ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Back Plugged Receptacle Failure

Pretty uncommon for Austrian/German devices. Plugs and inline cord switches usually have set screw terminals.
There are two kinds of screw terminals that were used until the end of screw terminals. Either the compression plate variety where the wire is pushed into a hole and tightening the screw pulls a compression plate onto the wires or a stabdard screw with a big head where the wire is pushed under the head of the recessed screw, so it can't escape sideways. The latter method was very very common, the first was mostly used for the ground terminals.

Personally I've yet had to see a (European) backstabbed receptacle fail! With those I used (both cheapest Kopp and very reputable (and helluva expensive) Berker) It is close to impossible to pull out the wire without pushing the lever, you'll more likely break the wire.
Besides... you can't buy anything else here any more, so it's useless to complain! Apart from walmart-like Aldi/Hofer products no receptacles or switches have screw terminals or have had for years! 15 years ago most reputable manufacturers had already switched over to push-in terminals!

Regarding the choc blocks: you usually insert several wires (depending on the size) into one hole, so it's not as if each wire got it's individual screw! And adding or especially removing wires hot... yeah, it can be done, but removing wires will most likely cause at least some flickers to the other wires.

Ragnar said:



I guess then, these ABL brand sockets must be fairly old sockets. I bought them two years ago from an American supplier ( http://www.interpower.com ).

NIKO, the Belgian manufacturer, also sent me some surface-mount sockets as a sample about two years ago. They also use the little clamp method with the square washer under the screw.

I dunno what your experience with this brand is, but NIKO seems to be pretty good quality.

Are surface-mount sockets and switches still readily available in Germany & Austria? You know the kind used for the parallel wires stapled to the walls.

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 08-08-2005).]

Yup, every hardware store still carries them, but hey are never used with flat cable, only with round NYM style cable or surface trunking. They're quite often used for additions to existing wiring where customers (or in many cases DIYers) don't want to open walls.

Yesterday I _did_ have a backplugged receptacle blow up... but that was only partially the receptacle's fault. I had to install it hot, had already pushed all wires in but the phase wouldn't go in all the way, so I pushed the release button to get it out again. The instant I pushed the button there was a loud bang and flash just an inch from my finger, breaker, GFI and main fuse blew and the ground scraper was noticeably scorched. Yuck! Still haven't managed to figure out what actually happened.

What kind of terminal do they use? Screw or also the stab-in quick connect type?

If the surface mount devices used quick-connect terminals, that would most likely prevent them from being used by hobbyists for wiring up work-bench receptacles or even small temporary projects.

That would suck for people like me.

I sometimes use ordinary lamp-cord for hooking up surface mount receptacles for use on my work-bench, for connecting small things like fans and soldering irons.

The ones sold here use screw terminals, which lets you use either solid or stranded (like lamp-wire) conductors.

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 08-08-2005).]

The very common Kopp brand surprisingly still have screw terminals, even quite nice ones. Recently I installed a flush mount three way receptacle that fits a single gang box (brand new from the store) and it had screw terminals. The way the terminals were built indicated you could just insert a straight wire and tighten the screw, upon trying that the wire escaped from under the screw head. So I pulled the wire back out again, bent it around the screw and everything worked fine.

Last week I tried using one of the Hofer screw terminal receptacles... and immediately sent the entire pack to the trash! Very thin brass everywhere, the plastic so soft the compression plates would spin freely when the screw was tightened... no way that could result in a safe and solid connection! So an 8 pack of never used receptacles ended up in the trash can... and if I _ever_ find the other pack we bought a year ago it's going to go the same way, i swear!!!