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Washing Machine Socket

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  • 17-02-2016 11:06pm
    #1
    matjay
    Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭


    HI All

    Just wondering if anyone can shed some light on the below for me.

    My wife rang today to say that the washing machine had just stopped working, I told her to leave it until I got home to which she did.

    I got home and the first thing I did was check another appliance (the kettle) in the socket. Didn't work !! phew Washing Machine is not broke :)

    I popped a phase tester into the top pin opening, to open the neutral and live pins and checked to see was there power going to the live, which was no .... until I touched the switch on the socket and the light flickered on and off on the phase tester, so obviously the socket is dodgy. So I will be buying a new socket for this and replacing it. That's that sorted, sorry but I had to give the lead up to my actual question :D

    My question is, should there be power passing through the neutral on this socket ? I also took the socket away from the wall to see if any cables had become loose (which they hadn't) but on checking with the phase tester on both live and neutral both were live ??

    The appliance sockets are controlled by 13a switches. When I turn the switch on for the Washing Machine the neutral is indeed neutral and not live but when I turn it off its live again. Is this correct ? This is how the house was wired up and I bought from new 5 years ago, so I would imagine the sparks that worked on the house knew what he/she was doing. I also checked the back of the 13a switch and again the neutral is live ?? I also checked to see if there was a fuse inside the compartment and there wasn't, should there be one or would it be wired in a way that it does not need one ?

    In relation to the switch packing in, could this be because when I bought my fan oven it was powered by standard 3 core cable with a plug. I wired this cable straight into the back of the socket used for the Washing Machine, could this have caused the fault in the socket and is the fact I wired up the oven so OK ? or should I have just bought a double adapter instead as I do not have any spare sockets, the sparks only used singles and didn't think of the oven needing such !

    Sorry for the very long post, just wanted to make sure I had covered everything,

    Look forward to any replies,

    Ta

    J


Comments

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    #2
    perry stanley
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭perry stanley


    Scary not seen that too many times, thank God. Was all the associated equipment unplugged/disconnected when you done the test. (Cooker / washing machine etc)


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    #3
    matjay
    Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭matjay


    Its unplugged now, but I guess it happened when the Washing Machine was running its cycle !


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    #4
    matjay
    Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭matjay


    Yes it was unplugged I had to finish the cycle on the Washing Machine by using an extension lead to another socket in the kitchen,


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    #5
    brightspark
    Registered Users Posts: 2,637 ✭✭✭brightspark


    matjay wrote: »

    My question is, should there be power passing through the neutral on this socket ? I also took the socket away from the wall to see if any cables had become loose (which they hadn't) but on checking with the phase tester on both live and neutral both were live ??
    The appliance sockets are controlled by 13a switches. When I turn the switch on for the Washing Machine the neutral is indeed neutral and not live but when I turn it off its live again. Is this correct ? This is how the house was wired up and I bought from new 5 years ago, so I would imagine the sparks that worked on the house knew what he/she was doing. I also checked the back of the 13a switch and again the neutral is live ??

    You can't tell anything useful with a phase tester!

    You might have a serious issue, or it might be nothing ask an electrician to check it out with a meter.
    matjay wrote: »
    I also checked to see if there was a fuse inside the compartment and there wasn't, should there be one or would it be wired in a way that it does not need one ?

    No fuses
    matjay wrote: »
    I wired this cable straight into the back of the socket

    WRONG! if the oven was designed to operate from a socket it should be plugged into a socket.

    If the oven wasn't meant to be plugged into a socket it should have it's own circuit with appropriate cable,mcb and isolator
    matjay wrote: »
    should I have just bought a double adapter instead as I do not have any spare sockets, the sparks only used singles and didn't think of the oven needing such !

    A double adapter is a bad idea for two heavy loads (oven and washing machine)


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    #6
    matjay
    Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭matjay


    Thanks for the replies,

    So I will be changing the socket to a double and plugging the oven in from now on.

    So there is no need for a fuse in the 13a switch is that correct ?

