Electrical fittings-poor durability?

My tame electrician was replacing a couple of single surface mount sockets with double ones for me today. In the process he broke a couple of patresses which seems to be a quite common occurrence. This set me thinking. Why are these made of such a brittle material instead of something more robust? Is it a technical problem or is there some other logical reason. The electrician reckons it is a cynical ploy to sell more pattresses! Hi work is usually of a very high standard and his other work is very neat and tidy. I am aware that there are metal ones but are there any alterative robust plastic ones at a realistic price?

Peter Crosland

Reply to
Peter Crosland
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In message , Peter Crosland wrote

Probably the more brittle plastics are less likely distort with heat or to catch fire.

Reply to
Alan

They need to be made from a thermosetting plastic, so they don't melt if they get hot, and so they have good dimensional stability. They break if the electrician does the screws up too tight, and/or the wall isn't flat. I've never managed to break one this way. It might also reflect the quality of the wiring accessory -- I almost always use MK.

If you are having a wall skimmed, remove the accessories and make sure the wires are coiled up inside the patress box, and back from the surface of the wall. This enables the plasterer to run his trowel right across the box and give you a flat wall. If he has to stear the trowel around wires hanging out of the box, the wall is rather unlikely to end up flat in that area. I go further and put a tight fitting piece of water proof cardboard into the patress box, and plaster right over it. When the plaster is nearly set, I then poke it out and cut the plaster edges square, and you still have a patress box without all the screwholes filled with plaster, and a perfectly flat wall around it. If you have no immediate need for the patress box and the wiring behind isn't live, you can even leave it plastered over like this until you need it.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

He sounds like an idiot. The fronts snap because there is too much cable, so when he can't push back any further he tightens the screws until "SNAP". Tell him to learn how to fit a socket correctly and that should do the trick. He is just trying to excuse being crap and you're making it worse by being so gullible.

Reply to
tony

Perhaps he's not as tame as you think.

Reply to
Mike Halmarack

Far from it. He did the entire rewire last year without breaking one. Try not assume you know it all. May I suggest you consult a proctologist?

Peter Crosland

Reply to
Peter Crosland

In message , andrew@a17.?.invalid writes

I usually break them when removing knockouts.

Reply to
chris French

People will mostly buy the cheapest. That means the weakest. And naturally they then need to buy more. Just capitalism.

Which brands are robust enough to survive being fitted, and which arent? The cheap toolstation/screwfix ones are fairly junk. ISTR never having problems with Ashley, Crabtree, MK, but that was a while ago.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

What make were they, ive only broken MK pat boxes by being stupidly brutal with them The cheep type sold by B&Q will shatter into a thousand bits if you drop them on a bare wooden floor.

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Reply to
Mark

Bet he won't be able to look up the number from there! ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

Well I am glad somebody got the joke!

Peter Crosland

Reply to
Peter Crosland

Which made me reread the thread, and realised I anserwed for flush mount accessories, and not surface mount patress boxes which was the point at issue. Sorry folks.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Who in their right mind uses surface mounted sockets that aren't metal clad?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

The need to be fire resistant limits the choice, essentially to bakelite, which is brown, or caesin, which is white (although it can be dyed), both of which are brittle plastics. I have seen polycarbonate used, which, from how it reacts to vandals trying to destroy bus shelters, seems to be self-extinguishing. However, I would expect that to be a lot dearer.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

A man goes into the proctologist's office for his first ever examination . The doctor told him to have a seat in the examination room and that he would be with him in just a few minutes. The man sat down and began observing the tools. He noticed there were three items on a stand next to the exam table. A tube of K-Y jelly, a rubber glove, and a beer. When the doctor finally came in the man said, "Look Doc, I'm a little confused. This is my first exam. I know what the K-Y is for, and I know what the glove is for, but can you tell me what the BEER is for?"

At that the doctor became noticeably outraged and stormed over to the the door. The doc flung the door open and yelled to his nurse......Dammit, Helen! I said a BUTT LIGHT!!

Cheers

John

Reply to
John

ROTFLMAOPMP!

Peter Crosland

Reply to
Peter Crosland

Thank you Mark. I feel you have found the answer. A free beer is available if you like to collect it! Having carefully bought some MK sockets I forgot the patresses, and picked some up from the local ironmongers. Of course these are not MK, and presumably the same poor quality as the sheds sell. It would also explain why none were broken during the rewire when all MK parts were used. Lesson learnt!

Peter Crosland

Reply to
Peter Crosland

The message from "John" contains these words:

"I distinctly said 'Prick his boil', nurse"

Don't suppose anyone here needs the preamble?

Reply to
Guy King

Thanks, With some products it can be worthwhile economising, with others it' s a waste of time and money The trick is getting the right balance. :-)

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Reply to
Mark

Along the lines of "Doctor, why are you trying to take notes with a rectal thermometer?"

"Oh *uggerit, some bum has nicked my pen!"

Reply to
John Rumm

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