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Can power supplies damage socket internals?

Zoomup

I recently replaced a double 13 Amp. switched socket that had blown up inside. Black marks were evident by the switch on the front face plate. The D.P switches were completely ruined by an explosion. This has now apparently happened to the replacement socket. The householder reported that the socket was permanently live even with the switches turned off. The left hand outlet was showing a healthy 240 Volts and correct polarity, but the right hand socket was showing a missing Neutral.

This double socket supplies two armchairs with motors to adjust them to a comfortable position. The two chairs have power supplies that supply the chairs at 12 Volts I believe. They are connected through a 4 way trailing socket.

Is it possible that the power supplies have electronic circuitry that causes a high Voltage when switched off that could cause damage to a supply mains socket internals?

Z.

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  • 0

    More likely an over current, and/ or perhaps the plug on that 4 way extension lead is a cheaply made loose fit and sizzles. Why is it a 4 way lead - do they also plug in a 3 bar fire or an electric kettle as part of the day routine ? 

    I'm only half joking, my now long departed great uncle will had a socket by his fireplace where he could plug in the electric kettle at teatime (*), "as a marvelous 'mod con' - you know,  it saves re lighting the fire in the summer" , which I guess was how it had been if you wanted a kettle in his younger days - him having been from the era of  horseback in world war I and all that.

    Mike

    (that was tea on 4pm with near military precision by the way, Tea Time, H-hour, D-Day,  and all that. kett  - if you arrived dying of thirst at 3.30 you had to wait, and if you arrived at 4.15 it was too late until 6. funny chap in some ways.)

  • 0 in reply to mapj1

    Nope, only the two electric chairs and a tall reading lamp. No electric fires or anything heavy. I was wondering about capacitors discharging at the point of turn off causing a zap.

    Z.

  • 0 in reply to Zoomup

    Or inrush current perhaps?

    Z.

  • 0 in reply to mapj1
    mapj1 said:
    the plug on that 4 way extension lead is a cheaply made loose fit and sizzles

    I wonder if there's a type of protective device that can detect that behaviour?

    Scream

  • 0 in reply to gkenyon

    maybe  or maybe not with brass-brass scratchy contacts, but if it was graphite to copper apparently there is, as mandated in the land of the free.

    Mike.

  • 0 in reply to mapj1

    The problem is within the double 13 Amp sockets. The first one blew up at the switch position causing blackness. Overloads normally cause melting or a less dramatic destruction of conductors in switch assemblies.

    Anyway the 4 way trailing socket can't overload the wall socket as it is 13 Amp fused.

    Z.

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  • 0 in reply to mapj1

    The problem is within the double 13 Amp sockets. The first one blew up at the switch position causing blackness. Overloads normally cause melting or a less dramatic destruction of conductors in switch assemblies.

    Anyway the 4 way trailing socket can't overload the wall socket as it is 13 Amp fused.

    Z.

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