As tempting as they are for small children’s hands, sockets are just as dangerous. In Germany and most EU countries, the voltage is usually 230 volts. That’s easily enough to seriously injure yourself. Important: The dangerous current only flows through the body when the phase, i.e. the current-carrying contact, is touched. Since this (just like the neutral conductor in the other hole) is on the inside, nothing can happen to children who put their fingers in a socket. It becomes critical when the offspring “examines” the socket with cutlery, scissors or a pen. If the kids catch the phase, the circuit is closed and they can be hit by a potentially life-threatening electric shock.
To protect children and parents from such a scenario, there are child safety sockets. These should be installed on all sockets that are within reach of the children, but also on sockets that seem unreachable. These child safety locks block the two holes and can only be unlocked with a plug or key. The article clarifies which child safety devices are available for sockets and where other dangers lurk in the household.
Mavura has specialized in protecting children from injury within their own four walls as much as possible. The BabyLock Mavura socket caps are also compatible with sockets in popular holiday countries such as Austria, Croatia, Greece or France. The BabyLock socket cap is placed on the socket, closes the holes and is secured with a key. The socket can only be made operational again with this key. In addition to sockets, sharp edges on furniture often cause bumps on the head and lots of tears. This PVC corner protector can at least relieve the pain.
These child safety devices also fit into all EU standardized sockets. Installing it is extremely easy. Because they only fit in exactly one position in the socket and thus close the holes with the protective contacts. The sockets can be unlocked by putting on a mains plug, turning it anti-clockwise and removing it again together with the fuse. According to the manufacturer, the child safety locks can handle more than 1000 of these openings. Here’s the socket protector in a pack of 24.
A combination of the two child safety devices already presented is the socket protector from Bachmann. The plastic insert should fit exactly into standardized sockets. Neither pointed fingernails nor a paper clip will help to remove it. The protective cap can only be removed again with the supplied key. The pack of 10 contains six of these keys.
Tip: With a Home24 voucher you can save up to 30 euros on your purchase (valid until September 30th, 2023).
Reer also has child safety devices for sockets. As with all others presented here, no screws, glue or other tools are required for installation. In order to protect common earthed sockets from children’s hands, the Reer socket cap is placed in the central insert according to the small recesses. You need a mains plug to unlock it.
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