OLD(er than me) appliances

[david.hollman]

I have a couple electric kitchen tools (eggbeater type) which seem to be from the 1970s. They have the old style round pin plugs.

Question is whether it is safe to still use them. Lets say hypothetically I replace the plugs with modern ones, is there any reason it would be unsafe to use these devices?

And as I'm thinking about it, I don't even know if they work - but it so happens in my loft is an apparently equally old outlet which I have never used which would fit an old-style plug. Any risks to trying it there?

For that matter, could I simply replace that outlet with a modern one and use it for something other than mixing food in the loft? ;P

Maybe these are silly questions, but old electrical things seem scary.

Thank you! Dave

[david.hollman]

I have a couple electric kitchen tools (eggbeater type) which seem to be from the 1970s. They have the old style round pin plugs.

Question is whether it is safe to still use them. Lets say hypothetically I replace the plugs with modern ones, is there any reason it would be unsafe to use these devices?

And as I'm thinking about it, I don't even know if they work - but it so happens in my loft is an apparently equally old outlet which I have never used which would fit an old-style plug. Any risks to trying it there?

For that matter, could I simply replace that outlet with a modern one and use it for something other than mixing food in the loft? ;P

Maybe these are silly questions, but old electrical things seem scary.

Thank you! Dave

[Owain]

They might have dust in them and catch fire. It would be prudent to insulation test them first.

Red = live Black = Neutral Green = Earth.

That round-pin outlet in the loft might be from the lighting circuit so unsuitable for power tools, although an electric mixer isn't likely to overload it. It might also not be earthed.

If you still have old roundpin sockets as a major part of your wiring, it's probably due for replacement.

Owain

[Andrew Gabriel]

There could be lots of reasons. Ideally you should get them PAT tested first. If you aren't going to do that, at least run them via an RCD and with the correct fuse in the plug (which is a good reason for changing the plug). Be prepared for the things to blow up in your face or moving parts to come flying off.

Yes, it probably isn't RCD protected and won't be fused appropriately for safety of the old appliances.

Depends what circuit it's on and how it's protected. You certainly can't do it without a full investigation of the circuit.

[meow2222]

1970s appliances are not much different to today's goods safety wise. The main difference is lack of guarding on some motorised devices - eg washing machines or spin driers where you can open them while spinning, which is no longer allowed.

The only 70s era appliances I'd be wary of are microwaves and bare element heaters. In short you can treat this no different to a modern mixer. 70s Kenwood mixers are still fairly well respected appliances.

Its when you go back to the 60s and earlier you start seeing more basic safety features missing, such as earth connections, double insulation, guarding of high speed blades, etc.

NT

[Andy Dingley]

You need to PAT test them, with a real Megger at an appropriate test voltage, and to visually inspect them after dismantling. I would expect that they'll need some work.

If they're '70s, then they're probably OK. If they're '50s or '60s (and round pins suggest that) then you're likely to find some rubber insulation in there that will have perished by now and _will_ need replacement. Appliance cables are very likely to need replacement, not just plugs.

Neither test, inspection, or certainly not just using an RCD at their working voltage, is enough of a test on their own. You need the combination. OTOH, simple work probably will make them usable again.

[Lobster]

If your house has otherwise modern wiring, my guess is that the outlet is a relic from a previous installation and isn't even live. You'd have to check; but even if it was live I'd agree with others that you should exercise caution!

David

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The presence of a round pin plug only really suggests it has been used with an older wiring installation - not the actual age of the appliance.

[meow2222]

There seems to be a lot of paranoia in this thread. 70s kenwood (and most other) mixers are no different to 80s ones safety wise.

NT

[cynic]

I have a Pifco 3kW convector heater bought in 1961, which I use frequently in my office. Ok I replaced the old cloth and rubber flex but apart from our PAT course students checking it about every two months it doesn't ail anything at all. I think it is probably far safer than some of the plastic cased heaters marketed today.

[Andrew Gabriel]

This is probably true. The one area where old heaters in good (original) condition do often fail is the IP2X test, i.e. you can poke a finger in and touch a live part (or touch the silica glass tube encasing an element which counts as a live part for these purposes). I don't know when IP2X (or older equivalent) became a requirement, but it obviously wasn't back then. Old wire guard grills are often far too open to meet IP2X.

[Lurch]

On Sat, 26 May 2007 22:59:39 +0100, "Graham" mused:

If it was up to me I'd have used something else. ;)

[Graham]

here is a novel use for a 5A plug I saw in a shopping centre stairwell recently

wonder how it was wired? If it was up to me I would have used earth and neutral.

[Dave]

Agreed. They must have been the earliest form of double insulation. We have a Kenwood Chefette and as far as I know, my sister, who is ten years older than me has its big brother the Kenwood Chef. We bought it just after we married in 1970 and it is still in regular use.

If your electrical kitchen tools have any metallic parts that can be touched, find an electrician that can perform a 'Portable Appliance Test' (P.A.T.) on them. Then you will know that they are safe. Your local school might just have this equipment to test them.

Dave

[Lurch]

On Sun, 27 May 2007 02:03:58 +0100, Dave mused:

You married your sister?

[Andy Hall]

No...

She married the Kenwood Chef. *He* married the Kenwood Chefette.

[Lurch]

On Sun, 27 May 2007 10:02:00 +0100, Andy Hall mused:

Ah, that's much less perverse.

[meow2222]

Ideally all used appliances should be PATted, but IRL most never bother.

NT

[Dave]

LOL I did write that badly, didn't I?

Dave

[Dave]

What you also have to remember was that I had just got back from driving from Preston (Lancs) to Portsmouth and back in the same day and that I was best part down a short bottle of whisky when I wrote that :-) The whisky helps me to shut down the brain after all that driving.

Dave