What you reckon,very warm/hot pins

[cliffed]

Working in school kitchen,they have a hot warmer & lights to keep food warm
Pulled out plugs ,really hot & on pins too.
Checked socket connections ,they were ok,face of socket warm.
They are mouldered plugs,no sign of over heating,but ridiculously warm.
The equipment is 2.8 kw.

 

[sinewove]

Working in school kitchen,they have a hot warmer & lights to keep food warm
Pulled out plugs ,really hot & on pins too.
Checked socket connections ,they were ok,face of socket warm.
They are mouldered plugs,no sign of over heating,but ridiculously warm.
The equipment is 2.8 kw.

This is common when you get near to 3kw.Cheap plug tops tend to get warmer than branded products.
Regards,S

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Socket contacts may be weak or dirty, also fuse clips in plug. There's no reason why a plug should get 'hot' at 2.8kW, although they tend to get warm.

 

[marconi]

Swap moulded 13A plugs for charcoal/black MK pottery ones -

13 Amp MK Safety Plug - Charcoal - https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MK0646CHA.html

and use a single MK metalclad socket for each plug -

13 Amp 1 Gang Single Switched Socket - Metal - https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK2977.html

 

[Strima]

Are the plugs constantly being plugged and unplugged on a daily basis? As above swap the plug tops and socket outlets.

Is it feasible to swap for SFCU?

 

[Toneyz]

Does this get wheeled out every day and plugged in or os it fixed into one location?

 

[Octopus]

Swap moulded 13A plugs for charcoal/black MK pottery ones -

13 Amp MK Safety Plug - Charcoal - https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MK0646CHA.html

Hum ......... surely ALL 13A plugs should be "safety"?

 

[cliffed]

Are the plugs constantly being plugged and unplugged on a daily basis? As above swap the plug tops and socket outlets.

Is it feasible to swap for SFCU?

They are switched on in morning bout 8 & off bout 3.00pm.
Not too much attention when pulling plugs out of sockets but with this,you know as soon as you pulled them out.

 

[cliffed]

Does this get wheeled out every day and plugged in or os it fixed into one location?

No fixed appliances

 

[cliffed]

Obviously spoken to those concerned,maybe put switch spurs connection points,instead of plug tops,not sure yet.

 

[cliffed]

Socket contacts may be weak or dirty, also fuse clips in plug. There's no reason why a plug should get 'hot' at 2.8kW, although they tend to get warm.

Agree the pins are actually very hot,there’s no way you can touch them for long,a quick touch,ouch..

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Perhaps the appliance is faulty and drawing more current than designed. I'd clamp it and see.

 

[cliffed]

Perhaps the appliance is faulty and drawing more current than designed. I'd clamp it and see.

Good point,will do.

 

[diyterry]

Working in school kitchen,they have a hot warmer & lights to keep food warm
Pulled out plugs ,really hot & on pins too.
Checked socket connections ,they were ok,face of socket warm.
They are mouldered plugs,no sign of over heating,but ridiculously warm.
The equipment is 2.8 kw.

Could be a loose wire in the plug or socket.

 

[westward10]

Wants hard wiring, not fcus or connecting through 16A sockets.

 

[Pete999]

This is common when you get near to 3kw.Cheap plug tops tend to get warmer than branded products.
Regards,S

Could be a loose wire in the plug or socket.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Perhaps the appliance is faulty and drawing more current than designed

Unlikely, with a normal heating appliance. Plus, if it is drawing too much current it will be getting too hot, and that is more likely to be noticed than the plug.

This is simple. The weak link in any plug and socket is the tiny contact area between the two, where the socket grips the pins. Even the most expensive, high tech connectors are not perfect, and the humble 13A socket certainly isn't in its cheaper forms. If the contacts get slack or the pins are tarnished they will heat.

A good quality 13A socket/ plug combination will handle 13A semi-continuously. We should not have to suggest that a 2.8kW load is excessive so that the appliance has to be fitted to an FCU. A 16A socket would be better but should not be necessary. Maybe these sockets have been abused, maybe worn or grimy inside, or just a poor design from new. But changing them, and the plugs if needed, should solve the problem.

 

[cliffed]

It comes with plug top,may well void warranty,changing from 13 amp protection to 16 amp.
Sounds a good idea,though.

 

[Deleted account]

Hard wire into a 13A FSU will not void warranty.

 

[littlespark]

I thought the title of this thread was ".... very warm/hot pies"

I am severely disappointed.