Washing machine fuse - socket too?

[intruder1]

Hi everyone,

My 2 year old washing machine has just blown a fuse - so much so that the plug prong was fused to the plastic of the plug itself.

I replaced the entire plug and it's still not working. Could it be that the socket it plugs into is fritzed too? I'm happy to swap this out for a new one as that's one of the few DIY skills I have, but before I do that I thought I'd ask for some ideas in case it could be anything else. There doesn't seem to be any exterior damage to the socket.

Thanks in advance.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Well, there's probably some reason it blew a fuse, which you don't claim to have identified as yet -- a fault in the plug, cable, or appliance itself.

You should replace a socket if the plug suffers overheating. For this application (washing machine probably takes 10 or more Amps), buy a good quality plug and socket such as MK, not 50p jobs from a market stall or the cheap no-name brand from the local DIY shed. However, it probably isn't the cause of the washing machine not working.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Plug in something else to check?

However, if the plug got seriously overheated there's a good chance the socket did too. If you've got a 3 Kw electric fire try that on the socket and check (without leaving the room) for overheating or other signs of distress. Or just change it anyway - they're usually not expensive. But examine the wiring for signs of damage to the insulation at the same time.

[Dave Jennings]

Dagnab it! You know, that thought hadn't even struck me! Blame it on last nights vino.

OK, changed plug and it works fine in another socket, but not the original one. I'll pick up a decent replacement later today.

Thanks for the advice!

[Dave Jennings]

Dagnab it! You know, that thought hadn't even struck me! Blame it on last nights vino.

OK, changed plug and it works fine in another socket, but not the original one. I'll pick up a decent replacement later today.

Thanks for the advice!

[Dave Jennings]

Dagnab it! You know, that thought hadn't even struck me! Blame it on last nights vino.

OK, changed plug and it works fine in another socket, but not the original one. I'll pick up a decent replacement later today.

Thanks for the advice!

[Dave Jennings]

Dagnab it! I hadn't even thought of doing that! Blame it on last nights vino.

OK, changed plug and it works fine in another socket but not the original, so I guess it's fritzed too. I'll take Andrew's advice and buy a good one later!

Thanks fellas!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You must have the shakes, then, because you've sent this four times. ;-)

[Frank Erskine]

He can't thank you enough :-)