Mains outlets with USB sockets – safety?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Does every safety obsessive here unplug their computer at night then?

And switch off the central heating?

And the microwave?

And the cooker?

And the alarm clock radio.

And the satellite box?

And the DECT phone?

The only 24/7 equipment I have disconnected was the ancient mains powered doorbell which I felt got uncomfortably warm for something in a cupboard.

And if you don't the total consumption will be a fraction of an old filament bulb left on all night.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/07/2019 22:15:23:

… unplug …

the microwave?

.

Funnily enough … early Spring this year; we returned home one day, to find the Electricity off.

I eventually traced the fault to a small 'Breville' [now a Tesco brand] microwave oven; which had mysteriously developed an Earth leakage in the turntable motor.

The [Panasonic] replacement stays plugged-in of course … But the incident certainly made me appreciate the ELCB on the Consumer Unit.

MichaelG.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

My last Microwave was the culprit when the mains would trip out at random times, notied that the LCD display went dim and the mains popped. Had everything PAT tested and the microwave was the only thing that failed.

It was a Panasonic make..

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Clive Hartland on 09/07/2019 07:34:08:

… Had everything PAT tested and the microwave was the only thing that failed.

It was a Panasonic make..

.

That's disappointing, Clive

Hopefully, the fact that my new one has no turntable means significantly less risk of condensation reaching the parts that it shouldn't.

MichaelG.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 09/07/2019 07:20:14:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/07/2019 22:15:23:

… unplug …

the microwave?

The [Panasonic] replacement stays plugged-in of course … But the incident certainly made me appreciate the ELCB on the Consumer Unit.

MichaelG.

Michael, you must have a pretty old electrical installation if you still have a voltage operated ELCB (Earth leakage circuit breaker), more modern device is an RCCB (Residual current circuit breaker).

I suspect you have an RCCB (or RCCD or RCBO) in the consumer unit as voltage operated units were almost always stand alone units.

Emgee

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Emgee on 09/07/2019 09:30:50:

I suspect you have an RCCB (or RCCD or RCBO) in the consumer unit

.

You are right, of course

Disgracefully sloppy of me

For my pennance, I climbed the step-ladder and photographed the grubby device:

Shall I be forgiven ?

MichaelG.

[RMAParticipant @rma]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 08/07/2019 22:15:23:

Does every safety obsessive here unplug their computer at night then?

And switch off the central heating?

And the microwave?

And the cooker?

And the alarm clock radio.

And the satellite box?

And the DECT phone?

The only 24/7 equipment I have disconnected was the ancient mains powered doorbell which I felt got uncomfortably warm for something in a cupboard.

And if you don't the total consumption will be a fraction of an old filament bulb left on all night.

[RMAParticipant @rma]

I doubt it, but a Fireman friend has told me that several fires are caused by everyday kitchen appliances left plugged in, typically electric kettles!

I tend to switch off anything not needed at night to eliminate the fire risk more than anything else, although I'm told the annual cost for electricity when things are left on standby, adds up!

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by RMA on 09/07/2019 11:40:11:

I doubt it, but a Fireman friend has told me that several fires are caused by everyday kitchen appliances left plugged in, typically electric kettles!

I tend to switch off anything not needed at night to eliminate the fire risk more than anything else, although I'm told the annual cost for electricity when things are left on standby, adds up!

I think I bread that tumble driers and washing machines are the biggest culprits.

" On 6 January 2010 the European Commission (EC) Regulation No 1275/2008 came into force. The regulations mandate that from 6 January 2010 "off mode" and standby power for electrical and electronic household and office equipment shall not exceed 1W, "standby plus" power (providing information or status display in addition to possible reactivation function) shall not exceed 2W. Equipment must where appropriate provide off mode and/or standby mode when the equipment is connected to the mains power source. These figures were halved on 6 January 2013."

So that's now 0.5W for most things and 1W for things with a display that stays on. I'm sure most appliances are even less than 0.5W. (0.5 watts on for a whole year will cost about 60p).

I doubt many of us manage to have as many as 40-80 devices on standby to be the equivalent of an old 40W filament bulb.

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 09/07/2019 15:56:53

[VicParticipant @vic]

I finally got round to buying and fitting an MK double socket with USB charging, we’ll see if it lasts longer than the previous Wickes one. Interestingly the instructions said it should be fitted by a “competent or instructed person”. It was a bit tricky to fit as the original installer left the wires a bit short.

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

To update on this old thread, today the household power went down. I was a bit confused at first, because when I looked at the consumer unit the MCB's for one of my workshop power circuits, as well as the house power MCB and the RCD for that half of the CU had tripped. I tracked the workshop fault down to the beer soft drinks fridge quickly enough, but after unplugging everything in the house with no joy it took a while for it to dawn on me that it could be one of the integral USB sockets. Which, of course, it turned out to be.

I guess the workshop fridge must have failed earlier in the day without my noticing, taking out only the workshop power MCB, then coincidentally the USB outlet failed later taking out the house power MCB and the RCD.

Anyhow, I don't trust these things now – the one in my daughter's bedroom has started making a high-pitched buzzing noise as well – and shall replace all that I've installed with conventional outlets.

Robin.

[Author]

Posts