Double pole and single pole sockets

sligojoek

Hi. I'm tiling my kitchen walls at the moment and have decided to change the sockets and cooker switch to a brushed metal look.

Was having a look in Homebase yesterday and noticed some are marked as single and double pole. I asked a lad working there what the difference was but he hadn't a clue. The double were a few quid more.

Just wondering is it worth the extra money or would the single pole be okay.
Thanks

Andrea B.

sligojoek wrote: »

Hi. I'm tiling my kitchen walls at the moment and have decided to change the sockets and cooker switch to a brushed metal look.

Was having a look in Homebase yesterday and noticed some are marked as single and double pole. I asked a lad working there what the difference was but he hadn't a clue. The double were a few quid more.

Just wondering is it worth the extra money or would the single pole be okay.
Thanks

First off, I recommend you buy from electrical wholesalers.
Best advice and likely better price.
In my opinion, single pole ok if you are not switching heavy load appliances off and on using the socket switch.
This is not generally done as all appliances have their own switching. You use socket switch for isolating only.
The fact that single pole does not isolate neutral is irrelevant. If a neutral fault in appliance.....you plug it out.
As an electrician, I would be happy with single pole.

sligojoek

Thanks A B.

I wouldn't be buying in HB anyway. Was just in there and had a look. There's two electrical suppliers in town . I'll call in there tomorrow.

The sockets would be for normal kitchen stuff. Microwave, kettle, toaster etc. Just the deep fat frier hadn't its own on/off switch. Would I need a double pole for that?

Andrea B.

They are not required,as such, for anything.
They are expected to give a longer switching lifetime if switching a loaded circuit.
If only a few quid in it, maybe double pole all over.then.

sligojoek

Thanks again.

It's just 4 double sockets so probably no more than 20e extra. I'll go for it.

Lackadaisical

The quality of the switch and the socket would be a lot more important than the number of poles the switch is interrupting when controlling a simple 13amp socket.

On a normal Irish TN-C-S supply i.e. "neutralised" the neutral wire is at 0V and connected to earth at the meter. There should not really be any need to switch the neutral on a socket.

I could see some logic to it if you'd a TT supply and a possibility of floating neutral or if you are using the sockets in a mobile home or with a local generator or something where neutralised supply might not be assured.

The main thing is pick sockets from a reputable brand that are decent quality. The most likely things to wear on them are the spring contacts in the actual socket itself where it makes contact with the pins of the plug. You also get some extra safety features like more advanced shutters that make it virtually impossible for anyone to bypass them with a screwdriver / pen on brands like MK, Hager and Legrand etc.

You'll probably get double pole switching on those brands, but it's certainly not a feature that makes much of a difference.

An electrical wholesaler would be a far better place to buy from than a DIY store. You'll get way better quality and cheaper prices.

sligojoek

Wear and tear shouldn't be a problem 6 out of the 8 are almost permanently plugged in.

Fridge/Radio
Kettle/Toaster
Microwave/Chipper

The other is like a spare. Blender, food processor. phone charger, George Foreman. Whatever is going at the time. I'm probably overthinking it. I just want to do this once and not be changing again in a few years.

Having said that the present ones are there 15 years and never a problem.

Is there a brand name I should go for or avoid?

Lackadaisical

I've seen DIY stores selling accessories at 300% the price of electrical wholesalers, so I would definitely start there. Most of the well known brands that wholesalers stock are very reliable and good.

Basically it will come down to what you like the look of. I wouldn't skimp on the price of a few sockets for the kitchen. Get something decent.

sligojoek

Thanks. There's 2 long established places in town. At least with them there'll always be a comeback. Gonna have a look tomorrow. I finished the tiling today and put the old ones back on for now.