    I cant believe there wold be a major issue with how it was wired up as surly the sparks that worked on it would have been certified and checked by the developers ?


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    #7
    brightspark
    Registered Users Posts: 2,637 ✭✭✭brightspark


    matjay wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies,

    So I will be changing the socket to a double and plugging the oven in from now on.

    So there is no need for a fuse in the 13a switch is that correct ?

    I cant believe there wold be a major issue with how it was wired up as surly the sparks that worked on it would have been certified and checked by the developers ?

    I hope an electrician wasn't involved in connecting the wires for the cooker to the back of the socket.

    Also a double socket isn't really suitable for two heavy appliances, you should ideally have two separate single sockets. (that is assuming the oven was designed to be supplied from a socket)

    You refer to a 13A switch? Do you mean a switch which is part of the 13A socket?
    The fuse is in the plugtop not the socket.


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    #8
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,459 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    matjay wrote: »
    I cant believe there wold be a major issue with how it was wired up as surly the sparks that worked on it would have been certified and checked by the developers ?

    Double assumption there - that he was certified and that the developer checked his credentials. Most likely neither is correct.


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    #9
    matjay
    Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭matjay


    brightspark wrote: »
    I hope an electrician wasn't involved in connecting the wires for the cooker to the back of the socket.

    Also a double socket isn't really suitable for two heavy appliances, you should ideally have two separate single sockets. (that is assuming the oven was designed to be supplied from a socket)

    You refer to a 13A switch? Do you mean a switch which is part of the 13A socket?
    The fuse is in the plugtop not the socket.

    No an electrician wasn't involved in the wires to the back of the socket, that was me. I thought it would be fine to do so, apart from having no fuse I thought it was OK to hard wire straight in. This is no left on full-time it is only turned on when in use.

    The oven was designed to work from a socket

    Yes the switch turns the 13a sockets power on and off, it has no fuse in the compartment that pops out, should it have one ?


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    #10
    matjay
    Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭matjay


    coylemj wrote: »
    Double assumption there - that he was certified and that the developer checked his credentials. Most likely neither is correct.

    You would like to think that they would/should be ? But than again .....


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    #11
    brightspark
    Registered Users Posts: 2,637 ✭✭✭brightspark


    matjay wrote: »
    No an electrician wasn't involved in the wires to the back of the socket, that was me. I thought it would be fine to do so, apart from having no fuse I thought it was OK to hard wire straight in. This is no left on full-time it is only turned on when in use.

    The oven was designed to work from a socket

    Yes the switch turns the 13a sockets power on and off, it has no fuse in the compartment that pops out, should it have one ?

    What compartment?


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    #12
    matjay
    Registered Users Posts: 68 ✭✭matjay


    brightspark wrote: »
    What compartment?

    The 13a switch has a little rectangle slot that pops out and this holds the fuse, there is none in the one that turns on/off the socket for the washing machine ?


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    #13
    AMKC
    Registered Users Posts: 16,128 ✭✭✭✭AMKC
    Ms


    @Matjay The 13amp switches for your sockets sound like they are wired backwards they should not work like that. Is there a light on the switches and if so are they on all the time.
    As for your socket with a neutral and live both live it is either a dodgy socket or the switch to it is also wired wrong.
    If your 13amp switches have a space for a fuse then yes there should be a fuse there.
    At which side of the 13amp switch is the neutral live and is it in the terminal marked with an N?
    Maybe you should look at upgrading the sockets there from single to double.
    Is your house timber-frame or concrete? If it is timber-frame it should be easy enough to change a single socket to a double one. If it is concrete it is still possible but is a little messier as need to make room for a double box for socket.
    As for the oven plugged into the socket I have never heard of this and connecting it directly to the socket is worse as you are taking away any protection it did have by bypassing the 13amp fuse in the socket that was on the oven cable. Most ovens need to be connected to a 45amp switch.
    If you are still having problems maybe you should get a qualified electrician in to check and maybe fix any problems.

    Live long and Prosper

    Peace and long life.



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