Housefires and how to avoid them
- Thread starter Destination
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No clue, i'll wait until light tomorrow, and shut off the water and disconnect the machine, get it right out of the way so I can get a proper gander at it.
In behind the machine does seem bone dry, I can't see any obvious damp or anything to that effect, the house in general has no such issues, no condensation etc.
For all I know there is a loose lead inside the wall socket, if anything that might reassure me more, but I'll hopefully get a spark in soon to have a proper test of that whole thing.
If that's where a bad connection was that's where the heat will be generated
Well yes that can indeed be the issue, just seems a little odd to get a loose connection on the neutral pin unless someone's been jamming something into the socket
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Well yes that can indeed be the issue, just seems a little odd to get a loose connection on the neutral pin unless someone's been jamming something into the socket
The issue I had was the neutral pin. Stuff can just work loose over time etc. Looks like quite an old socket. Could be anything. Could even be an illegal immigration behind it just sat on the neutral.
Soldato
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Just whip the socket off and see what's there.
Could just be a loose connection. Replace the socket and plug and off you go.
A dodgy cable somewhere in the wall wouldn't cause melting at the pin. Its a dodgy socket I reckon.
Could just be a loose connection. Replace the socket and plug and off you go.
A dodgy cable somewhere in the wall wouldn't cause melting at the pin. Its a dodgy socket I reckon.
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As said, potentially poor quality sockets, if you've ever bought a cheap extension cable you might have noticed that it's either a lot stiffer or a lot easier than normal to push a plug into it, this can happen with normal sockets.Well yes that can indeed be the issue, just seems a little odd to get a loose connection on the neutral pin unless someone's been jamming something into the socket
And it tends to show up with things like washing machines/tumble driers because they're usually the highest draw appliances that people lave plugged in for years at a time so you don't notice that the socket might be getting a little "loose" over time, or that the plug is getting warm to the touch.
Soldato
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Its always the neutral that burns never the live.
Even on proper full blown electrical fires its usually the neutral, ive got some pics from work will try to find them in a min.
Associate
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Neither the fuse in the plug or the fused spur socket blew, so very unlikely to be anything wrong with the machine causing an overload.
Looks like a bad connection between the pin and socket, caused arcing, caused heat.
Could be because it wasn't plugged in far enough (yanked cable recently?), or there was debris between the pin and socket (fluff etc), or the socket is just cheap/old and didn't clamp the pin securely.
Looks like a bad connection between the pin and socket, caused arcing, caused heat.
Could be because it wasn't plugged in far enough (yanked cable recently?), or there was debris between the pin and socket (fluff etc), or the socket is just cheap/old and didn't clamp the pin securely.
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The load on such a circuit is balanced across live and neutral.... It's probably a cheap fake CE marked plug or socket. A 13 Amp plug fuse would just blow if the machine demanded excess current, but a poor, high resistance connection before the fuse, as in either the live or neutral pin to the socket's female connections, would generate a lot of heat from the load a washing machine heater element could demand. I'd just change the plug and socket and monitor it for a couple of cycles. I suppose a loose neutral to neutral female wire connection inside the socket MIGHT transfer enough heat to do that, but it should be apparent when the socket's off the wall.
There are plenty of utterly appalling plugs and sockets on sale in the UK, that supposedly have CE approval, but are in fact a fire waiting to happen, just buy branded...
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It’s AC. Doesn’t make a difference
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Just as much current is flowing in the neutral conductor as the line. I'd hazard a guess of a bad connection within the socket on the neutral pin. As others have said, at least the protective device upstream did it's job and tripped before the fault became worst.
How good is your fuse board and trips etc if this can happen?
I'd be getting a decent electrician in to do a safety check on the house and appliances. I get them as a tenant, we had quite a lot of remediation needed on three last one.
Probably not cheap but it's not worth risking a fire.
I'd be getting a decent electrician in to do a safety check on the house and appliances. I get them as a tenant, we had quite a lot of remediation needed on three last one.
Probably not cheap but it's not worth risking a fire.
It's nothing to do with the consumer unit it to be fair.