We heard a popping sound and smelt burnt plastic, now we have a double plug socket that has stopped working. The one socket now looks blackened, that was where the coffee maker was plugged in. Am pretty sure the maker was switched off at the time.

The coffee maker and doorbell plugged into it still work fine when used in a different socket.

Obviously the socket needs replacing and the wiring fixing behind.

My question is how this could happen if the maker was switched off, and do I need get this fixed immediately or in a few days?

The fuse did not trip, all other sockets are working normally.

On Friday, January 26, 2018 at 12:20:01 AM UTC-6, wrote:
We heard a popping sound and smelt burnt plastic, now we have a double plug socket that has stopped working. The one socket now looks blackened, that was where the coffee maker was plugged in. Am pretty sure the maker was switched off at the time.

The coffee maker and doorbell plugged into it still work fine when used in a different socket.

Obviously the socket needs replacing and the wiring fixing behind.

My question is how this could happen if the maker was switched off, and do I need get this fixed immediately or in a few days?


What country are located in? Is your standard outlet 220vac 50hz or 120vac 60hz? O_o

[8~{} Uncle Curious Monster

Finland

In Finland the power sockets are of type F. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

On Friday, January 26, 2018 at 12:41:06 AM UTC-6, wrote:
Finland

In Finland the power sockets are of type F. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

I'm in The USA but safety is a concern anywhere. You're using a higher voltage than our standard wall outlet which is 120vac. The concern I'd have is the fact that insulation could have burned or melted to a point that there could be a tiny contact between the energized wires that is arcing. Something like that only gets worse and could cause a fire. Of course, you can turn off the power to that circuit, pull the outlet from the wall and find there is no damage to the wiring and it's simply a failed power outlet. The contacts in a power socket can loosen over time and make a poor contact with a plug and if the current draw is high enough, get overheated and damaged. The socket can break down in a situation like that. It would be interesting if you uploaded pictures to one of the image sharing sites of the damage and repair process. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Fried Monster

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QZqS1Jxwf9BnGJy53

thanks for your help, the electrician can't visit until tomorrow, i can't easily isolate this with the fuses without turning off outlets we need. I'll post another response after it is resolved. I'm worried that it indicates the other sockets might be in poor condition, even though they look superficially well.

On Friday, January 26, 2018 at 2:09:00 AM UTC-6, wrote:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QZqS1Jxwf9BnGJy53

thanks for your help, the electrician can't visit until tomorrow, i can't easily isolate this with the fuses without turning off outlets we need. I'll post another response after it is resolved. I'm worried that it indicates the other sockets might be in poor condition, even though they look superficially well.


Yea, you may have gotten something on the prongs of the plug or some liquid could have run down the power cord as the coffeepot was picked up. You may want to make sure there is no contamination on the plugs. A little isopropyl alcohol or vodka (you're next door to Russia) on a rag or paper towel will clean up the prongs. There are all sorts of things in a kitchen that could contaminate a plug including skin oil. I've used sandcloth to clean the oxide off prongs on my power tool and appliance plugs until the brass is shiny. It makes a better connection in the socket. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Shiny Monster

On Friday, January 26, 2018 at 4:28:03 AM UTC-5, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Friday, January 26, 2018 at 2:09:00 AM UTC-6, wrote:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QZqS1Jxwf9BnGJy53

thanks for your help, the electrician can't visit until tomorrow, i can't easily isolate this with the fuses without turning off outlets we need. I'll post another response after it is resolved. I'm worried that it indicates the other sockets might be in poor condition, even though they look superficially well.


Yea, you may have gotten something on the prongs of the plug or some liquid could have run down the power cord as the coffeepot was picked up.

If that's the same kind of schuko outlet we had in Germany, it's very different from a US outlet. The pins are round and insulated half way, so the plug isn't even energized until fully inserted, and it's held very securely with a spring clamp that also grounds. The outlet encloses the plug and you aren't going to get anything extra in there.

