Pretty simple question, but I couldn't find the answer anywhere. Suppose I have a standard '5-pin'/5 recesses wall-socket and I check it with a voltage tester. How many recesses should show a voltage? My expectation was 3, however in my case only the bottom right recess showed a voltage.
Context: this is in an apartment I just moved to in the Netherlands. I tried connecting my electric stove and 3 out of 4 plates no longer worked. That caused my to grab a voltage tester to check the socket.
Assuming you mean an IEC 60309 Plug that delivers 3-phase 230/400V power (usually a red connector), there should be power on three pins.
The largest hole is for the earth pin, and the next hole counter-clockwise is the neutral. The remaining holes should have line voltage - 230v measured to neutral or 400v measured to another line hole.
Here is a good reference for you: https://www.plugsocketmuseum.nl/IEC60309_1.html
Also, as mentioned in the comments, get yourself a proper tester for this or call an electrician to test it.
In the Netherlands we use something we call a "kookgroep" using a perilex connector like:
It uses a 5 pin connector, but it is a combination of two groups (two Life/Neutral) pairs and a ground. It is possible that both life wires are from different phases. Unfortunately there is no standard connection scheme so lots of people struggle with it.
By the way, the reason for this construction is that we mostly use 16A fuses. And 16A is not enough to power an electrical stove so we add two together to get 32A.
