On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 09:56:40 -0000, Andy Bennet wrote:

On 24/11/2018 22:25, Bruce Farquhar wrote:
I wondered why my fanheater kept melting sockets. First I blamed the
socket, then the fuse, it was just oxidised pins on the plug. Should we
really be using copper? Wouldn't stainless steel be better from the
point of view of non corrosion?

Why don't you replace all your plugs with gold plated mains plugs like
these:-
https://www.futureshop.co.uk/furutec...ains-plug-gold

Then replace all your mains sockets with these
https://www.futureshop.co.uk/furutec...k-mains-socket

Although not quite as good conductivity as silver, at least the gold
ones won't have oxide buildup.

Sounds a bit overkill, I'll just make sure high current devices get polished if the prongs aren't shiny.

"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news
I'll just make sure high current devices get polished if the prongs aren't
shiny.

I've done that before now with the plug for a 3-bar (3 kW) electric fire,
when I smelled the plastic of the plug getting a bit hot. The live pin was
actually too hot to touch (*). I removed the plug, took out all the pins
(having dropped the live one in cold water to cool it down!) and used fine
sandpaper on a flat surface to polish the four sides of each pin until they
were shiny.

If I see a high-current device with a removable plug that has oxidised pins,
I remove them and give them the sandpaper treatment. Sadly you can't do that
with moulded-on plugs, and trying to polish them in situ is very hard.


(*) I think the screw that attached the wire to the pin may have been a bit
slack, so there may have been a bit of contact resistance there as well. I
always check that the exposed bit of wire that goes into the screw hole
seems to have about the right thickness of strands and some haven't broken
off - assuming it's stranded rather than solid wire.

On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 16:55:07 -0000, NY wrote:

"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news
I'll just make sure high current devices get polished if the prongs aren't
shiny.

I've done that before now with the plug for a 3-bar (3 kW) electric fire,
when I smelled the plastic of the plug getting a bit hot. The live pin was
actually too hot to touch (*). I removed the plug, took out all the pins
(having dropped the live one in cold water to cool it down!) and used fine
sandpaper on a flat surface to polish the four sides of each pin until they
were shiny.

If I see a high-current device with a removable plug that has oxidised pins,
I remove them and give them the sandpaper treatment. Sadly you can't do that
with moulded-on plugs, and trying to polish them in situ is very hard.

Get a fibre glass pencil. Handy for oxidised battery contacts too. I polished my heater's prongs without removing them.

(*) I think the screw that attached the wire to the pin may have been a bit
slack, so there may have been a bit of contact resistance there as well. I
always check that the exposed bit of wire that goes into the screw hole
seems to have about the right thickness of strands and some haven't broken
off - assuming it's stranded rather than solid wire.

On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 16:55:07 -0000, NY, the brain-damaged, notorious,
troll-feeding senile idiot, blathered:


I've done that before

I do remember: you DID suck him off before, repeatedly, troll-feeding senile
idiot!

On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 16:55:07 -0000, "NY" wrote:

"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news
I'll just make sure high current devices get polished if the prongs aren't
shiny.

I've done that before now with the plug for a 3-bar (3 kW) electric fire,
when I smelled the plastic of the plug getting a bit hot. The live pin was
actually too hot to touch (*). I removed the plug, took out all the pins
(having dropped the live one in cold water to cool it down!) and used fine
sandpaper on a flat surface to polish the four sides of each pin until they
were shiny.

If I see a high-current device with a removable plug that has oxidised pins,
I remove them and give them the sandpaper treatment. Sadly you can't do that
with moulded-on plugs, and trying to polish them in situ is very hard.


(*) I think the screw that attached the wire to the pin may have been a bit
slack, so there may have been a bit of contact resistance there as well. I
always check that the exposed bit of wire that goes into the screw hole
seems to have about the right thickness of strands and some haven't broken
off - assuming it's stranded rather than solid wire.
Solid wire in a plug???? Say it ain't so!!!!

Definitely a NO-NO under ANY code!!!

On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 22:03:39 -0000, Clare Snyder wrote:

On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 16:55:07 -0000, "NY" wrote:

"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news
I'll just make sure high current devices get polished if the prongs aren't
shiny.

