Why is my socket arcing inside the wall when I plug in my kettle – Advice from Electriman, North London Electricians

When you plug in a kettle and see or hear a flash or crackling sound inside the socket, it means electrical current is jumping across a gap rather than flowing through a solid connection. Kettles draw around 13 amps, which is close to the maximum a standard 13A socket is designed to carry. That high current demand puts stress on any weak point in the circuit, which is why the fault only shows up with a kettle and not with a phone charger or lamp.

The most common reasons this happens are:

1. A loose terminal inside the socket where the live, neutral, or earth wire has worked free over time.

2. A burnt or corroded contact inside the socket face caused by previous arcing or heat build-up.

3. A poorly made connection at the fused connection unit or spur feeding that socket.

4. Old or worn wiring where the cable conductor has become thin, corroded, or poorly connected.

What you should do right now:

Stop using the socket immediately. Do not plug anything else into it. Go to your consumer unit and switch off the circuit breaker or remove the fuse for the affected ring or radial circuit. If you are not certain which breaker controls that socket, switch off the main switch at the consumer unit until an electrician can attend.

Do not attempt to open the socket yourself unless you are a competent person. Arcing inside a socket can scorch the back box, damage the wiring insulation, and in serious cases start a fire inside the wall ca

Need a qualified electrician in North London?

Electriman covers Mill Hill, Barnet, Finchley, Edgware, Enfield, Watford and surrounding areas. All work is Part P certified and fully insured.