Worst design ever? (Darwin award candidate)

[G7PSK]

I have had a shutter fail on sockets several times in each case they failed in such a manner that the plug could not be inserted, they were all MK brands UK made and fitted in the 70's.

Why would any one leave a plug on the floor where the pins can be bent by treading on them also why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

[XOIIO]

why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

Because, it's my house, I want to be comfortable.

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

Because, it's my house, I want to be comfortable.

And to be properly "earthed" :-)

[XOIIO]

why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

Because, it's my house, I want to be comfortable.

And to be properly "earthed" :-)

Well of course, I don't want to lose connection to mother nature.

[deephaven]

Why would any one leave a plug on the floor where the pins can be bent by treading on them also why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

I notice that Dave often does his videos with no foot wear 

[BillyD]

I have had a shutter fail on sockets several times in each case they failed in such a manner that the plug could not be inserted, they were all MK brands UK made and fitted in the 70's.

Why would any one leave a plug on the floor where the pins can be bent by treading on them also why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

Or to take a different perspective: who the hell always ensures that their plugs are kept away from the floor, and who the hell wears hardsoled footwear at all times in their house?!

I personally think the UK socket is quite a robust and elegant design; it's earthed, fused, polarised, the pins are partly shrouded and thick enough that it's almost impossible for a typical person to bend them unassisted.
I've seen UK sockets fail in both closed and open ways, though very rarely the latter and then it was usually due to dampness causing the retaining spring to corrode. I don't think I've ever seen a failure in a socket which requires the positive and negative gates to be simultaneously pushed, that's a pretty effective safeguard.

[IanJ]

Am in UK.

Years and years ago a friend was building a house and as a temporary measure he needed power in one of the rooms so made up some extensions from bits of cable, some 13-amp plugs and some wall sockets that were lying loose.

He wasn't careful enough though and electroluted the pet dog (it lived).

Turns out he didn't care what was at the end of each cable.....and had ended up with a free plug at the end of one of the runs...........240VAC at the plug, not the socket!................The poor dog was only in there sniffing around on the floor.

Ian.

[VK3DRB]

I worked with an arrogant electronics technician some years ago who one day, left a live 240 mains cable unterminated lying on his workbench (plugged in and switched on). The three wires at the other end were stripped bare. When I kindly questioned him over the potential safety hazard, he replied "Anyone bastard who touches anything on this bench without authorisation deserves to be electrocuted." With that he went home, leaving the thing live.

He wins the Official Moron's Prize Pack.

[SirNick]

Please tell me the next morning he set his steel coffee mug too close to the hot leg....  I really love a happy ending.

[SeanB]

I would have aimed a heat gun at the cable and let it relax a little so it drooped onto the chair............

[minibutmany]

[tjb1]

I've seen sockets on the splashback behind the sink in kitchens in US houses on TV. Always seemed rather dangerous to me. In the UK you are not allowed to have sockets near sources of water.

GFCI only.

[SirNick]

It's fine, they drain themselves:



(http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/16r90n/im_not_an_electrician_or_anything_but_i_dont/)

[duak]

The attached image of a playset on the roof saves space and thins the herd.

re: SirNicks post with self draining outlet: Now there's something you don't see every day.  I once turned on a hallway light and found the globe half full of water.  A roof vent had developed a small leak and the water found its way into the fixture.  Except for a rusted nail on the vent there was no sign of water.

[Zero999]

Why? it's not a real socket....

Couple of potential problems come to mind.

"Go into my office and stick the key in the thing that looks like a socket.... "
That or a child sees a grown up using that item and figures that's what sockets are for.

Neither is an issue - Uk sockets are shuttered

Shutter mechanisms can fail.   Still a bad idea, in my opinion.

That's true, but it still doesn't mean it's a bad idea. The earth pin is larger than the live and neutral, so it would be perfectly safe if the key is too big to fit in the live or neutral socket, but more information is required to make that decision. It would be safer if the key were made of a non-conductive material, although it might not be as durable.

[james_s]

More and more of the mains power receptacles that I see available at retail here in the US include an automatic shutter that protects the hot and neutral slots.

