Plug socket with large terminals

Joined
21 Feb 2023
Messages
11
Reaction score
1
Country
United Kingdom
As above, I'm trying to replace a socket and the existing cable is too chunky to fit into the new socket I have. I'm struggling to find anything with noticeably bigger terminals. Any suggestions of something appropriate would be much appreciated.
 
Sponsored Links
MK take 6mm, what you trying to get in? Most sockets can take 3 x 2.5mm quite easily.
 
This is a pic of the existing plug and wiring if it helps. With the replacement socket I can't get the red and black wires anywhere near upto the outer. (it also trips the switch for some reason too)
2.jpg
 
Looks like 7/029 to me. Are the conductors twisted together? some folks had a habbit of doing that back in the day (and then you folk who had seen stranded cores twisted in the past and then tried to twist solid 2.5 together - its painful to even think about!)

Was the house built somewhere around '68-'70 ?

Any socket should be fine, but by the sounds of it, the ends might be in a bit of a state and need sniping off, restripping and putting into terminal without twisting together, you ought to sort the earth as well, to make sure all strands are caught in terminal, and try and get some earth sleeving on it (I'd probably leave them together and just use 4mm sleeve, It'd make more of a mess separating them.
 
Sponsored Links
Any tripping is likely to be caused by a wire pinched against a lug on the metal back box.
 
Is that a slight bit of heat damage/melted insulation on the bit of black cable nearest the camera ?, ie just to the right of the bare earths
 
Move the camera back a bit so we can see what's going on.
 
Looks like 7/029 to me. Are the conductors twisted together? some folks had a habbit of doing that back in the day (and then you folk who had seen stranded cores twisted in the past and then tried to twist solid 2.5 together - its painful to even think about!)

Was the house built somewhere around '68-'70 ?

Any socket should be fine, but by the sounds of it, the ends might be in a bit of a state and need sniping off, restripping and putting into terminal without twisting together, you ought to sort the earth as well, to make sure all strands are caught in terminal, and try and get some earth sleeving on it (I'd probably leave them together and just use 4mm sleeve, It'd make more of a mess separating them.
House age would be about that, yes. Looking at guides online they have nice single core fine wire that is a doddle to fit.

Yes all the wires were twisted together.

Anything beyond fitting a new socket is beyond me tbh. I just need a socket with wider terminals to replace the existing. The replacement is just too small and results in a mess.
 
Any tripping is likely to be caused by a wire pinched against a lug on the metal back box.
Yeah I imagined something like that. That's just a side issue though really - it's a mess even without that.
 
From the image, it looks like someone has trimmed the earth (look at the left hand side) so that they could feed the earth in to the connector.
 
A couple of 7/0.029" even if (and especially if) twisted together should easily fit into any BS1363 accessory.

If it's a struggle to fit 2 in I wonder if it's 7/0.036" or even 7/0.044". It is difficult to judge size this zoomed in.

I think the damaged earth wire is where the screw was in a previous termination as it lines up perfectly with the damage on the other strands.
 
Last edited:
Lots of cheap and nasty sockets will not accommodate imperial cables, which those are.

MK would be a sensible option
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top