News & Insights

Consumers can’t help asking, what is the meaning of open flames? An open flame will appear during the normal use of the socket. For example, when plugging and unplugging, when switching on and off the socket, there will be open flames, that is, the phenomenon of sparking, which is called arc flash in professional. After the socket is aging, especially in some abnormal conditions, open flames may also appear, such as instantaneous short circuits, breakdown after the insulation resistance is reduced, and virtual connections of contacts, etc., which will cause ignition, and open flames or arc flashes. This is also one of the main reasons for fires in electrical appliances (rather than arson-like behaviors that are ignited with a lighter).

Therefore, from the design and production of products, from the formulation of national standards, taking into account the occurrence of the above-mentioned situations, the materials of different parts of the product must meet the corresponding requirements. It can withstand the above-mentioned open flame, that is, arc flash, instead of flashing, to ensure the normal and expected use of the socket. This is the reason why the plastic materials that are in direct contact with conductive parts required by the standard have higher flame retardant properties than plastic materials for socket housings, because plastic materials in contact with conductive parts have to withstand frequent and more direct fires and sparks. Flash arc. Although the shell is also required to be flame-retardant, its flame-retardant level is lower than that of materials that directly contact with conductive parts. Instead of using a lighter to point, as ordinary consumers imagine, it actually first touches the shell, which requires the shell to have a higher tolerance. From this perspective, materials and products that can withstand ignition and arc flash should be better materials and products.

In order to accurately determine the flame retardant level that the material can achieve, the corresponding Chinese national standard GB/T5169 and the American UL94 standard have specified specific and clear test methods. As long as it meets this type of standard test, it can meet the expected use. And consumers do not have to risk burns and fires to carry out non-realistic tests. In summary, whether in terms of the daily use environment of the socket, or in terms of the formulation and testing of national standards, a socket that does not burn when exposed to an open flame is reasonable and reasonable. Materials and products that can withstand ignition and arc flashing should be better materials and products.

Many people may think that flame-retardant sockets or sockets that do not burn in an open flame are sockets that cannot be lit with a lighter. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. The open flame encountered by the socket and the ignition of the lighter are two completely different concepts. Comparing the two unrelated concepts together will inevitably be susceptible to being overwhelmed and feeling like a traversal. Flame retardant, as the name implies, is “blocking combustion”, not hard to burn or not burning.

In order to prevent the connection from being pulled out of the plug or socket by accidental pulling, the national standard stipulates that the connection point of the rewirable plug and the socket must be a screw terminal, and there must be a flexible cord fixing part to strengthen the tensile force, only to be integrated Only non-rewirable plugs or sockets are allowed to be soldered. Users who assemble sockets by themselves, some use twisted wires or knots to connect plugs or sockets in order to save trouble. This is not standard and unsafe.

Wire: my country’s national standard clearly stipulates that the number of wires of the flexible cable should be equal to the number of poles of the socket. However, some of the three-plug sockets currently on the market have only two-core wires connected to the power cords and no grounding wires, so they cannot protect electrical appliances from grounding.

The length of the cable: The length of the cable should not be too long. Try to use the power source as close as possible; secondly, the exposed part of the cable is also dangerous in the channel where people come and go. Once the line is aging or damaged by external force, it is easy to cause accidents of electric shock and injury. Therefore, it is best to install protective wire troughs in places that are easy to be touched by people. It is also dangerous to reel an overly long cord. Such long-term use will cause the cord to accumulate heat and easily cause a fire accident. Of course, this also has a certain relationship with the wire diameter. The thinner the wire diameter, the lower the relative carrying capacity. Like the small white sockets that almost every family had in the past few years, many of them have only two thin wires. For many electrical appliances and high-power applications that require ground wire protection today Electric appliances are overwhelmed and extremely unsafe.

Reserved cassette: Please communicate with the oiler and bricklayer at home in advance. It is said that after the circuit modification is completed, the location of the abandoned cassette will be marked by the electrician, and you should pay special attention to the useful cassette. Sometimes you encounter more confused oilers and tile workers to block some useful cassettes.

First of all, before changing the socket, we have to cut off the power supply at home. This matter is very important, it is related to your personal safety, and the important things are said three times. Then you can open the outer panel with your hands to reveal the panel with screws inside.

Next, use a screwdriver to remove the upper screws, there are two in total, one on the left and one on the left.

Next, you can take off the entire panel, you can see that there will be a ground wire, a neutral wire, and a live wire on the reverse side. Compare our newly bought panel with the original panel to see where the respective wires are placed.

Then use a screwdriver to remove the original three wires and put them in the holes of the newly purchased plug-in board. L is the live wire, n is the ground wire, and the ground wire has a special mark. It is a 0 on the top of the three horizontal lines.

After all the installation is complete, tighten the screws, and then we clean the inside of the socket cassette. A lot of broken bricks will accumulate inside. After cleaning, arrange the wires, push them in, and install the screws.

Then buckle the panel. Then you can go to turn on the power gate. At this time our socket can be used.

Up and down switch: Press the switch, insert a flat-blade screwdriver in the middle, and pry it open at the same time.

To replace the switch panel, first remove the panel.

Then insert it with a small screwdriver and push it up to take the button.