I really don't like those. I bought one accidentally when I thought I was buying a regular outlet and installed it in my kitchen. Then I couldn't figure out why the plug wouldn't go in the socket when I tried to plug my toaster in. It takes the force of Hercules and lots of wiggling combined with just the right tongue angle to get the plug to go in the socket...

Yes I hate those TR receptacles, they are required now in all residential installations. They cost as much as spec grade but they're built like the cheap builder grade crap. I've had to put them in to pass the inspection then change them out with spec grade stuff. Harder to get the plugs in, harder to probe for testing, but a determined kid will still figure out a way to poke something in there. Better to teach kids not to poke things in sockets than to rely on gimmicks to prevent it.

[james_s]

why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

Because, it's my house, I want to be comfortable.

I never wear any footwear in the house other than socks. There's a shoe rack by the door, shoes off before coming up the stairs, keeps the carpet much nicer not having dirty shoes treading all over.

[StillTrying]

Do you really think all those posters will be expecting a reply after 5 years.

[tooki]

I have had a shutter fail on sockets several times in each case they failed in such a manner that the plug could not be inserted, they were all MK brands UK made and fitted in the 70's.

Why would any one leave a plug on the floor where the pins can be bent by treading on them also why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

I think it’s hilarious how some people are surprised that many people dislike wearing footwear all the time. Heck, I avoid wearing any kind of wear if I can avoid it! 😂 If I’m home alone, there’s a 99% chance I’m wearing some pajama shorts, at most!! (Frying bacon naked is a mistake you make once, and only once!)

why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

Because, it's my house, I want to be comfortable.

I never wear any footwear in the house other than socks. There's a shoe rack by the door, shoes off before coming up the stairs, keeps the carpet much nicer not having dirty shoes treading all over.

I prefer the Japanese custom (which is also very common in Europe) of expressly prohibiting shoes indoors: guests take their shoes off at the door, too.

Removing shoes whenever possible also allows both the feet and shoes to dry out, significantly reducing foot odor. Humans didn’t even have foot odor until we came up with modern footwear.

[Red Squirrel]

One thing I always thought would be fun is to setup a power outlet where you actually have to bridge the hot and neutral to make it activate something.  It would freak people out.   Like have it activate a latching relay that turns on the lights. Top outlet for on, bottom outlet for off.    Imagine getting home with a friend and you just immediately stick a paper clip in the outlet "What are you doing!?!"  *click* lights turn on.

[Zero999]

I have had a shutter fail on sockets several times in each case they failed in such a manner that the plug could not be inserted, they were all MK brands UK made and fitted in the 70's.

Why would any one leave a plug on the floor where the pins can be bent by treading on them also why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

I think it’s hilarious how some people are surprised that many people dislike wearing footwear all the time. Heck, I avoid wearing any kind of wear if I can avoid it! 😂 If I’m home alone, there’s a 99% chance I’m wearing some pajama shorts, at most!! (Frying bacon naked is a mistake you make once, and only once!)

You wouldn't in my house, unless it's the height of summer, because I keep it cool with the thermostat set to just 15^oC. I don't understand why some people heat their homes to subtropical temperatures and walk around in shorts. I much prefer to have my home cool and wear long trousers and a thick jumper. It's much more healthy, better for the environment and saves money too. I often have to wear shorts at work, because they have the heating on too high and it does annoy me.

Removing shoes whenever possible also allows both the feet and shoes to dry out, significantly reducing foot odor. Humans didn’t even have foot odor until we came up with modern footwear.

Not being too hot helps a lot. I often take my shoes off at work and get stupid comments from colleagues, but I tell them I don't have foot odor, because I keep my feet cool. At home I have a separate pair of shoes for indoor use to help prevent mess, but I often forget to change so still walk dirt in.

[tooki]

I have had a shutter fail on sockets several times in each case they failed in such a manner that the plug could not be inserted, they were all MK brands UK made and fitted in the 70's.

