How to choose the electrical sockets for your house

Service Description

How to choose the electrical sockets for your house

If you are in the process of completing the electrical installation in your home or if you simply want to replace the sockets, you will find a lot of useful suggestions regarding this.

Even though the choosing of the sockets may seem less significant, there are many models with different characteristics on the market and, unfortunately, some of them are of questionable quality.

According to the statistics, most fires produced in UK have electrical causes. Therefore the electrical equipment requires an extra attention.

First of all, do not purchase the sockets from the food shops, market, or from other non-specialized stores. Search for specialized stores in this area, where you will find a wider range of products, from which you can choose the right ones. In addition, you can ask the trader’s advice, who knows the products and he can give you key directions.

Most experts recommend you to opt for polymer sockets, to the detriment of ceramics ones.

Do not buy very cheap products. They are usually of very poor quality and they will need to be replaced soon. They may be damaged or they get damaged quickly, which will create additional inconvenience.

The sockets can be classified according to the several criteria. In terms of the connection type and the type of the electrical network, there are single-phase sockets connected to the single-phase network, the household one, the 230Vac, 16A or three-phase sockets connected to the industrial network 400Vac and different currents such as 16A, 32A, 64A, etc. .

Then, depending on the degree of protection, there are grounded sockets and not-grounded sockets. For more safety, it is recommended to use the grounded sockets. This represents a protection way that diminishes the risk of involuntary electric shock.

At the same time, there are different models in trade depending on the standards used in different countries. There are standards like the Italian, the British, the French, the American.

The sockets can be either made of ceramics or polymers. The ceramic has traditionally been used in manufacturing them, but has been almost completely replaced by fire resistant polymers. These sockets are more recommended because they provide a longer life for the electrical appliances.

You can choose sockets that will be applied to the wall or buried in the plaster.

The sockets also have different fixing systems, either with claws, or with screws. Compared to the sockets with screws, the claws ones have the disadvantage of being torn from the wall. When you are removing the power plug, hold the socket with the other hand. Some sockets have both fixing systems.

The place where the socket is going to be assembled is very important. For bathrooms or rooms with increased humidity, it is recommended to purchase some moisture-proof sockets specially made for such conditions. The models with the IP 55 specification are the most suitable in such situations.

If you want to connect two electrical appliances to the same socket, choose double sockets. Both for the simple and double sockets, the maximum current is 16A. Therefore, if you choose a double socket, make sure you do not exceed the maximum allowable current consumption.

Therefore, the sockets must be chosen according to several factors and different needs. Do not forget that it is best to always know as much as possible about the products that you are going to buy in order to design your house.