Articles · Home electrics · Batumi
Extension lead overheating, sparking or not working
Extension leads and power strips in Batumi flats work at their limit: air conditioner, heater, water heater, kettle — all in one strip. A warm plug and clicks in a socket are not trifles but a common cause of melting and fire.
Warning signs
- The plug or the extension lead body is warm or hot.
- A smell of burnt plastic, darkening at a socket.
- Sparks when plugging in, crackling.
- The plug wobbles in the socket, appliances switch off by themselves.
- The power strip switches itself off with its button — the protection trips.
Why it heats up
- Overload. A heater, kettle, iron, water heater — about 2 kW each. They must not run from one strip at the same time.
- A thin cable. Cheap leads with thin cable are rated for less power than the packaging says.
- Loose socket contacts — a poor contact heats up.
- An extension lead plugged into another one — each connection adds resistance.
- A coiled reel: cable on a drum does not cool — unwind it fully.
What to do right now
- Switch off powerful appliances and pull the extension lead’s plug out of the wall socket.
- A melted or blackened extension lead goes in the bin — do not repair it.
- Powerful appliances (heater, air conditioner, water heater, oven) should be plugged straight into a wall socket.
- If the wall socket heats up rather than the extension lead, that is a job for a technician.
How to choose an extension lead
- Look at the rated power and cable cross-section, not at the number of sockets.
- Earthed sockets (in Georgia type C and F plugs and sockets, the "European" ones, are common).
- A power strip with a switch and a fuse — for a computer and TV.
- For outdoors and a balcony — a weatherproof one.
How I can help
If there are not enough sockets at a workplace or by the TV, it is easier and safer to add a socket from the existing circuit than to live with a strip on the floor. I check a socket that heats up and replace the socket or its insert. I advise how to spread appliances across different sockets so the breaker does not trip.
FAQ
Questions and answers
Can a heater be plugged into an extension lead?
Better not. A powerful heater goes straight into a wall socket. If you do need a lead, it should be thick, short and rated for that power.
The extension lead melted — can it be repaired?
No, only replaced. Melted plastic no longer insulates.
A wall socket is warm — what should I do?
Do not plug powerful appliances into it and call a technician: usually a contact has loosened or the socket is worn. Replacement — from 50 ₾.
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