OP
clueless456
DIY
- Reaction score
- 12
Safety shutters will deter all but the most determined of young curious minds and their potential issues far outweigh any benefits. The link provided in post #28 covers the main reasons why they are frowned upon.
All things being even you should not receive a shock when using them, but where you found moisture behind one it may increase the risk of shock by providing a moist path between conductors. The main reaon for their use is the belief they'll keep young children safe from electric shock, but I'd contend the potential risks they create are far greater than the risk of shock from an undamaged, safety shuttered socket.
My previous advice has been provided out of an abundance of caution, but I have concerns about your prior wet wipe experience and the presence of moisture in another socket. I'd prefer you had to spend a few hard earned pounds getting to the bottom of this, and having the issue properly resolved, while ensuring all protective devices operate as intended. What I don't want to do is read a local newspaper link about someone electrocuted through a combination of unusual fault and a failed RCD.
I understand the frustration of not having reliably working outlets, but my concerns extend beyond resolving the obvious issue to ensuring any potential failure in the future is a safe failure.
Thank you.
Could you just confirm, when an electrical item such as a toaster or fridge is plugged in, by inserting the plug, that opens up the safety shutters to enable the device to work?
But with nothing at all plugged into a socket, there are safety shutters? The socket that gave me the shock, although I accidently switched the switch on as I wiped it, there was nothing plugged into it at all, so should the safety shutters have prevented any chance of a shock anyway?