Someone care to explain to a thick joiner the difference between a single pole socket & a double pole socket, judging by price DP is better, but obviously SP is acceptable, as it is BS approved.
Dont be so hard on yourself, have some pride in your trade, after all you probably know a lot more about woodwork than i have ever known. Each to their own speciality i say. The difference between a DP and SP socket is the switch, it either breaks the live in a SP socket or Live and Neutral in a DP socket SP means Single Pole and DP means Double Pole. Hope this answers your query Nick
single pole switches just the phase wire off leaving neutral and cpc connected. double pole switches phase and neutral - single pole ok for sockets - double pole used to emersion heaters and such
The use of double pole switching guards against the dangers associated with a Live/Neutral reversal. In this circumstance a single pole would break the circuit on the neutral leg and the device would not operate HOWEVER lurking within would be the Live and the associated danger of electrocution. If both Live and Neutral are switched then this possibility is removed. In summary so long as everything is wired correctly single pole will suffice but to guard against a Live/Neutral reversal double pole switching will always ensure safe disconnection.
So if i was the kind of lecky that wired sockets the wrong way round, do u think i wud buy dp sockets specially to cover my mistakes.
Double pole are used specifically to isolate whatever is connected for maintenance. So for fans, water heaters, cookers and so on all you need do is turn the switch to off and you are safe to work on the unit. Single pole, that's not true. Single do not disconnect neutral. Neutral even when correctly wired can actually have a voltage on it and this can be enough to kill you.
It could be argued that you should use DP switched sockets in a TT earthed installation where you have an earth rod, whilst you can use SP switched sockets in a TN earthed installation. In reality though you can just pull the plug out.
I’ll ignore the fact that this is a 13 year old thread! The question is how do you tell it’s a double or single pole when you turn up to carry out maintenance?