Bottom box: look and smell. In addition to looking at the thickness, hardness, and flame retardancy, the judgment standard can also be smelled with the nose. The most high-end is made of nylon material, which is odorless; the mid-range is made of plastic, which has a normal plastic smell; the low-end and inferior ones are made of waste plastics and recycled plastics, which have a peculiar smell.

Look at the appearance of the switch panel. The panels of high-quality switches and sockets should be made of high-grade plastic products, which look uniform in material and have a smooth and textured surface. Panel materials are mainly divided into two types: PC (bullet-proof plastic) and ABS (engineering plastics). The difference is good enough to be PC material, the color is like white teeth; ABS material, the color is slightly pale. Of course, some of the inferior products are made of ordinary plastics and engineering plastics, and the color is white and medium black. There are many low-priced switch ABS materials, and the mid-to-high-end products basically use PC materials. Of course, PC materials are also divided into many grades of prices, and the ingredients of the added materials are also different. High-quality PC material, good flame-retardant performance, impact resistance and no discoloration. Poor quality products are pale in color, coarse in texture, and poor in flame retardancy, which creates a fire hazard for household electricity. Generally good products have a smooth appearance, fine workmanship, no burrs and peaks, and a translucent color.

Take the frame of the switch and pinch it with your hand. The frame can be deformed, but it does not break, which means it is made of PC.

Looking at the reverse side of the switch, although the switch is a large board from the front, some manufacturers often save costs in terms of functional parts and replace them with the functional parts of the small bean switch.

In addition, there should be some electrical performance parameter signs on the functional parts on the reverse side of the switch panel. The plugs and sockets produced by regular manufacturers are marked with the rated voltage, rated current (the converter must be marked with the maximum rated current or power), the symbol of the power source, the name of the manufacturer, the trademark and the 3C mark. Plugs and sockets with grounding poles must have a grounding symbol, and the rated current of multi-position sockets with power cords should be less than the rated current marked on the plug.

Copper: look at the color and weight. When purchasing copper materials, the product must not only have a very reasonable structural design, but also ensure that the copper material has a certain thickness. The easiest way to judge is to try the plugging force with the plug to see if the force is moderate, and then squeeze it with your hands. Whether the socket is really heavy, good switch sockets are generally heavier.

Secondly, check the color of the socket clip. High-quality sockets are made of tin-phosphorus bronze, purple-red, with hard texture and anti-oxidation. Inferior quality products mostly use brass sheets, bright yellow, soft in texture, and easy to oxidize and change color. If the shrapnel of the socket is white in yellow, it means that the copper content is low, and it may even be filled with iron. The identification of the copper-plated iron is very simple. It is the iron that can be attracted by the magnet, and the copper-plated iron is used. Very easy to rust and turn black.

Other insulating materials: burned. Insulating materials are very important for the safety of switch sockets, but it is difficult for ordinary consumers to judge. Of course, it is best to do a combustion test on the core components when buying. If there is no condition, it is a good material in terms of appearance. Generally, the texture is relatively hard, difficult to scratch, the structure is tight after molding, and the weight is heavier. Insulating materials burn: qualified products should not have flames when they leave the outer flame of the fire, they are flame-retardant materials. Inferior products will burn.

Switch contacts: good switch contacts are available in pure silver and silver-lithium alloy. The conductivity of silver is very good, which can fully meet the requirements of this aspect of the contact. However, due to the low melting point of pure silver, problems such as high temperature melting or deformation after repeated use are prone to occur during use. Therefore, the silver-lithium alloy used by some manufacturers, both The good conductivity of silver is guaranteed, and its melting point and hardness are effectively improved. The silver plated copper surface is almost used, and the worst is the general metal. You can take it apart to see whether the contacts of the switch are silver or not.

Look at the screws: Generally speaking, copper screws are the best for functional parts. Copper-plated screws are also good, but if they are directly iron screws, they are almost impossible. It is very simple. Copper is more expensive than iron.

Conductive sheet: usually a conductive sheet made of silver-copper composite material should be used to prevent oxidation caused by arc during opening and closing. The conductive bridge of the high-quality product is made of silver-nickel-copper composite material. The conductivity of the silver material is excellent, which is enough to meet the national standard of 40,000 switches.

Look at the inner and outer packaging: It is said to carefully check whether the product packaging is complete, whether there is a detailed manufacturer or supplier address and telephone number on the outer packaging, indicating that the product packaging must have a clear address and telephone number of the manufacturer, and there should be instructions for use and a certificate of conformity ( Including 3C certification and rated current and voltage), and will make effective commitments to consumers (such as “guarantee 12 years of life”, etc.).

Switch feel: In order to ensure reliable contact connection and reduce contact resistance, a good switch generally has a hard spring, so it has a sense of force when switching, while ordinary switches are very soft, and it often happens that the switch handle stops in the middle position. Cause safety hazards.

Wall-mounted switches and socket splash-proof covers — In places where water is prone to splashing, such as above the kitchen sink or bathroom, this panel needs to be installed for safety.

The function of each unit and the single unit control switch are mainly for centralized installation of the switch, which is more beautiful.

Current switches are generally divided into rotary type, inverted plate type, rocker type and sliding plate type according to the starting method. The most commonly used household switch is the rocker type, and the rocker type is currently popular in the rocker type.