I've done that before now with the plug for a 3-bar (3 kW) electric fire,
when I smelled the plastic of the plug getting a bit hot. The live pin was
actually too hot to touch (*). I removed the plug, took out all the pins
(having dropped the live one in cold water to cool it down!) and used fine
sandpaper on a flat surface to polish the four sides of each pin until they
were shiny.

If I see a high-current device with a removable plug that has oxidised pins,
I remove them and give them the sandpaper treatment. Sadly you can't do that
with moulded-on plugs, and trying to polish them in situ is very hard.


(*) I think the screw that attached the wire to the pin may have been a bit
slack, so there may have been a bit of contact resistance there as well. I
always check that the exposed bit of wire that goes into the screw hole
seems to have about the right thickness of strands and some haven't broken
off - assuming it's stranded rather than solid wire.
Solid wire in a plug???? Say it ain't so!!!!

Definitely a NO-NO under ANY code!!!

Er.... why? Never heard of any such regulation (code is a yank word) in the UK.

"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 22:03:39 -0000, Clare Snyder
wrote:

On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 16:55:07 -0000, "NY" wrote:

"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news I'll just make sure high current devices get polished if the prongs
aren't
shiny.

I've done that before now with the plug for a 3-bar (3 kW) electric
fire,
when I smelled the plastic of the plug getting a bit hot. The live pin
was
actually too hot to touch (*). I removed the plug, took out all the pins
(having dropped the live one in cold water to cool it down!) and used
fine
sandpaper on a flat surface to polish the four sides of each pin until
they
were shiny.

If I see a high-current device with a removable plug that has oxidised
pins,
I remove them and give them the sandpaper treatment. Sadly you can't do
that
with moulded-on plugs, and trying to polish them in situ is very hard.


(*) I think the screw that attached the wire to the pin may have been a
bit
slack, so there may have been a bit of contact resistance there as well.
I
always check that the exposed bit of wire that goes into the screw hole
seems to have about the right thickness of strands and some haven't
broken
off - assuming it's stranded rather than solid wire.
Solid wire in a plug???? Say it ain't so!!!!

Definitely a NO-NO under ANY code!!!

Er.... why?

Because solid wire breaks too easily when flexed.

Never heard of any such regulation (code is a yank word) in the UK.

It is in fact not allowed.

On Wed, 28 Nov 2018 11:18:53 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rot Speed,
the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:


Because solid wire breaks too easily when flexed.

BULL****!

Never heard of any such regulation (code is a yank word) in the UK.

It is in fact not allowed.

I doubt it!

--
Sqwertz to Rot Speed:
"This is just a hunch, but I'm betting you're kinda an argumentative
asshole.
MID:

On Wed, 28 Nov 2018 00:18:53 -0000, Rod Speed wrote:



"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 22:03:39 -0000, Clare Snyder
wrote:

On Tue, 27 Nov 2018 16:55:07 -0000, "NY" wrote:

"Bruce Farquhar" wrote in message
news I'll just make sure high current devices get polished if the prongs
aren't
shiny.

I've done that before now with the plug for a 3-bar (3 kW) electric
fire,
when I smelled the plastic of the plug getting a bit hot. The live pin
was
actually too hot to touch (*). I removed the plug, took out all the pins
(having dropped the live one in cold water to cool it down!) and used
fine
sandpaper on a flat surface to polish the four sides of each pin until
they
were shiny.

If I see a high-current device with a removable plug that has oxidised
pins,
I remove them and give them the sandpaper treatment. Sadly you can't do
that
with moulded-on plugs, and trying to polish them in situ is very hard.


(*) I think the screw that attached the wire to the pin may have been a
bit
slack, so there may have been a bit of contact resistance there as well.
I
always check that the exposed bit of wire that goes into the screw hole
seems to have about the right thickness of strands and some haven't
broken
off - assuming it's stranded rather than solid wire.
Solid wire in a plug???? Say it ain't so!!!!

Definitely a NO-NO under ANY code!!!

Er.... why?

Because solid wire breaks too easily when flexed.

Oh what a shame.

Never heard of any such regulation (code is a yank word) in the UK.

It is in fact not allowed.

Funny how I have loads of it.

Funny how it's used in fixed wiring a lot - that would be better as flex too. Hint - it gets bent round corners.