USB wall sockets

sparkymark75 · 24 Jul 2017 at 11:49

Em3bbs said:
Yeah those are the ones I would avoid/will be removing. I guess I should have realised when they were so cheap.

I've just bought 6 of the newer model. The 3.1 amp double wall sockets. Hopefully they're okay.

Salty22 · 24 Jul 2017 at 12:01

So which model would you guys recommend going for?
I've got an iphone 6+ and mrs had a galaxy S5, but both will be upgrading to newer models soon

sparkymark75 · 28 Jul 2017 at 15:20

So those BG Electrical switches I bought are going back. I fitted one but it just didn't "feel" right. It looked okay but the quality of the switches wasn't great. On the plus side, removing the existing standard wall socket allowed me to see who manufactured them. So I've now ordered some Deta Slimline DP Switched Sockets 2 USB sockets (Part No. S1298). They'll match the look of my existing sockets and should be better quality.

thezappa · 28 Jul 2017 at 18:08

Got those lined up to install myself as they more closely match the MK ones (which are a fair bit more expensive) I have already. Would be good to see how they are for you.

Mr.Pink · 28 Jul 2017 at 18:46

I fitted a couple,of these, then got speaking to some electricians who were worried about them in general.
The concern seemed to be about the fact they were always live and a potential fire hazard.

Any truth in this?

GeForce · 28 Jul 2017 at 18:53

Mr.Pink said:
I fitted a couple,of these, then got speaking to some electricians who were worried about them in general.
The concern seemed to be about the fact they were always live and a potential fire hazard.

Any truth in this?

No more so than leaving a phone charger plugged into a wall socket. It is not dangerous to leave a transformer connected to the mains with no load.

Em3bbs · 28 Jul 2017 at 20:19

GeForce said:
No more so than leaving a phone charger plugged into a wall socket. It is not dangerous to leave a transformer connected to the mains with no load.

Phone chargers or PSUs do sometimes pose a fire risk though. I worked for a telco some years back and chargers for certain devices sometimes had to be recalled for this reason. You only have to replace five faceplates in your house and suddenly you have ten phone chargers permanently plugged in and turned on.

GeForce · 28 Jul 2017 at 21:32

Em3bbs said:
Phone chargers or PSUs do sometimes pose a fire risk though. I worked for a telco some years back and chargers for certain devices sometimes had to be recalled for this reason. You only have to replace five faceplates in your house and suddenly you have ten phone chargers permanently plugged in and turned on.

True, there is a small risk, that is undeniable. But if you go for named brands from reputable suppliers the risk is significantly lower.

I have two of these twin USB faceplates, they don't get warm and appear well constructed, so I'm happy.

swain90 · 29 Jul 2017 at 09:36

I managed to find a couple of end of line ones at screw fix in one of their lucky find bins next to the till, they were only a couple of quid . Been rather handy, took a bout two minutes to fit.

sparkymark75 · 31 Jul 2017 at 18:32

thezappa said:
Got those lined up to install myself as they more closely match the MK ones (which are a fair bit more expensive) I have already. Would be good to see how they are for you.

Fitted 5 of them today. Harder than it should have been and certainly a tighter fit than the BG Electrical ones. The BG Electrical ones are bulkier than a standard socket but it's more spread across the width of the socket. The Deta ones are slim then have a square section sticking out the back which, depending on where your cables enter the back box, can be an issue. They do supply a spacer with it but it looks better without. I ended up having to use the spacer on one of the 5 installs.

Buffman · 31 Jul 2017 at 20:41

I had a look in homebase when I bought mine so I could find one that wasn't deep. Managed to find a shallow one which was cheap. It's in a spare room anyways so gets very little use.

jpaul · 31 Jul 2017 at 22:53

afaik the USB wall sockets are not supplying a linear supply that some of the more sensitive devices want like Chromecast Audio(CCA) I use, and other devices without an internal battery ?
(using a CCA in a car is also problematic for same reason)

This maybe a concern too (fixed now ?)

Disadvantages of USB sockets
The biggest disadvantage is actually also an advantage, when there is no current being drawn through the USB outlets the USB socket turns off. What this means is that once you're phone or other mobile device is done charging the socket turns itself off thus saving energy.

The problem here is that once the USB socket is turned off the phone essentially believes the cable to be unplugged, the phone will then run on battery for a while, until such a time as the battery has dropped low enough that it begins charging again. What you then have is a situation where a mobile device is being charged many times through the night by tiny amounts. In the case of an iPhone this most likely means that all through the night the phone is going to be vibrating and beeping to confirm charging has begun (as iPhones like to do by default), and the vibration occurs even when in silent and "Do not Disturb" mode.

Mr Joshua · 31 Jul 2017 at 23:18

That'll explain why my phone is usually down the 90% when I wake up!

panthro · 2 Aug 2017 at 20:20

I've installed LAP double gang 3.1A USB sockets in my house. Seem to work well and were only £5 each from Screwfix.

Will Gill · 3 Aug 2017 at 11:51

panthro said:
I've installed LAP double gang 3.1A USB sockets in my house. Seem to work well and were only £5 each from Screwfix.

Me too, seem decent enough

pepp77 · 3 Aug 2017 at 12:03

I have one of these in all the rooms I have recently decorated.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01L98DJJU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No issues with them so far

tom113 · 10 Nov 2017 at 10:57

Are these sockets okay for plugging in things like echo dots etc?

Or are they really just for charging phones and other stuff?

pepp77 · 10 Nov 2017 at 11:00

My echo dot runs off one without any issues.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 10 Nov 2017 at 11:02

My sockets (wickes branded) never seem to get warm, also dont notice devices not being 100% when charged but everything is relatively new so probably wouldnt notice if tey had stopped charging
I believe though they still indicate they are plugged in even when fully charged

robj20 · 10 Nov 2017 at 12:11

Are there any that do 3A+ per socket?