Playing silly pluggers

[Wrinkly]

Good evening.

The electrical sockets in my daughter's house have recently been replaced with "Clipsal" brand items. However, although they work perfectly in an electrical sense, it is VERY difficult to insert or remove plugs, which makes them almost impossible to use.

Needless to say, the problem's been dumped in Dad's lap (oh, the joys of parenthood!), but I'm not sure what to do. I've established that the fault lies definitely with the sockets, not with the plugs.

Is it safe to simply spray WD40 everywhere? Or has anybody any better ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[AndyD]

I would avoid WD40 or any other spray lubricant. It might attack the plastic components and I'm not sure about the residue on the brass internal contacts etc.

Socket outlets need to be quite tight to make a good contact with the pins of the plug. If the contact is loose or otherwise poor then it will get very hot and can cause a fire. That said they do wear easier with age usually.

There are plugs available which have a small handle on the back of them to facilitate easier removal when unplugging. I've also seen a wrap-around plastic thingy (can't really describe it better) which fits over the plug pins and forms a handle behind the plug. I think one of the charity organisations like the Lions was selling them. I'll hunt for more info.

[AndyD]

Can't find a picture but it kinda looks like this.

Sorry if its not very clear, it's late and it's not easy to draw. On the left is the thingy flat as it arrives in the packet. On the right is how it wraps around a plug to form a handle. Maybe someone else can remember the name of it.

[Wrinkly]

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to respond, AndyD. I'm very impressed with your artwork

However, this isn't really the answer I was looking for. These plug sockets really are excessively tight, so much so that there's a danger of pulling the sockets out of the wall when trying to remove a plug.

Is this a general problem with Clipsal sockets? - I thought they were a reputable company.

If WD40 isn't recommended, could my daughter coat each plug with Vaseline?

[bergie]

i think since they are making most of clipsal parts in china ,there standards and tolerances are a bit inconsistent.
i think its the plastic holes that are too tight and not the brass contacts. i would take a small round file and clean up the edges.
just make sure the power is off!

[AndyD]

I coincidentally spoke to someone at Clipsal today for another matter and mentioned your tight plug problem. She said this was a known problem with one batch, she wasn't forthcoming with technical details but apparently the problem was ironed out and you can return them where you purchased them for exchange.

[Wrinkly]

I coincidentally spoke to someone at Clipsal today for another matter and mentioned your tight plug problem. She said this was a known problem with one batch, she wasn't forthcoming with technical details but apparently the problem was ironed out and you can return them where you purchased them for exchange.

Thank you very much for that gem of information. I didn't fit the sockets and don't know where they were purchased. However, I see (thanks to Google) that Clipsal have an office/depot in Durban, so I'll ask them if they'll do a swap - the worst they can say is NO.

i think since they are making most of clipsal parts in china ,there standards and tolerances are a bit inconsistent.
i think its the plastic holes that are too tight and not the brass contacts. i would take a small round file and clean up the edges.
just make sure the power is off!

That's a really helpful point, bergie. Thank you. I'll definitely try this if Clipsal won't replace the sockets.

My thanks to both of you for your time & trouble.
Cheers.

[Wrinkly]

i think since they are making most of clipsal parts in china ,there standards and tolerances are a bit inconsistent.
i think its the plastic holes that are too tight and not the brass contacts. i would take a small round file and clean up the edges.
just make sure the power is off!

I haven't got around to contacting Clipsal yet so I had a closer look at the sockets.

I dismantled an old plug and, making sure that the power was off (!), tried each individual prong in the new sockets. They all moved in and out quite easily, so the plugs are not sticking because the holes that are too tight - I think it must be the alignment that's slightly out. As bergie suggested, that's definitely a tolerance problem.

This gives me greater confidence when I get to dealing with Clipsal, because I won't be fobbed off with the excuse that "it's only because the sockets are new".

[Sparks]

What has worked for me on occasion was to ream the coverplate entry to the socket outlet. Provided the shutters are not damaged in the process, it does help without compromising the contact pressure inside the outlet. I used my Dremel router bit attached to my cordless drill. A drill bit of which the point has been ground down to a flat face will also work.

[AndyD]

You must have more patience than me Sparks

Problem is that reaming the holes wider is it's a one way street as far as warranty is concerned. I doubt they would take them back if you attack them with a Dremmel or drill. Maybe just try it on one of them first and see the result.

[Wrinkly]

I got the sockets swapped with no arguments. Everything is working fine.

My thanks are due to AndyD for the info about the dodgy batch of stock which arrived on retailers' shelves.

Cheers,
Wrinkly

PS I should really apologise to Clipsal for spelling their name wrongly in my first two posts of this thread.

[Dave A]

PS I should really apologise to Clipsal for spelling their name wrongly in my first two posts of this thread.

*fixed*

I'm sure they won't notice

[murdock]

this is one of the reasons i no longer install clipsal products.

the batch you a talking about were "all the plugs sockets" supplied during the period 2005/2006 not just a batch...it is the earth socket which is faulty thats why they replaced it...it was made too small

during this period i installed more than 100 sockets...clipsals solution to this problem just return it....my question at whos cost?

then they supplied me with a steel plate with a piece of round bar to push into the earth socket to open it up so that the socket could be installed and removed a little easier...i still in 2010 have customers complaining about this issue from plug we installed during that period...hence the reason i no longer use clipsal sockets...

while on the subject of clipsal...their dimmers are rubbish full stop...


crabtree also had an issue with their sockets many years ago...when you switched on a kettle or any load a spark would come out just above the switch...i had many complains about this and spent many hours replacing sockets at my expense...i then stopped using crabtree even though they say they improved it and made it a 20 amp instead of a 16 amp switch....

moved to clipsal and had many issue with their sockets pushing plugs in and the whole unit would break and fall into the box...infact had one of these last week again...

then the clipsal dimmers just became an absolute nightmare...had a really embarrassing funstion launch with vivian reddy as the guest speaker...and while doing his speach the dimmer went haywire...bright dim bright dim...his comment if they had used edison power this wouldnt have happened..."no comment" i hear if you use edison power you will be lucky to actually get the power to come on their workmanship is so bad...i have never installed a clipsal dimmer since then and never been embbarressed like that since...i only use R&D dimmers now.

i moved to clipsal products plugs and switches...problem...the switch also fall into the box and you have to super glue the switch...

conclusion...products of today all rubbish best thing to do buy the cheapest they all come from the same factory...when it breaks just buy a new one...rahter than wasting R100-150 on a piece of rubbish... spend R39 going price for a double socket outl cheap one...

if you have old lumex switches and plugs...the cream colour ones...DONT REPLACE THEM WITH MODERN JUNK...these old plugs and switches still work and i have decided to start collecting them because they last forever.

[Wrinkly]

It's a pity we can't get MK electrical products here in SA. I believe they have a very good reputation in the UK.

[murdock]

crabtree is the most expensive because you have to buy the plug and cover seperate...and dont be fooled into thinking because they are the most expensive they are the best...far from it...the covers crack if the wall is not 100 % straight or the socket is slightly deeper than the wall...and the live socket burns out if you use the socket for kettles or appliances like washing machines...

and in durban the crabtree plugs plate and cover (if steel) rust.