MK Electric 13 amp socket advice needed.

[devonwoody]

Purchased a 13am MK double socket from B & Q (UNSWITCHED for my freezer plug) and the buggers have made it difficult to wire, although the package states easy install.
The terminal screws are buried in switch assembly and screws are angled plus a normal electric screwdriver because of reverse angle has to be drive screw terminals in unseen.
Is there a new type of electric screwdriver for these sockets used by electricians that has a thicker stem and guides easily on to the screwhead?

I had to put back the old switch socket in exasperation, or is it the Chinese again making things for our market without experience?

 

[catface]

hello devonwoody,
I'm not a professional sparks so you will probably get conflicting advice from someone who is. I do however have a similar story regarding a pair of 13 amp domestic mains plugs. I was in the process of restoring an old valve radio (shortwave set) a couple of months back, & needed said pair of plugs. It being a busy day I went not to my ususal (trade) shop but to the nearer hifi shop locally, & duly bought a pair of "own brand" plugs (them having no others). These similarly proved almost impossible to wire to a good standard (mostly due to an entirely different cable retaining system). Having spent about an hour and 3 goes to get a good standard of fit I still wasn't happy with the quality of the result & decided to throw this pair of stinkers in the rubbish where they belong. The following day I bought a pair of REAL plugs from my normal (ie trade electrical ) shop - properly made and easily fitted in about 10 minutes each ! Just to rub it in the substandard plugs were about £1.60 each and the REAL ones about 60p each. On close inspection there was no comparison quality wise.
So put your substandard (and probably unsafe) rubbish in the bin, swallow the loss and the annoyance, and do the job properly - ie go to a proper trade outlet & check over the socket before you buy. Most proper trade shops don't stock this rubbish.

Hope this helps , regards, CAtface

ps. I read somewhere that there was a recall a while back regarding chinese made 13amp plug (domestic )fuses, which were substandard & had a nasty habit of going bang / blowing the plug apart with associated fire risks. A lot of this outsourced stuff is substandard quality & unfortunately one can no longer rely on a makers name to guarantee build quality, so one has to inspect the goods . . . . . and they call this, "progress"...

 

[OLD]

I assume that the socket is not surface mounted as if it was you could move it to give more wire length available in the housing for easy connection. As it is you can only keep trying or get a sparks to crimp some wire on to extend the short ones.

 

[StevieB]

MK is not a cr@p make so you shouldn't be having the problems you suggest. Is it simply the case that you are too close to the wall due to the shortness of the cable inside the box to be able to angle the faceplate sufficiently to get a good view of what you are doing?

Steve.

 

[Jake]

Why not try the revolutionary manual screwdriver.

 

[MickCheese]

I assume when you say an electric screwdriver you don't mean one of those fat battery things but an electricians insulated screwdriver.

You could try to extend the wires then you would be able to see the screw holes.

Good luck

Mick

 

[Jake]

Ah, the missing "ian's" sent me off thinking DW was either on a wind-up or being extraordinarily lazy.

It's a while since I wired up an MK socket, but their stuf is usually pretty well-though through and well made.

It isn't just a case of angling the socket forward when you are installing it, is it? So the bottom edge is pressed against the bottom of the box/wall, with the face angled away from the box/wall, making the terminal vertical (and visible)?

 

[jasonB]

Wired 3 MK SSO's yesterday, no problem with a 4mm electricians screwdriver. All three terminals in a line, just tilt the top of the plate forwards for easy access.

Jason

 

[matt]

You should be able to hold the at an angle to the wall sufficient to screw the terminals in without any problem at all. I usually ensure the cable is long enough to angle the socket at somewhere almost 90 degrees (as if hinged on the bottom edge).

So... sounds as though the cables in the wall are too short. If they come up from under the floor, then you should be able to maximise on the length of the cables by holding the socket low in relation to it's final fixing position and then lift it up once the wires are in to fix.

Have you tried giving the cable a gentle pull? It's not uncommon to find some slack that can be gently pulled through, even if it's been plastered over.

If all else fails... can you trace the cables back to the two sockets either side of the one that you're working on in the loop? If so, is there any scope to run new cables to the socket?

Final thought... is there space enough to lower (assuming the cables are coming up) the box, thus increasing the cable length in relation to the box? (or lift the box if the cables are coming down, or to the left or right if that's the direction of the feeds).

 

[devonwoody]

StevieB and others hit the nail spot on.

I shall either have to extend cable each side of loop, Its in the workshop.
Or leave the old double switched socket in situ but cover over the switches with a wooden plate arrangement so I do not accidently switch the freezer off. Remember I am getting old and forgetful.