Electrical socket is live but nothing works in it?

[Sleebagz]

More importantly - have you switch off at the supply end !

By supply end you mean the main fuse box for the house? What would I check there it's all just circuit breakers isn't it? And yes I turned off the supply by flicking both the kitchen and ground floor circuit breakers before opening the socket.

 

[sparkwright]

Out of interest, is the socket in question controlled by a switch (above the worktop for example, for easy isolation?

And if so, the neutral connection could be failing.

I'm sure if there was a switch you would have told us, but thought it worth mentioning.

 

[Sleebagz]

Out of interest, is the socket in question controlled by a switch (above the worktop for example, for easy isolation?

And if so, the neutral connection could be failing.

I'm sure if there was a switch you would have told us, but thought it worth mentioning.

Yes there is a switch above the worktop to turn the socket on or off. I did consider if this could also be the cause but everything worked fine until I unplugged the washing machine from the socket, so I'm presuming it's something wrong with the socket as a previous poster said, the heat damage to the wiring.

Annoyingly I'm on back shift at work tonight so I won't be able to try anything until I get home tomorrow. :/

 

[sparkwright]

And why didn't you say?



It may be that the switch opens and closes the live, but leaves the neutral open - which means a knackered switch.

Try a new switch.

Also could be bad/loose connections at the switch.

As was mentioned earlier, any burnt, black copper and burnt insulation needs cutting off and re-stripping.

Only shorten knackered wire, no point shortening good wire.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And yes I turned off the supply by flicking both the kitchen and ground floor circuit breakers before opening the socket.

How did you know that the socket was on one of those circuits?

 

[Sleebagz]

And yes I turned off the supply by flicking both the kitchen and ground floor circuit breakers before opening the socket.

How did you know that the socket was on one of those circuits?

Tested it with the volt pen - it bleeped before knocking the power off, then didn't bleep once the power was off, so I assumed as much as I could that it was dead. Grabbed hold of it... dead.

 

[Sleebagz]

Followed a previous poster's advice and cut back and stripped any damage wire to bare clean copper, wired everything back up in the new socket i bought and still same problem happening- socket appears live but nothing works in it.

I've attched a couple of pics of the isolation switch for the socket that's located above the worktop in case anybody has any other suggestions on if this might be the cause rather than the socket underneath, otherwise i'm going to have to get a sparky mate in and give him a few quid to sort it all out.

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• Sleebagz
• 18 Apr 2015
• 1

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• Sleebagz
• 18 Apr 2015
• 1

 

[JohnW2]

I've attched a couple of pics of the isolation switch for the socket that's located above the worktop in case anybody has any other suggestions on if this might be the cause rather than the socket underneath, otherwise i'm going to have to get a sparky mate in and give him a few quid to sort it all out.

You may well need an electrician. However, if you were comfortable doing it, you could temporarily bypass that switch by (with all the usual safety precautions) putting both black wires into one of the N terminals and both red wires into one of the L terminals. If the socket then worked, it would indicate that you need a new switch.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Sleebagz]

I've attched a couple of pics of the isolation switch for the socket that's located above the worktop in case anybody has any other suggestions on if this might be the cause rather than the socket underneath, otherwise i'm going to have to get a sparky mate in and give him a few quid to sort it all out.

You may well need an electrician. However, if you were comfortable doing it, you could temporarily bypass that switch by (with all the usual safety precautions) putting both black wires into one of the N terminals and both red wires into one of the L terminals. If the socket then worked, it would indicate that you need a new switch.

Kind Regards, John

Thanks John, I might just get my mate in to see what's what, feel like I've got as far down the DIY road as I can go on this one, plus I need a couple of extra sockets putting in to so he may as well do everything at the same time.

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks John, I might just get my mate in to see what's what, feel like I've got as far down the DIY road as I can go on this one, plus I need a couple of extra sockets putting in to so he may as well do everything at the same time.

Fair enough. I would not think that it will take too much time/effort for him to get things sorted out for you.

Kind Regards, John

 

[winston1]

Followed a previous poster's advice and cut back and stripped any damage wire to bare clean copper, wired everything back up in the new socket i bought and still same problem happening- socket appears live but nothing works in it.

I've attched a couple of pics of the isolation switch for the socket that's located above the worktop in case anybody has any other suggestions on if this might be the cause rather than the socket underneath, otherwise i'm going to have to get a sparky mate in and give him a few quid to sort it all out.

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• Sleebagz
• 18 Apr 2015
• 1

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• Sleebagz
• 18 Apr 2015
• 1

Well well. That isolation switch looks like a switched fused connection unit. As you have a fuse in the plug a second one is not required so get it replaced with a real isolation switch at the same time.

 

[securespark]

If you have fixed the dodgy line connection under the worktop and replaced the switch above it and it still does not work, you need to check the feed to the switch for the machine.

 

[JohnW2]

If you have fixed the dodgy line connection under the worktop and replaced the switch above it and it still does not work, you need to check the feed to the switch for the machine.

AIUI, the OP has sorted out the dodgy wiring at the socket, but has not replaced the above-counter 'switch' (which, as winston has pointed out, appears to actually be a SFCU)

Sleebagz: have you checked (or replaced) the fuse in that above-worktop 'switch' (which actually appears to be a Switched Fused Connection Unit)?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Sleebagz]

If you have fixed the dodgy line connection under the worktop and replaced the switch above it and it still does not work, you need to check the feed to the switch for the machine.

AIUI, the OP has sorted out the dodgy wiring at the socket, but has not replaced the above-counter 'switch' (which, as winston has pointed out, appears to actually be a SFCU)

Sleebagz: have you checked (or replaced) the fuse in that above-worktop 'switch' (which actually appears to be a Switched Fused Connection Unit)?

Kind Regards, John

I can't say for certain that I've sorted the dodgy line under the worktop, all I've done is fit a new socket and cut away the heat damaged wire to new bare copper.

I did check the fuse in the switch above the worktop and it was fine, swapped it for another too and same problem.

If it makes any more sense when I plugged the radio into the socket under the worktop the blue screen on the radio will flash for a second some times, as if it's coming on and then goes off again....?

 

[sparkwright]

Followed a previous poster's advice and cut back and stripped any damage wire to bare clean copper, wired everything back up in the new socket i bought and still same problem happening- socket appears live but nothing works in it.

I've attched a couple of pics of the isolation switch for the socket that's located above the worktop in case anybody has any other suggestions on if this might be the cause rather than the socket underneath, otherwise i'm going to have to get a sparky mate in and give him a few quid to sort it all out.

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• Sleebagz
• 18 Apr 2015
• 1

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• Sleebagz
• 18 Apr 2015
• 1

No, never been a problem yet.

I suppose in reality either fuse COULD blow.

In any case, if the fuse in the plug blew, the appliance would need to be dragged out anyway for repair.

Handy to have a switched fused spur anyway if an integrated appliance was ever fitted, so a flex outlet could be fitted whilst a fuse still being in place.

Admittedly an unswitched fused spur could be used behind the integrated appliance, but I suppose the fuse might as well be accessible...

Not that any of this will help the op...
Well well. That isolation switch looks like a switched fused connection unit. As you have a fuse in the plug a second one is not required so get it replaced with a real isolation switch at the same time.