Our daughter has two sewing machines and a steam iron in a back area
of a retail shop. She's problems with the owner and staff who seem to
be using/fiddling with the equipment after hours - this morning the
iron was still plugged in and cheerfully hot!.
I've trawled but can't find anything suitable. Ideally some sort of
lockable cover for the wall sockets or the plugs themselves. I can fit
covers but not replace the sockets. I've left her a handful of cable
ties so she can double the plugs back onto the cables overnight and
then cut them off in the am but while that's cheap, obviously not too
safe either. Visions of slashed cables....
Any help/ideas appreciated, apart from suggesting speaking to the
stupid woman, it's her shop and yes, we've tried. It's complicated.
stupidly low rent, free electric, nice little business etc.Thanks.

Harry wrote:
Our daughter has two sewing machines and a steam iron in a back area
of a retail shop. She's problems with the owner and staff who seem to
be using/fiddling with the equipment after hours - this morning the
iron was still plugged in and cheerfully hot!.
I've trawled but can't find anything suitable. Ideally some sort of
lockable cover for the wall sockets or the plugs themselves. I can fit
covers but not replace the sockets. I've left her a handful of cable
ties so she can double the plugs back onto the cables overnight and
then cut them off in the am but while that's cheap, obviously not too
safe either. Visions of slashed cables....
Any help/ideas appreciated, apart from suggesting speaking to the
stupid woman, it's her shop and yes, we've tried. It's complicated.
stupidly low rent, free electric, nice little business etc.Thanks.

Could you not replace the plugs on the appliances with an alternative
type of plug - something like:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...40v/index.html

or

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLPT15.html

And make some leads to convert between the two - your daughter could
then take the conversion leads home each night.

On 10 July, 14:47, Richard Conway wrote:
Harry wrote:
Our daughter has two sewing machines and a steam iron in a back area
of a retail shop. She's problems with the owner and staff who seem to
be using/fiddling with the equipment after hours - this morning the
iron was still plugged in and cheerfully hot!.
I've trawled but can't find anything suitable. Ideally some sort of
lockable cover for the wall sockets or the plugs themselves. I can fit
covers but not replace the sockets. I've left her a handful of cable
ties so she can double the plugs back onto the cables overnight and
then cut them off in the am but while that's cheap, obviously not too
safe either. Visions of slashed cables....
Any help/ideas appreciated, apart from suggesting speaking to the
stupid woman, it's her shop and yes, we've tried. It's complicated.
stupidly low rent, free electric, nice little business etc.Thanks.

Could you not replace the plugs on the appliances with an alternative
type of plug - something like:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...s_Industrial_I...

or

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLPT15.html

And make some leads to convert between the two - your daughter could
then take the conversion leads home each night.

These would be neater: http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLRC3.html
but more readily obtainable for them to go out and buy their own.
Other ideas:-

1) A big padlock (or small padlock and fat chain) that will go around
the body of the plug, trapped between the pins.

2) A keyswitch in a box wired into each lead.

3) A little padlockable drawstring bag for each plug, or maybe find a
purse with a ring pull zipper that would take a small padlock.

4) I think there may be sockets for outside use that have lockable
flaps but allow the plug to be left in. No need to wire them up, just
use them loose to corral the plugs.

It also occurs to me that there must be a child (or general) safety
market for this requirement, but I'm not sure where to look.

Chris

In article ,
Harry writes:
Our daughter has two sewing machines and a steam iron in a back area
of a retail shop. She's problems with the owner and staff who seem to
be using/fiddling with the equipment after hours - this morning the
iron was still plugged in and cheerfully hot!.
I've trawled but can't find anything suitable. Ideally some sort of
lockable cover for the wall sockets or the plugs themselves. I can fit
covers but not replace the sockets. I've left her a handful of cable
ties so she can double the plugs back onto the cables overnight and
then cut them off in the am but while that's cheap, obviously not too
safe either. Visions of slashed cables....
Any help/ideas appreciated, apart from suggesting speaking to the
stupid woman, it's her shop and yes, we've tried. It's complicated.
stupidly low rent, free electric, nice little business etc.Thanks.

What about making up a lockable in-line ketswitch on the leads?
For the Sewing Machine, something like a motor cycle wheel padlock
through the flywheel should do it ;-) Or take the needle home.

Incidentally, you can buy irons which turn off after a period of
being still.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:27:12 +0100 someone who may be Harry
wrote this:-

Our daughter has two sewing machines and a steam iron in a back area
of a retail shop. She's problems with the owner and staff who seem to
be using/fiddling with the equipment after hours - this morning the
iron was still plugged in and cheerfully hot!.
I've trawled but can't find anything suitable. Ideally some sort of
lockable cover for the wall sockets or the plugs themselves. I can fit
covers but not replace the sockets.

If the owner is causing the problem then there is a limit to what
you can do. I have seen lockable metal boxes which fitted over
switched fused outlets, arranged with a lever so that when the cover
was closed the equipment would always be switched off. A modernish
version is http://www.pluglock.co.uk/ though this doesn't, without
modification, prevent things being turned on and would be dangerous
if things could be left on. However, adding something like this to
the sockets will presumably cause tensions, just as lockable sockets
would.

