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Electrical

Overheating problems

M Hussain 03/11/2025 - 8.41 AM

Hi all, hope someone can advise me here. So I had a full rewire done in my house about 3 years ago all certified and signed off. However, recently I noticed when I plugged in my electrical heater, when I unplugged it the pins on the plug were really hot to the touch (in bedroom) A few days later, we had a phone charger plugged in in the kitchen and there was a bit of a burning smell so we unplugged it and the charger is no longer working. No idea what the problem could be - we don't overload any sockets- most of the time we are only ever using one or 2 sockets in a room at any time. We rarely plug in 2 plugs into the same socket. And we don't really use any really energy heavy appliances apart from the heater. Also another thing I have noticed on a few of our chargers the top pin on the plugs is going a darker colour like it may have been exposed to a high level of heat. I did speak to a local electrician over the phone and told him and he said it's probably because the materials used for your rewire were cheap so you need to change your sockets but I'm not convinced especially as I would expect him to do some tests before giving me a diagnostic? Any advice will be helpful. Thanks in advance.

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6 Answers

Worth Installations

Rating: 5 out of 5
Crawley
How powerful is the heater and how long is it left on for? I'm presuming it's on a 13A fuse in the plug but sometimes, if left on constantly can overload and cause damage to a socket without the fuse breaking. Also, possible loose connections behind the socket itself can also cause problems.
Answered27 October 2025
0

PGL TRADES

Rating: 4.9 out of 5
Billingham
The heater may have been faulty and now damaged the socket in question. You may wish to consider getting an EICR done to make sure there are no furher issues for piece of mind or atleast get someone in to do some fault finding on the socket. It may just need a new front installing, you wont know unless you get it checked unfortunately.
Answered28 October 2025
0

NEWEY ELECTRICS LTD

Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Redditch
Sounds like you have been pulling a lot of current (amps). In some case prolonged high current pulling can crack your socket. I would recommend you have a appliance check and if that comes back ok then a EICR,
Answered29 October 2025
0

Wayne seidel

Rating: 5 out of 5
Bromley
Extender use can cause the over heating, also if the appliance is damaged. This can lead to burnt sockets, melted plugs and what you have experienced.
Answered3 November 2025
0

Anonymous user

I suggest you check wiring is secure on sockets as the sort of problem you describe is usually caused by poorly secured wiring. poorly secured wiring may cause arching and high resistance which generates heat. Ensure sockets have kite mark which ensures that products meet British standards for safety and quality.
Answered3 November 2025
0

Tac Electrical

Rating: 4.9 out of 5
Manchester
If the sockets are getting hot, you’re RCBO protected socket circuits should be tripping out before the sockets get hot It’s not your wiring. If you fit cheap sockets they do crack and burn , they should be British standard So check your consumer unit and replace cheap sockets Tom
Answered3 November 2025
0