This one is mysterious. I'm a little skeptical the coffee maker was turned off. Is it programmable? Could it have got the time mistaken and turned itself on?

On Friday, January 26, 2018 at 3:09:00 AM UTC-5, wrote:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QZqS1Jxwf9BnGJy53

thanks for your help, the electrician can't visit until tomorrow, i can't easily isolate this with the fuses without turning off outlets we need. I'll post another response after it is resolved. I'm worried that it indicates the other sockets might be in poor condition, even though they look superficially well.

Until it's looked at and fixed, I'd keep the breaker on only when necessary
and when you're monitoring it.

After electrician visited.

We have a large fuse board and there was a 16 amp fuse specific for this socket that had blown, which we replaced. He also replaced the socket.

He wouldn't commit on the cause, either dirt in the socket from the plug or a faulty socket. He was non-committal about whether I should change the plug on the coffee maker, but we will at least ensure it stays clean. Its a messy area of the kitchen near the sink. (see photo below)

Its a simple coffee maker with an on/off switch and unfortunately no timer, we don't think it was left on at the time, but it does get left on sometimes for an hour or so when we forget, I'll look into getting some sort of timeout adaptor for it.

Thanks for your help, I don't speak very good Finnish so had to rely on my wife translating for me so thats why I really appreciate the thoughtful comments on this forum.

Coffee maker plug after cleaning
https://photos.app.goo.gl/d2I577OlLiniTQuA3

After electrician visited.

We have a large fuse board and there was a 16 amp fuse specific for this socket that had blown, which we replaced. He also replaced the socket.

He wouldn't commit on the cause, either dirt in the socket from the plug or a faulty socket. He was non-committal about whether I should change the plug on the coffee maker, but we will at least ensure it stays clean. Its a messy area of the kitchen near the sink. (see photo below)

Its a simple coffee maker with an on/off switch and unfortunately no timer, we don't think it was left on at the time, but it does get left on sometimes for an hour or so when we forget, I'll look into getting some sort of timeout adaptor for it.

Thanks for your help, I don't speak very good Finnish so had to rely on my wife translating for me so thats why I really appreciate the thoughtful comments on this forum.

Coffee maker plug after cleaning
https://photos.app.goo.gl/d2I577OlLiniTQuA3

On Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 2:32:57 AM UTC-6, wrote:
After electrician visited.

We have a large fuse board and there was a 16 amp fuse specific for this socket that had blown, which we replaced. He also replaced the socket.

He wouldn't commit on the cause, either dirt in the socket from the plug or a faulty socket. He was non-committal about whether I should change the plug on the coffee maker, but we will at least ensure it stays clean. Its a messy area of the kitchen near the sink. (see photo below)

Its a simple coffee maker with an on/off switch and unfortunately no timer, we don't think it was left on at the time, but it does get left on sometimes for an hour or so when we forget, I'll look into getting some sort of timeout adaptor for it.

Thanks for your help, I don't speak very good Finnish so had to rely on my wife translating for me so thats why I really appreciate the thoughtful comments on this forum.

Coffee maker plug after cleaning
https://photos.app.goo.gl/d2I577OlLiniTQuA3


It looks like there is a carbon trail from one of the pins to the ground. You might consider using some sandpaper to clean that area on the plug to remove the burned material. Carbon conducts electricity and it looks like something wet may have gotten on the plug and started the damage. Wet things conduct electricity too and depending on the circumstances, may start to burn. The fact that your appliances use 220vac makes it more important that you're certain those plugs are clean before you plug them in. I'm glad you didn't have a fire or more extensive damage. Post pictures of life around Finland or perhaps a link to a website for expats in the country. Most folks are curious about life in other countries. ^_^

Since we're discussing things burning in the kitchen, there's an interesting story about a woman who smelled "burnt toast" when she had a seizure and it led to the mapping of the human brain. ^_^

https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/26/1...science-canada

[8~{} Uncle Burnt Monster