needs a new plug now anyway.
Flex outlets are not a good idea, one reason is it makes them a pain to service.
You should not have FCUs feeding the sockets either as the plugs are already fused. If you want above counter isolation (which is not a requirement) it is best to use 20 amp double pole switches.

Thanks George. I didn’t ask for FCU, just what the sparky did (and I didn’t know any better). Maybe the electrician will change them if that would be better. Is having 2 fuses on the circuit a problem though?

 

[westward10]

Thanks George. I didn’t ask for FCU, just what the sparky did (and I didn’t know any better). Maybe the electrician will change them if that would be better. Is having 2 fuses on the circuit a problem though?

No.

 

[Dillb]

removing plug from the appliances would almost certainly immediately invalidate the warranty on that nice new machine you bought!

You claim to be a electrician, yet your telling the OP to leave the plugs on as it will invalidate any warranty? I suggest you sell your tools and look for another career that doesnt involve using your brain.

 

[123]

removing plug from the appliances would almost certainly immediately invalidate the warranty on that nice new machine you bought!

Absolute nonsense.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

You claim to be a electrician, yet your telling the OP to leave the plugs on as it will invalidate any warranty? I suggest you sell your tools and look for another career that doesnt involve using your brain.

My mistake if i misread the Op's first post, I was making the point that if the washing machine is brand new then check the warranty as some of them have some interesting clauses...
If the plug is damaged from the melting/sockets then obviously change it. but if you cut off the plug on some appliances and wire direct to a flex outlet then i have personal knowledge of the manufacturer/retailer refusing to honour the warranty as they cut the sealed plug off and used it in a way not as the manufacturer designed it.
Had a customer who had a dish washer that was playing up and currys / knowhow refused to honour the warranty as she had removed the sealed plug and used a flex outlet. maybe if she pursued the issue she might have won but currys were having none of it

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Thanks Gavin, I’ll give you a shout if needed. I’m Clutton. Don’t really have a choice but to remove the plug if you look at the picture in 1st post :-(

Clutton isnt too far from Bath, go out via marksbury, Has a good pub The railway Inn, do some alright food in there and usually has a few good ciders available

 

[dmxtothemax]

What is the working enviroment like for these two outlets !
If it is in a laundry area, then typically it is hot and humid,
both of these factors work against long life of outlets.
Factor that in with the cheap Asian crap that has flooded the market
and it is not hard to see why these things happen.
Perhaps invest in some good quality, heavy duty, industrial type outlets. They will certainly cost more, but they will also last much longer.

 

[Pete999]

I think the other members have answered the questions.

 

[rolyberkin]

If they are LAP or another poor quality make they won't be up to standard as I have seen so many times before

LAP & generic items sold by reputable wholesalers will be made to the same standards and EU regs as other manufacturers, they will therefore be up to 'standard' otherwise they would not be on sale. Quality of different manufacturers and cost of components is a different issue entirely. However I normally find that poor workmanship is to blame rather than material failure, loose cables in terminals etc etc.