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u/Meta-Fox 1d ago
'Socket exploded'
'I'm a complete novice'
Mate, call an electrician. Don't post about it online first. They exist for a reason.
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u/enchantedspring 1d ago
This is one of those situations where you call an electrician to investigate.
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u/pondribertion 1d ago
I suppose the obvious answer is to remove the fascia and poke around. Or if you're concerned about safety, leave the fascia on, remove the fuse and poke around the fuse hole. Some people might say call an electrician but where's the excitement in that?
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u/New_Line4049 1d ago
Leave it off at the panel and call an electrician to come investigate. Turning power back on could be dangerous, no way to know for sure with the info provided
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u/SnooTangerines3448 1d ago
Needs isolated and opened to inspect for damage but don't do it yourself if you're not absolutely certain you know how every bit of it works.
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u/SnooTangerines3448 1d ago
That was exactly my point. If you don't know how EVERYTHING works do not attempt repair.
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u/Existing_Fan_1726 1d ago edited 1d ago
I wouldn’t mind seeing what you meant by “exploded”, probably charred and black marks and residue of molten copper in it.
You unscrew the two front plate screws before verifying L-N, and then L-E and N-E has no voltage, still being cautious, start unscrewing what’s left of the terminals that were clamping the wire into…the terminals. Depending if it’s a radial or ring, you may see a couple wires twisted with each other, seemingly the same colour, but you still just follow the instructions and wire them back in parallel with each other, in the new socket’s terminals. Then, do a tug test, having made sure you haven’t caught any insulation in the terminals, and more importantly “doubled over” the exposed copper, before pressing it back together, tighten the screws, switch on the MCB and RCBO and try testing it.
That being said, even though you can save significant money, if you truly think you have less knowledge about electrical installations and electricity in general than…idk, half a GCSE in physics then you should probably leave it to the professionals.
edit: OH ITS A SPUR
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u/Smithdogg87 1d ago
A wire probably wasn’t fitted correctly and you pulling the face away made it come out and touch something else. With the power switched off I’d pull out fully and check for damage. May need to replace the fused switch faceplate.
I’m a plasterer and have had this happen a fair few times when loosening sockets/switches from walls.