What does it mean by overloading a socket?
An overloaded socket is one that has too many items plugged into it that require electricity. Your home’s first defense against an overloaded socket is to trip the fuse, turning the power off to that section of the home.
What happens if a socket is overloaded?
When an outlet overloads, the circuit breaker trips, cutting the electric flow to that whole circuit. In the absence of a circuit breaker, the circuit wiring will overheat, making the wire insulation to melt, which can cause a fire. It can damage electrical appliances and also cause power outages.
What happens when you plug too many things into one outlet?
Plugging too many electrical items into one outlet can do more than just trip a breaker. This heat can build up until the conductor, whether it’s a wire, an outlet, or any other part of the circuit, gets hot enough to start a fire. This is why homes are equipped with circuit breakers and fuses.
Why are some sockets bigger?
Why Are Outlet Plugs Different Sizes? Therefore, engineers came up with the idea to make the neutral blade on each plug slightly wider than the hot blade and to make the hole for the neutral blade in each outlet slightly wider than the hot side.
How does overload happen?
An electric overload occurs when too much current passes through electric wires. The wires heat and can melt, with the risk of starting a fire.
How do you know if a socket is overloaded?
Check regularly for the following danger signs:
- a smell of hot plastic or burning near an appliance or socket.
- sparks or smoke coming from a plug or appliance.
- blackness or scorch marks around a socket or plug, or on an appliance.
- damaged or frayed leads.
- coloured wire inside leads showing at the plug or anywhere else.
Why is Earth pin longest and thickest?
The earth pin is long so that the earth connection is made first. This ensures the safety of the user because if the appliance is defective, the fuse will blow off. The earth pin is made thicker so that even by mistake it cannot be inserted into the hole for the live or neutral connection of the socket.
What are the 3 pins in a plug?
The Three Pin Plug
- The LIVE wire is BROWN. This is connected to a fuse on the live pin.
- The NEUTRAL wire is BLUE. This is the route the electric current takes when it exits an appliance; it is for this reason the neutral wire has a voltage close to zero.
- The EARTH wire is GREEN & YELLOW. and connected to the earth pin.
What does it mean when there are overloaded sockets?
Overloaded Sockets. Overloading sockets is something that most people have done at least once in their lives. When we plug in extension leads it is normal to simply think that if there are 4 sockets, it means that you can plug four appliances in.
Can a wall socket overload an extension lead?
Otherwise, the plug in the wall socket can overheat and possibly cause a fire. Use only One Extension Lead Per Socket – it may sound stupid, but some people plug in an extension lead into an extension lead. Use one extension lead per socket only, otherwise the risk of overloading the wall socket and the extension lead plugged into it!
Is it dangerous to overload a TV socket?
Overloading sockets or extension sockets are dangerous. Could you perhaps have another plug socket installed behind the television, or could you rearrange your room so that the computer is not plugged into the same wall socket as the television, DVD player and digital TV box? If you can get away without using extension leads, then do so!
Is it normal to plug in 4 sockets at once?
Overloading sockets is something that most people have done at least once in their lives. When we plug in extension leads it is normal to simply think that if there are 4 sockets, it means that you can plug four appliances in. However, this can lead to bigger problems than just messy cables.