Green liquid coming from sockets

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simonfawcett

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Hi,

I'm looking for some advice... I've recently moved into a flat (that I'm renting) and noticed that several of the plug sockets (and one switch) has green stuff apparently leaking from them:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 31 59.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 32 25.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 33 18.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 37 54.jpg

Seems like it's probably this? http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:cable_types:green_slime

What do you think? And should I demand that an electrician comes to check it out?

Thanks!

Simon
 
yup that's the stuff..
liquid plasticiser leeching out of the PVC covering of the cable, and taking trace amounts of copper with it ( which goes green.. )
some say it's not dangerous but with copper in the liquid I reckon there's a chance of it causing a path for current..
 
simonfawcett said:
Hi,

I'm looking for some advice... I've recently moved into a flat (that I'm renting) and noticed that several of the plug sockets (and one switch) has green stuff apparently leaking from them:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 31 59.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 32 25.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 33 18.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/889233/Mobile Photo 11 Mar 2010 10 37 54.jpg

Seems like it's probably this? http://www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:cable_types:green_slime

What do you think? And should I demand that an electrician comes to check it out?

Thanks!

Simon
Click to expand...

Don't demand as a first option. Ask the landlord to have it checked out by a qualified electrician. It would be in his best interest to have a safe property.
 
Ok thanks everyone! :-) I only said demand because it's managed by foxtons and they've already proven to be pretty useless at getting things sorted!
 
Hello.
Many of the houses in my area have this problem.
Take a peek at your ceiling rose 'covers', they might be looking like this one :shock: !!!
PhonePictures033.jpg


I personally, would try to have a PIR report carried out (£ by Foxtons £) for peace of mind.
Although, having tested some of these 'contaminated' circuits this horrid stuff doesn't seem to effect the results as far as I have seen ??

Regards

Ed
 
Could it be that some one has changed to a green electricity, tarif? :P
 
Green slime means rewire time, as the cables will be at least 40 years old. This usually means the fusebox and other items are of a similar age.
The green mess is difficult to clean off, and it will always return.

To be as bad as in the pictures, the problem must have been there for many years, which means the wiring hasn't been inspected or tested for a long time.

Although it doesn't appear to affect the insulation resistance of the cables, it eventually must do, as the slime is a component of the PVC insulation.
 
So in the meantime, is it safe to use the sockets? Or should I leave it well alone until it's checked out? Also what's a PIR report? (sorry for being ignorant!)

Thanks for all your help!!
 
Safe to use - probably, as the green slime itself isn't dangerous. However with cables and sockets of that age, there could well be other problems which are not immediately apparent.
Can you get a picture of the fusebox/consumer unit and surrounding area?

PIR = Periodic Inspection Report, which will involve a competent person inspecting and testing the installation. The report will contain a (long) list of items which do not meet current regulations and require improvement.
 
Yes I can take a photo tomorrow. I'm actually in the process of moving so still living at my old flat until Sunday. Funny thing about the green stuff is that it wasn't there when I first looked round the flat about a month a go (or wasn't as obvious).

PIR report sounds good if I can convince foxtons!
 
Nice to see they got their priorities right - never mind the old and deteriorating wiring, let's put some shiny new sockets on... :roll:

Simon - do you have children, or are there ever any in the flat?

The substance (di-isoctyl phthalate) is not toxic, but IIRC it can cause upset stomachs if ingested, or irritation to the eyes. Basically if there are kids around it's not good stuff to have on their fingers
 

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