[Closed] anti tamper plug socket blanks for a toddler

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Try the IKEA ones.

these are pretty good if you need regular access;

[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Insight-Single-Socket-Cover/dp/B000X1DNIM ]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Insight-Single-Socket-Cover/dp/B000X1DNIM[/url]

I generally found by the time they were able to remove socket covers they were old enough to be shouted at/punished/etc and understand they mustn't touch sockets.

we did use these for a bit;

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I needed a screwdriver to get them out when the time came.

Did you have the ones with the curved 'hill' on them or just the flat cover? Is he taking them out by the sides? i.e. prying nails under them to lift like we grown people would? You could put duct tape over them as previous poster suggested. I am [i]sure[/i] that's what they meant and nothing else... 😉
I'd suggest very strong NO and replace the desire to play with them with a favorite toy distraction until you're further sorted out.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, I don't have kids, but isn't this fixing a problem that doesn't exist?

UK power sockets are gated, without a plug you can't stick anything in the live or neutral terminals. You have to insert a pin into the earth socket first to bypass the gate, and if he's clever enough to work out how to open the gate then surely he's clever enough to be told not to?

That was pretty much my thought too. I'm not sure it's a real problem.

Wasnt there a report somewhere to the effect that these blanks are more dangerous then an uncovered socket, a curious child can use the device to shove in the earth and make the live/ neutral safety covers open up?

We told our toddler not to touch the sockets, or drink bleach.

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One finger at a time until he learns 😈

and if he's clever enough to work out how to open the gate then surely he's clever enough to be told not to?

He can be told not to, he can understand that he's not supposed to, but that doesn't stop him from doing it when you're not looking. You can't really explain the consequences of electricity and death til their older I think.

the problem is that they go through a phase of 'shoving stuff in holes/gaps' and you end up with them trying to poke pencils etc in the sockets.

What's black and crispy and sits on the roof?

pencils etc in the sockets.

but in order for this to have any effect they'd need a pencil in the top socket, and one in the live? It'd also need to be a carbon pencil. Not a crayon.

Do we have a surfeit of child surgeons in the UK?

I'm not defednign covers but kids will shove a pencil in the earth hole and then fingers in the other two.

I agree it's unlikely and preferred not to use covers but my wife made an executive decision.

I just shouted at the kids if they went near the 'lectrics as I always though there was more danger from them partially removing a plug and then touching the prongs...

When I worked in a public building aimed at kids we weren't allowed to use those blanking plates as they failed risk assessment and made the sockets more dangerous. They could be inserted upside down into the earth and left the live exposed.

Fingers? Really? Either I've completely misjudged the size of plug sockets, or completely misjudged the size of kids' fingers.

I always though there was more danger from them partially removing a plug and then touching the prongs

Modern plug prongs are only metal at the tips, the bodies are plastic, for just this reason. Well, except the earth anyway, and if that's live then you've got bigger problems.

they use these Cougar;

[url= http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/vilcus/ ]http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/vilcus/[/url]

Those are sausages, not fingers, then... 😛

Haha, awesome.

Toddler fingers will fit in socket holes.

relax man, everything will be just fine

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I think I need to perform some tests. Anyone got a small child I can borrow?

could you not just whittle your own fingers down a bit before you started?

Disregarding any comments about the chances of a child actually being able to harm themselves, is it actually worth bothering finding out for the sake of a few quid on some socket covers?

The Lindam stuff always seems good to me and I have also seen one socket cover that locks into position.

This kind of thing (but obviously this exact model as it is clearly dangerous!)...
[img] [/img]

isn't this fixing a problem that doesn't exist

As a toddler, I one played at driving cars using the socket at the foot of the stairs and my mum's keys. Before my grandmother could stop me, I was half way up the stairs, the socket was melted and the house fuses blown.

I don't believe in nannying kids, but tell the little b*gger "no" and apply the gaffer tape to the covers as well.

is it actually worth bothering finding out for the sake of a few quid on some socket covers?

If, as some have suggested, they provide an easy means of bypassing the existing security on the socket, I'd say so.

We got some from toys r us. I don't know the brand. They wedge in really tight and you'd have a job to pull them out using fingers and nails. To remove the blank there is a hole where you use one of the pins in the plug to pull it out. They work really well and come in a kit with door sponges and cupboard locks.

Right, any sparkies care to mention if skidartists pic will result in death? I don't think so. The leccy would flow to earth, and not through those people...?

As a toddler

No disrespect meant, but the sockets in use when you were a toddler (and me too, in all likelyhood) probably weren't subject to the same levels of protection that they are now.

and the house fuses blown

... so the system works, then. Modern fuseboxes should have an RCD fitted, which should cut the power as close to instantaneously as makes no odds. If it were me, I'd be making sure my supply was protected as a higher priority than worrying about blanking plates.

any sparkies care to mention if skidartists pic will result in death?

