Any electricians on here?

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

We let a house to students, the house has had all the usual safety checks recently and is managed by a professional agent. So basically everything is done that should be.

I've just had a call (first thing Sunday morning) from one of the students to say that he plugged his X-box into a socket and the X-box didn't work. He has sent it off for repair. He says that he then plugged a DVD player into the same socket and that didn't work. He reckons the socket is damaging his equipment.

I am no electrician. I can plug a Maplins socket tester into the socket this afternoon but other than that it will have to wait until Monday to contact an electrician.

But what could go wrong with a socket so that it would damage equipment plugged into it?

[Arwen]

I would think that so long as your trip switches have the correct fuses in them then they should not be able to damage anything plugged into them, unless the switch itself has been damaged.

Your landlord electrical inspection should have checked for damaged switches aswel.

I've seen the sheet my landlord gets, and they even note down when the on/off switch is not moving fluidly;

[JRH]

Use the tester, that should show any problems. Personally I use a Martindale unit which also shows whether the voltage is correct. Not sure if the Maplin one does.

[Six30]

The other students have played a trick on him and took the fuses out of his stuff

[Arwen]

^^ that was my first thought . Students will be students...

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Apparently it was plugged in and working then just stopped, so it's not the fuse. I'm going to see him this evening. No evidence of the trip switches going.

[Joe85]

So long as it is wired correctly, Live, Neutral Earth are in the correct terminals their shouldn't be an issue. His Xbox will only draw what is want's to draw, no more, no less. If it is wired correct then the fault will be in his Xbox.

My guess, his Xbox tripped the MCB.

[TimR]

If its all been signed off as ok by competent and qualified tester then if there is any issues surely it can be brought back to them ?

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Thanks guys.

I called in this evening and plugged in a socket tester which all was ok. The trip switches haven't tripped and the guy in the next room was using his X-box at the same time and that's fine

I'm thinking he's just been unlucky and two things have packed in within a few days of each other.