"TT_Man" wrote in message
...
SNIP
...
The phase and neutral pins on modern plugs have insulated bases to
prevent
finger contact with pins and also to stop metal sheets (for example,
fallen
blind slats) from becoming live if lodged between the wall and a partly
pulled out plug. A downside to this prong insulation is that it may
contribute to damaged sockets not making good contact with the prongs,
which
may even melt the latter. No such problems exist with healthy sockets.
...

as an aside someone told me that per million houses there are more house
fires in the USA due to wiring faults than any other country, partly due
to
a lot of timber construction and partly due to the higher current for a
given KW of power transfered - is that the case?


Have you seen the way they connect their wires? They just twist them
together and put a plastic cap over the bare wires!

They are called wire nuts, and contain a threaded metal insert. Sort of an
inverse of a self tapping screw. I understand the hesitance, but they don't
seem to be a problem

Tam

Multiply that by double current and it's no wonder they have fires