Unlikely, it's a wussy US 120V supply. (-:

[url= http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Safety/Home-Safety/Clippasafe-Plug-Socket-Covers-4-Pack(0016247) ]These are the ones[/url]

If it were me, I'd be making sure my supply was protected as a higher priority than worrying about blanking plates.

I think if you were close to the supply in that pic, you might be in trouble. Further away maybe not so bad.

But it's current that does you, not the voltage. So the US supply must be able to jolt out twice as much current.

But I reckon it'll still short to earth, not to the blokes in the pool. Not a sparky though.

Look mastiles fanylion, unless your kids are making you cups of tea as soon as they can walk, and start cooking pretty soon after, you're molly coddling them. Once they get up to 6 or 7, they'll be strong enough to work a trolley jack, and you can set them on changing the car oil. Once they've proven they can do that competently, you can let them do the discs and pads.

Some people...

Over 12mA - death or serious injury.

Under 12mA- not death

It can be 20,000 volts or 240 volts and not matter - it's the current that's the killer.

Current has to flow across your chest to kill you by stopping your heart, no? In which case, you'd have to have your chest between the socket and the floor of the pool. But even then it might not kill you since the current would probably flow around your body (path of least resistance). But even if it did flow through you, and assuming your resistance is the same as the water (which it's not) the voltage drop would be only at most a third of the supply ie 40V in their case. Which is unlikely to result in the 120mA or so it needs to kill you...?

I think they are safe.

So the US supply must be able to jolt out twice as much current

The current depends on the voltage and the resistance. The resistance of pool water or a bloke is the same in the US as it is here, so current flowing anywhere in thsi situation would indeed be half of what it is here.

Cougar - yep, 30+ years ago. No idea if the house would have had an RCD then, however.

My current place does, but I don't trust most of the wiring. No idea when it was last done....

its how the jaccuzzi was invented, the boiling flesh of one reveller standing close to the electric flipflops was noted to produce a lovely relaxy bubbly sensation for all the other party goers in the pool

Either stick proper plugs in them or drill a small hole through the blanking plug and use a self tapping screw to fix them solid.

Thank you for the useful replies. I did expect the usual stw reponses 😆

mastiles_fanylion - Member

If it were me, I'd be making sure my supply was protected as a higher priority than worrying about blanking plates.

Well it is clear you don't have kids isn't it. U**** 'em, I am sure the RCD will do its job, it'll be right.

Err, how do you jump to that conclusion, about not having kids, from that statement? Isn't the poster just saying that the priority (i.e. the first thing to get sorted, and ensure is working correctly), is the protection to the supply - the RCD. The OP hasn't mentioned whether they have this in their house or not. Then, if you're still worried, you can move on to the [u]additional[/u] protection of anti tamper blanks, the merits of which are debated above. Seems like a reasonable position to take.

I bought some of those blanking covers when our four year old was born, looked hard at them and thought "some very intelligent people thought for a long time before coming up with a British Standard for sockets that was then subject to peer review before being issued; meanwhile a load of people who know folks with young babies will buy anything they think might help protect them decided they would see if they could make money by selling blanking covers".

I'd go with a decent quality BS socket everytime - shielded already by kit that has been build to a standard. If the OP emails me I dig out the (unopened I think) pack of blanking covers and send them through FoC (assuming I can find them).

There are some useful reviews of socket covers here - [url= http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/html/cover_reviews.html ]link[/url] - suprised no-one's linked to it already !

Edit: although I see that Mastiles-f has already used one of their pictures!

I suggest the Health'n'Safety fanatics who'd rather be safe than sorry have a look at this:

[url= http://fatallyflawed.org.uk/ ]http://fatallyflawed.org.uk/[/url]

The site demonstrates numerous failure modes for these devices. The safest system is built into MK sockets, and requires all three shutters to be triggered at once - ie, by a plug and by nothing else.

Many many years ago a friend of a friend of Mum's four year old got killed by sticking a hair slide into a socket.

Been very wary ever since.

Well it is clear you don't have kids isn't it. U**** 'em, I am sure the RCD will do its job, it'll be right.

As CrispedWheel says, you miss my point somewhat.

If I were concerned for the safety of my (non-existent) children around electrical outlets, I would prioritise making sure that the electrical supply was safe before concerning myself with blanking plates whose value above the cosmetic is debatable.

tron - Member
The safest system is built into MK sockets

+1

MK - probably consistently the best manufacturer of sockets, switches and plugs out there - IMHO. Not the cheapest unfortunately, so builders tend not to install them as standard (waits to be flamed by the STW builders collective)

A great place to start if you value your family's lives.