Why would any one leave a plug on the floor where the pins can be bent by treading on them also why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

I think it’s hilarious how some people are surprised that many people dislike wearing footwear all the time. Heck, I avoid wearing any kind of wear if I can avoid it! 😂 If I’m home alone, there’s a 99% chance I’m wearing some pajama shorts, at most!! (Frying bacon naked is a mistake you make once, and only once!)

You wouldn't in my house, unless it's the height of summer, because I keep it cool with the thermostat set to just 15^oC. I don't understand why some people heat their homes to subtropical temperatures and walk around in shorts. I much prefer to have my home cool and wear long trousers and a thick jumper. It's much more healthy, better for the environment and saves money too. I often have to wear shorts at work, because they have the heating on too high and it does annoy me.

Well, some people do overdo it. But in my case, due to my hand problems (which are quite sensitive to cold, alas), 15C would quite literally be torture. Years ago, at an old workplace, I actually had to wear gloves in the office, to prevent my hand from hurting (well, from hurting even worse...). If I'm not moving, my fingers and toes tend to get cold very fast.

As home, it's usually around 22-23C, which is a temp that isn't too hot for when I'm moving around doing stuff, getting hot, but not so cold that I can't sit around without being in cold agony. Usually, when hanging on the sofa, I'll just have a blanket over me. I do keep the bedroom cooler, so as to sleep better.

[Zero999]

I have had a shutter fail on sockets several times in each case they failed in such a manner that the plug could not be inserted, they were all MK brands UK made and fitted in the 70's.

Why would any one leave a plug on the floor where the pins can be bent by treading on them also why would any one walk around without some form of foot wear.

I think it’s hilarious how some people are surprised that many people dislike wearing footwear all the time. Heck, I avoid wearing any kind of wear if I can avoid it! 😂 If I’m home alone, there’s a 99% chance I’m wearing some pajama shorts, at most!! (Frying bacon naked is a mistake you make once, and only once!)

You wouldn't in my house, unless it's the height of summer, because I keep it cool with the thermostat set to just 15^oC. I don't understand why some people heat their homes to subtropical temperatures and walk around in shorts. I much prefer to have my home cool and wear long trousers and a thick jumper. It's much more healthy, better for the environment and saves money too. I often have to wear shorts at work, because they have the heating on too high and it does annoy me.

Well, some people do overdo it. But in my case, due to my hand problems (which are quite sensitive to cold, alas), 15C would quite literally be torture. Years ago, at an old workplace, I actually had to wear gloves in the office, to prevent my hand from hurting (well, from hurting even worse...). If I'm not moving, my fingers and toes tend to get cold very fast.

As home, it's usually around 22-23C, which is a temp that isn't too hot for when I'm moving around doing stuff, getting hot, but not so cold that I can't sit around without being in cold agony. Usually, when hanging on the sofa, I'll just have a blanket over me. I do keep the bedroom cooler, so as to sleep better.

It sounds like poor circulation. Have you tried doing cardio? I find I keep warm more when I exercise regularly, than I do when I'm sedentary. I could cope with that temperature if I was lying down, on the sofa, watching TV, but would break sweat if I did something. Admittedly, 15°C is a little cool for me lounging on the sofa, so I sit in a sleeping bag, but then I get too hot, so I unzip it. I can't see myself ever living in a hot climate. The heatwave we had the summer just gone was torture. It got to 38°C, at high humidity where I live, so I found a nice cool river and went for a swim.

[Gyro]

But in my case, due to my hand problems (which are quite sensitive to cold, alas), 15C would quite literally be torture. Years ago, at an old workplace, I actually had to wear gloves in the office, to prevent my hand from hurting (well, from hurting even worse...). If I'm not moving, my fingers and toes tend to get cold very fast.

As home, it's usually around 22-23C, which is a temp that isn't too hot for when I'm moving around doing stuff, getting hot, but not so cold that I can't sit around without being in cold agony. Usually, when hanging on the sofa, I'll just have a blanket over me. I do keep the bedroom cooler, so as to sleep better.

It might be worth getting your doctor to check you for Reynaud syndrome (if you get colour changes). Mind you, the main treatment is keeping your fingers and toes well covered, although there are drug treatments for more severe cases.

[grifftech]

I kind of want one (UK version, I live in the USA)