220v socket is loose

[Micky]

I'm renting a room from a woman and the power is 220 Volts. More than once she has scorched one pin of her room heater's plug. The last guy who replaced it adviced her to only turn on one of the two heater halves.

I replaced the plug too and pointed out that if the receptacle is loose, that's a problem too. She showed me that her bedroom socket barely grips the plug or not at all.

She hasn't asked me yet to replace the whole socket, and even if I did... the apartment was wired for internet cable, so it must have been remodeled not that long ago, and I'm guessintg the electric sockets were replaced too (I can ask her.)

So.... Is there a device one can put into a 220v. socket (receptacle) that will expand and make a tight connection with a loose socket?

Or any other way around her problem?

Also, I brought an American extension cord with me, so I would only need one adapter for the computer, the camera charger, the phone charger, and the earpiece charger, all of which together don't use that much iirc, but somone tells me a US extension cord might not be able to handle 220v. What say ye?

[Ed Pawlowski]

It is the amps, not the volts to be concerned about. Are you talking voltage adapter? If you plug the adapter into the 220 socket and the cord into the adapter it is only carrying 110, not 220 as the adapter reduces

[philo]

If it was loose, the wiring might be burned so I'd turn the power off to inspect.

To answer your question though , yes, the receptacle needs to be replaced.

[clare]

Nothing you can insert in the plug will tighten it up. What country and what style of 220 plug?? American extention cords, by and large, are insulated to withstand a minimum of 300 volts -and many are rated for 600.

[clare]

No, he is using a plug adapter to adapt the 120 volt cord to the 240 volt plug so he can plug in his "universal" power supplies and devices to 240 volts using his regular 120 volt 15 amp plugs.. Fairly common practice among international travellers from North America.

[Micky]

Good to know. I didn't think it was only me, but it was a better idea than carrying 4 plug adapters, though I think I have 3 with me.

So far I haven't needed it because I've been charging the phone from the computer port (and the earpiece from either the second half of a Y-cable or after the phone is charged. The earpiece doesn't take long.)

But now** I hooked up my USB speakers, which work really well, and with the keyboard and the mouse and the charging cable, that's 4, 5 if I want a flashdrive too, but I only have 3 ports. So I brought a USB hub and sometimes it work fine and sometimes the mouse stops working in it Maybe I'll buy another one of those, but it looked like a good brand, "USB". What could be better than that?

**She also found me a thin-screen monitor which is bigger than what the acer aspire one has, but it uses up one of the AC outlets. She has a whole bunch of 3-in1 for AC plugs , but she lost them as soon as she found them. Most of this is round pin, but the plug for the monitor had rectangular pins. they were harder to push into the wall. Maybe that is the solution, if I can find something like that.

She was has a plug adapter for both 110 and 220 volte plugs that she couldn't push the plug from my computer into the adapter without my doing it. This might be it! It 's good to have someone to talk this out with.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I did the opposite. My adapter not only had the plug but it gives me

120 volts. Fairly common practice.

[trader_4]

I'd be real careful about fiddling with electric or anything else that has the potential for big problems in a place you're renting.

Because you add internet you must have been remodeled and upgraded?

No

Why doesn't she just call an electrician and get if fixed before she kills someone?

I would think the insulation on typical US extensions would be good to 220V+

[fire-inspector]

You need to rewire that whole place immediately. I can smell the wood charring around those wires right now. Either begin rewiring IMMEDIATELY (as in TODAY), or just toss a gallon of gasoline in that place along with a lit match. The life you save may be your own, as well as that of all your neighbors.

[Scot Carlon]

When purchasing electrical receptacles, most people buy the 99 cent ones.

Next time, buy the 6 dollar one and the plugs won't fall out.