Reply With QuoteShould I be concerned?
I do hope that’s tongue in cheek
Tumble dryer and washing machine have been plugged into this extension cable for about a year.
Had the washing machine running and the power went to the washer and tumble dryer.
Nothing tripped on the (new) consumer unit, so checked the plug and found this.
The failing socket was for the dryer, the 13 amp fuse was intact and working!
Could this be a fault with power strip or more worryingly an issue with the dryer?
Bit surprised the fuse was intact and nothing tripped off, seemed the power strip failed causing the washer to stop.
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Should I be concerned?
I do hope that’s tongue in cheek
Thats shocking...
Seriously I would get a sparky in to test the circuits and board. this sort of thing could easily start a fire or electrocute someone using the sockets
I suspect the issue is with the extension cable.
I’ll recable and run it from directly from the ring main socket.
Had a new consumer installed last year, no idea why it didn’t trip out, seems generally very sensitive.
Last edited by eletos; 19th January 2021 at 16:04.
No, this is why it has multiple sockets, when one burns out you can move to the next!
Washing machines and tumble dryers should be one plug per socket - you have probably overloaded the extension cable.
Get a spark to fit some extra socket boxes.
Couldn't supress the chuckles....................Originally Posted by ernestrome
Agree problem is with extension lead. Was a poor contact leading to overheating and damage.
But - with two high-loads such as the heating elements in each machine - I wouldn't be replacing like with like.
have two individual supplies.
Yes, be worried.
I had a similar set up in the garage until a sparky doing work in the house flagged it as a safety issue. The extension will have a max watts limit, chances are that the washing machine will be c 2000 - 2500w. The tumble dryer will be the same so a min of 4000w going through a 3000w limit extension
Hence the plug overheating and burning
I found this really useful
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/03...ckets-at-home/
Getting a spark in to extend the ring main, should be fairly straight forward and youll sleep better at night knowing its all wired up properly.
Thanks for the info, some important stuff in there I had no idea about.
I’ve removed the extension cable changed the plug and plugged it straight into a double socket.
By the sounds of it the dryer and washer should never be plugged into the same double socket. Never knew that. TBH I don’t quite understand why, I assume it is something to do with the internal load being placed on the double socket? By extending the ring to have another socket I guess the load is spread between two sockets.
This could easily have caused a fire.
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White goods in our house are all separate fused spurs. Certainly not off an extension cable
That will clean right up and go back in the next socket along.
Edit, you could parge some silicone into the stinky old burnt out bit, or some professional tapeage to comply
This is the reason for AFDD being introduced. To be honest a high resistance/loose connection will likely build up heat over time which may well not trip the cartridge fuse in the extension lead and the 32amp breaker will most definitely not trip that quickly. If there is no damage to the gates on the socket the extension lead is plugged into then most likely the extension lead is at fault. Please do though get an electrician in to test the circuit for piece of mind just in case it’s a faulty MCB or RCBO that’s welded itself shut etc and PAT test the dryer. This is a very common thing we see in kitchens and utilities and 9 times out of 10 it’s a loose neutral connection as illustrated by your picture.
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Last edited by Pennywise; 19th January 2021 at 19:03.
Extension leads are for temporary appliances, even then not high current
I wouldn’t be worried, it’s called patina, some people pay more for that!
The extension is presumably fused, with 4000W, the fuse should easily blow.
Had exactly the same happen a couple of years ago.
While i was at work, the wife 'rearranged' the utility end of the kitchen and unbeknownst to me had plumbed the tumble, the fridge, the freezer and a lamp or something into a 4 way extension. First time using the tumble that night *poof* tumble stopped, and extension lead looked much like yours. Cue long discussion about fires, amps and 13 being the limit no matter how many sockets are on the extension. Of course it all ended up being my fault
Last edited by Brighty; 19th January 2021 at 20:38.
A double socket fed by 2.5mm twin and earth can easily support a 3Kw appliance plugged into each socket.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
A 13 amp fuse is designed to blow at about 21 amps. They are designed to take 13 amps without overheating the plug and the cable.
It's a good idea to fit 10amp fuses to the plugs on 4-way extensions to prevent serious overloading.
Cheapo extensions are prone to bad contacts which will cause overheating if you run any one socket at the limit.
Not all UK double sockets are rated or tested to full load being applied to both outlets. If I recall only MK rate theirs at full load in both sides.
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I thought this was going to about a PM.
I'm aware MK sockets exceed the BS standard, which requires a different test load on each of the two sockets of a combined 20A, applied continuously for 4 hours or longer and needs to not exceed a certain temperature rise in order to pass. In reality, I doubt a washing machine and a spin drier would achieve a combined total of 6kW (more likely less than 5kW) and even more unlikely they'd do so continuously.
Though you'd feel the socket get warmer, it shouldn't be anywhere near enough to cause a danger of overheating - providing it wasn't faulty of course. I've no idea what the BS1363 criteria is for 4-way extension sockets is, but I'll bet it's a lot less than for a double socket.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
That would be 25amps, even with diversity it wouldn’t be a good idea to do that.
Better to be safe than sorry. Get the main ring extended to run both appliances. Something of that power load shouldn’t really be ran off of an extension lead, but nevertheless the fuse should have tripped out first??
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Deleted. Everything said is already covered.
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