How to Choose the Right Plug Sockets.
When it comes to installing electrical sockets for your home and business picking an accessory that is fit for purpose is of paramount importance. As well as wanting to match or enhance the current room’s style and décor they need to be able to provide a seamless solution to charging your portable electrical appliances.
You will want to pick an electrical accessory with a longer guarantee, at The LED Specialist we stock products from MLA Knightsbridge. They are market leaders in this field and their products come with a 5-year guarantee. We have matching dimmers and switches that will help when choosing your next wall sockets for your home or business.
What is the difference between a switch and a socket?
An electrical socket is a device usually mounted on a wall but can be installed on just about any surface in the home. It is a device that conducts an electric current to portable electrical appliances and equipment. Household appliances such as cookers and fridges are directly wired to the mains, so these are not referred to as portable electrical appliances.
Most UK residential electrical sockets are Double Poled (DP) meaning they switch the live and the neutral circuits on at the same time, which reduces the risk of suffering from an electric shock. These normally take 13-amp (13A) plugs, which are your standard 3-pin plugs found with most portable electric appliances and equipment.
On the other hand, in simplest terms, an electrical switch opens and closes an electric current to appliances and lighting. In industrial terms, these are sometimes referred to as Electromagnetic relays. Switches tend to be mainly used for lighting and controlling light bulbs.
Step by Step guide to buying Household Electric Sockets
- The first thing when choosing which plug socket to buy is whether you need a switched or an unswitched On a switched socket once the appliance has been plugged in you can manually turn the power off or on using a switch on the socket.
An unswitched socket is directly wired to the mains, it is usually used for larger appliances such as fridges and freezers. As these appliances are not easily accessible, they are isolated with a fused connection unit which would isolate that one socket. We will mainly be discussing switched sockets here.
- The next step to look for when choosing electric wall sockets for your home is how many gangs you want on your socket. At The LED Specialist, we stock 1-Gang & 2-Gang sockets in a variety of finishes. A 1 gang socket will allow you to only power one appliance and a 2 gang can have up to 2 appliances plugged in at the same time. The versatility and flexibility extension leads provide means you could power up more appliances on that socket.
- The finish is another important step when choosing your UK plug socket, we stock a large range of finishes from the standard Matt White socket to elegant stainless-steel sockets in polished or brushed chrome finishes. Polished Brass electrical sockets are another contemporary style favourite as these can be paired with switches and dimmers around the home to create a more modern look and feel.
- The switch itself has changed quite a lot over the years, from having the standard rocker switch to matching the socket finish. Nowadays you can have for example a black 2-gang socket with chrome rockers to add some sophisticated aesthetics. The are a variety of switches available including Rocker Switches, Rotary Switches, Toggle Switches, Push and Touch.
- How the socket is mounted onto the wall is another decorative feature to take into consideration as they come in either as Screwless or screwed face plates. The screwless face plates are clipped into place and don’t need screws to be installed providing a seamless look. Flat plates are a more modern look coming in a very slim profile that doesn’t extrude out from the wall as much as standard sockets.
- As most people will want to match all their light and electrical either throughout the home or to match a single room’s décor, the profile of the electrical socket also plays a significant role. You can choose either a rounded profile or a square profile for your sockets depending on personal taste.
- Most modern-day gadgets and gizmos are charged via a USB cable and now you can choose a dual USB socket. Dual USB sockets can come either as 1 or 2 gangs and come with a USB port as well as a standard 13 amp plug socket. We now stock FASTCHARGE Dual USB sockets with both a USB-A and a USB-C port, this is handy as you will not need to buy two different plugs to switch between your older and newer devices.
What are The Best Electric Sockets available?
As mentioned earlier the MLA Knightsbridge Fastcharge Dual USB A+C Socket are becoming ever so popular due to their practicality. Having 2 different USB ports the user can easily charge older USB-A devices and newer USB-C devices simultaneously without the need to change a plug. They come in a screwless round profile in a variety of finishes and will add a sophisticated decorative yet essentially practical element to any room.
MLA Knightsbridge 1 Gang Dual USB Charged Switched Socket come with 2 USB-A ports also in a screwless round profile. They have a variety of finishes but can come with different colour inserts or even different finish rockers to really drive that decorative element. These have been especially popular in hospitality as guests can recharge a lot more devices at one time as they won’t necessarily be travelling with a lot of portable electrical appliances.
The MLA 2 Gang Dual USB Charger Switched Socket range is another very popular option as it comes with 2 USB-A ports. They come with interchangeable inserts and rocker switches. When combined with dimmers and switches these can enhance any room’s décor with their round profile in a screwless or screwed face plate.
Contact us for Electrical Sockets
We stock the largest online range of electrical plug sockets in a variety of different finishes and have matching dimmers and switches to complement each other. We stock 1 & 2 Gang sockets from the market leader MLA Knightsbridge ready for next-day delivery offering free delivery on orders over £100. If you’re unsure of which fitting you need then please contact one of our LED lighting experts either through the website or by giving us a ring at 01189 507125.
