Pet hate is the back box for sockets and switches. The way of cramming in the cables is crude. Especially as if you change a fitting the termianls can be in a different configuration.
I would like to suggest - for your views!
The circuit cables attached to a terminal block that is a part of the back box. The switch or socket would be connected to that block with a fly lead that would be an integral part of that switch / socket with a Wago type connector.
I cannot see that coming but there is potential for Wago type connectors on double sockets. I have seen a video of someone who mocked up one just as a demonstration. Light switches, single sockets and other 1-gang accessories could be problematic to fit in existing back boxes and that is where the real problem is in backward compatibility.
One common issue I do see is the copper wire deforming in a ductile manner under the screw, which is a form of stress relaxation
The wires are no longer under the same level of compression at the time of installation, so that would be one benefit of using wago style terminals in place of the screws.
Heck, the same idea could be applied to RCBOs/MCBs current carrying capacity permitted on the output terminals.
What I would very much like, though costs might put me off, is a system where what you can see - the plate, the socket holes, the switch - can be removed and replaced easily and safely.
I have seen so many cracked, broken and otherwise damaged faceplates over the years. As well as the ones that have paint slathered up the sides.
I think you could have a system where the cabling is terminated in the backbox, and the faceplate simply plugs into it. With some careful design, removing the socket wouldn't break the ring/radial connections and wouldn't expose live parts - a little like the base plates of cordless kettles. That could allow Joe Householder to change the colour of their sockets without disturbing the wiring, and would allow easy removal for painting etc. It would also be useful for 'smart' sockets (with USB ports etc) in that you could safely disconnect them when testing circuits, and it would make it easier to fit them in the first place.
You'd probably make this in three parts - the metal/plastic backbox that's part of the fabric of the building, the slim base contacts, and the socket faceplate. For better termination you might have three sets of Wago-style clamp, rather than having wires sharing screw terminals. Having separate base contacts would mean you could choose the size to fit the job - if you have 10mm2 cables for some reason you could get the right one to terminate those.
It might cost a bit more, but it pales into insignificance compared with electricians' time.
It may mean that back boxes have to be deeper. Cooker switches or light dimmers often have to be fitted to deep back boxes - and this is without them also being stuffed with extra connectors.
When I checked the tightness of all the socket cable screws many years ago, and about 18 years after the house was built, many needed tightening. They weren't 'loose' but neither were they tight.
My mother's house was built in the 1960s and all the wiring in that property is stretched within a inch of its life - no slack anywhere. Remove a ceiling rose and you are in trouble as the wire tries to shrink back into the ceiling. Remove a wall socket and it will come forward just enough to get a screwdriver in to the terminals, and if replacing the socket one with a similar connection location has to be purchased.
Well many moons ago I bought some outdoor switches of French origin that did more or less this, but it was silly as in this case the depth of the box was far greater than ours!
Have you ever tried to cram a dimmer into a normal wall box without resorting to one of those spacer thingies? Nightmare. Brian
A previous house, every cable was as short as possible. Almost impossible to replace a socket or switch if the positions were even slightly different. In fact, you could take the screws out and the socket or switch wouldn't move more than a fraction of a millimetre.
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