Commercial Toaster - Burn Marks On Socket

[OnOff]

Looking at a revolving type toaster in an office canteen. It's fitted with a 13A plug top and rated at 2.4kW. It gets brought out every morning and plugged in on the counter top. Then later gets put away in it's box. It's always plugged into the same double socket outlet. Called up to look and the canteen workers had been swapping the plug between the two sockets on the same DSO. Burn marks around both the live terminals on the DSO front plate. Apparently it's happened before and had the DSO and plug top replaced previously. The 13A fuse in the plug top has never blown. Have yet to check the terminals on the back of the DSO or stick a clamp meter on it. Thinking high resistance fault. Even if the connections on the back had been loose you would have thought they would have got it right when the new one was fitted. Any thoughts? Can't see that they would be unplugging whilst the thing is still on. Thanks.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Did it originally come with a pre molded 13plug or was it intended to be a fixed electrical appliance? I would be inclined to think that a commercial toasted will be on for quite long durations at full power and my not be suitable for 13A plug connection. First port of call would be to find the make and model number then the manufactures guidance. As the symptoms you describe imply it does not run well in a standard socket outlet.

Doc H.

 

[OnOff]

Will try and find out ref the plug. The tenants own sparking company have apparently carried out a PIR and "looked at the problem" then as they noticed the burn marks. Their solution seems to have been replace the plug and DSO.

 

[Technician]

Will try and find out ref the plug. The tenants own sparking company have apparently carried out a PIR and "looked at the problem" then as they noticed the burn marks. Their solution seems to have been replace the plug and DSO.

Do you think the customer would look seriously at a

plug with more "beef" in it like a Commando plug

and socket?

 

[OnOff]

We had discussed this exact route but its in a "posh" restaurant used by all the dealers. Sits on the counter and the socket is visible. Might have to go this way and re-site the new "ugly" socket. Cheers.

 

[Evans Electric]

Fit an MK socket , Onoff.

DSO ... Double Socket Outlet ?

 

[OnOff]

Fit an MK socket , Onoff.DSO ... Double Socket Outlet ?

Guess what......it IS an MK double socket outlet already, metal clad type with the white insert. THis is apparently the second one that's been fitted!

Just a thought.....MK do a 15A round pin socket (& matching plug) - I assume the plug is unfused? I've read that they are mostly used for theatrical lighting work. I wonder if that would be ok if fed from its own dedicated 16A MCB? Thanks.

 

[Phoenix]

What makes the plugtop, Likewise with the socket some of the cheaper plugs can cause issues when fully loeaded (weaker fuse clips, etc) renew the socket again and be sure to fit an MK plugtop?

And yes, BS546 15A round pin plug and sockets are still available, and yes they are unfused, deigned as you suggest to be from a 15A radial (now 16A... thats acceptable, but of course... do NOT put on a ring). That might well be a decent answer to the problem, with no fuse clips to generate heat and the sockets are generally much 'tighter' than the standard 13A ones, they'd probably quite happyily carry quite a bit more than their rating without overheating

What make an model is the toaster? normally they are suitable for a normal plugtop!

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

There is a whole bunch of commercial toasters here that come with a fitted plugtop...

Conveyor Toasters

Have you checked how tight the connection are inside the plug yet?

when they have the toaster in and working do they have something else plugged in the other half of the double outlet?

e.g. Kettle?

Don't forget most double outlets are only rated at about 20A!

:C

 

[sparkytim]

This is a common problem with 13 Amp loads on for long durations.

Just replace the socket and the Plug top as required.

 

[flex111]

If the toaster is continually being plugged and unplugged from the socket it will in time weaken the metal clamps which hold the pins of the plug inside the socket causing to over heat if just left in the problem would not exist.

One way to over come would be use a 16 socket controlled via switched fuse as an idea

 

[batty]

This is a common problem with 13 Amp loads on for long durations.Just replace the socket and the Plug top as required.

I thought it was only about 10.5 amps my thoughts are more on SL lines more than the toaster is being plugged in.