Sewing machines could, depending on design, be fitted with a lock on
the switch or a DOL starter fitted. These can be locked to prevent
unauthorised use. For an iron that is more difficult, assuming a
domestic type iron. Others have given other ideas.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

"Harry" wrote in message
...
Our daughter has two sewing machines and a steam iron in a back area
of a retail shop. She's problems with the owner and staff who seem to
be using/fiddling with the equipment after hours - this morning the
iron was still plugged in and cheerfully hot!.
I've trawled but can't find anything suitable. Ideally some sort of
lockable cover for the wall sockets or the plugs themselves. I can fit
covers but not replace the sockets. I've left her a handful of cable
ties so she can double the plugs back onto the cables overnight and
then cut them off in the am but while that's cheap, obviously not too
safe either. Visions of slashed cables....
Any help/ideas appreciated, apart from suggesting speaking to the
stupid woman, it's her shop and yes, we've tried. It's complicated.
stupidly low rent, free electric, nice little business etc.Thanks.

What you are looking for are called plug lock-out devices. They are designed
to allow someone to work on a piece of electrical equipment without the risk
of someone else plugging it in while they are doing so. Essentially a box
that encloses the plug and is secured by a padlock.

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/m...es/pid/6908649

Colin Bignell

Thanks all, got the cells working at least. This afternoon I've fitted
new plugs with lever out fuses, not ideal but it's quick and simple. I
favour the inline switch idea, then I could run the leads to a central
point and lock the lot with one turn.no modification to the existing
sockets so nobody gets upset. Needs more pondering but thanks all for
the contributions. And yes, you'd think there'd be a ready market for
something like this.

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:27:12 +0100, Harry
wrote:

Any help/ideas appreciated, apart from suggesting speaking to the
stupid woman, it's her shop and yes, we've tried. It's complicated.
stupidly low rent, free electric, nice little business etc.Thanks.

Make up as many short leads (about a foot) as you have appliances with
a standard 13A plug on one end and one of these on the other

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products...16slash3C.html

Then replace the plugs on your machines with

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products...16slash3P.html

Each night simply unplug and lock away (or take home!) the short
leads.

Alternatively replace the sockets with
http://www.mkelectric.co.uk/news/news.asp?newsid=1024

(search on that site for k14355)

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:26:52 +0100, "nightjar" cpb@insert my surname
here.me.uk wrote:

What you are looking for are called plug lock-out devices. They are designed
to allow someone to work on a piece of electrical equipment without the risk
of someone else plugging it in while they are doing so. Essentially a box
that encloses the plug and is secured by a padlock.

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/m...es/pid/6908649

Thassit! Brilliant, thank you! It's all very well having Google and
wotnot but not a whit of use if you don't have the right terms to
search for. Sorted :-)

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:30:13 +0100, Harry wrote:

Thanks all, got the cells working at least. This afternoon I've fitted
new plugs with lever out fuses, not ideal but it's quick and simple.

Will numpty perosn just bung in a 13A fuse to use the kit? Possibly
when the plug fuse should be 3A... Probably not the case with the kit
you mention but worth bearing in mind.

Free electric strikes me as a bit daft as well. People will abuse it,
have the heaters flat out but not switch 'em off it gets to hot just
open the window and/or doors...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:02:49 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:30:13 +0100, Harry wrote:

Thanks all, got the cells working at least. This afternoon I've fitted
new plugs with lever out fuses, not ideal but it's quick and simple.

Will numpty perosn just bung in a 13A fuse to use the kit? Possibly
when the plug fuse should be 3A... Probably not the case with the kit
you mention but worth bearing in mind.

Free electric strikes me as a bit daft as well. People will abuse it,
have the heaters flat out but not switch 'em off it gets to hot just
open the window and/or doors...

I did say it's complicated. It's a ladies fashion/accessory shop. My
girl is a dressmaker and also provides an alteration service from a
back section of the unit. Sort of an inshop if you will. As part of
the agreement, she, in return for a small rent, isn't charged for her
electricity usage. The premise is that as she's there, more people
will come in to the main shop and also buy off the peg as a result.
And they do seem to. It was too good an offer to turn down as,
although the work returns an income, it's very labour intensive with
LONG hours and wouldn't be viable if she had to pay full whack for her
own place. On the (very) odd days that she does leave before the shop
closes so there's still other people there, she's always come back in
the morning to find her machines have been switched on/used in her
absence. It isn't safe to use this stuff without training/unsupervised
and she relies on the things for her living so we'd like to prevent
injury and damage, both. The fuse ruse is a temporary solution,
numpties will always find a work around. I'd not be surprised to have
her tell me today that a plug has been cut off and the wires jammed
into a socket with lollipop sticks! I'm also thinking about making
covers or hoods to put over the machines which can then be locked to
the benches.

nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"Harry" wrote in message
...
Our daughter has two sewing machines and a steam iron in a back area
of a retail shop. She's problems with the owner and staff who seem to
be using/fiddling with the equipment after hours - this morning the
iron was still plugged in and cheerfully hot!.
I've trawled but can't find anything suitable. Ideally some sort of
lockable cover for the wall sockets or the plugs themselves. I can fit
covers but not replace the sockets. I've left her a handful of cable
ties so she can double the plugs back onto the cables overnight and
then cut them off in the am but while that's cheap, obviously not too
safe either. Visions of slashed cables....
Any help/ideas appreciated, apart from suggesting speaking to the
stupid woman, it's her shop and yes, we've tried. It's complicated.
stupidly low rent, free electric, nice little business etc.Thanks.

What you are looking for are called plug lock-out devices. They are designed
to allow someone to work on a piece of electrical equipment without the risk
of someone else plugging it in while they are doing so. Essentially a box
that encloses the plug and is secured by a padlock.

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/m...es/pid/6908649

Colin Bignell



Also he

http://www.hemrock.co.uk/Applock/index.html

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Dave Osborne
saying something like:

Also he

http://www.hemrock.co.uk/Applock/index.html

"Disclaimer: You are 100% responsible for your own actions.
Clicking a link, downloading a programme or even *living* are entirely
at your own risk (and enjoyment)."

I like that.