Bob Mannix wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 9 Sep, 11:25, Andy Cap wrote:
On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 03:21:27 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
I was moving a washing machibe in a friends flat last night, and I
noticed that the 3 pin plug has signs of burning around the live
and neutral pins - not too serious - just enough to discolour the
plastic and turn it brown.

What could cause this to happen?

Thanks,
Mark.

Cheapo socket !

Andy C

Why would a cheap socket cause this to happen?

The metal wipers in the socket holes do not touch the pin over a big
enough area or firmly enough to give the minimum contact resistance
or cut through surface dirt/oxidation. This leads to heat and more
oxidation, leading to more heat.

This can happen over time with a decent socket - it never hurts to
unplug and plug back in every now and then (once or twice a year) to
remake the contact. Also loose wires inside a rewirable plug (not
usual on a washing machine now) can cause the same heating problem -
check screw tightness too if the plug is rewirable.

Are they not all made to a British Standard spec? I would assume that laid
down minimum contact areas?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk