Changing a wall socket

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Ok, im an electrics novice!

The single plug socket on the wall no longer works due to water getting into the socket (washing down the walls in order to scrape away old wallpaper). All other sockets and light switches in the room/house work fine. Is it just a case of switching off the mains power supply and replacing the socket like for like, would i need to trim back the wires..?

I would normally just attempt this myself but the flat in question is occupied by a tenant so i need to turn up and fix at first attempt, hopefully. Or I could just get a Spark in to do it but times are hard!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
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If there are tennants involved then get a professional in.

Someone with greater knowledge will be along soon but water getting into a socket wouldn't always mean changing the socket will be the right repair. The short created by the water entering the socket may have knackered the cable elsewhere.

This happened at my parents old house, the junction for the cable ended up taking the brunt of the damage and involved running a new cable from a new junction box in under the floor above and re-channelling the wall.
 
The single plug socket on the wall no longer works due to water getting into the socket (washing down the walls in order to scrape away old wallpaper). All other sockets and light switches in the room/house work fine. Is it just a case of switching off the mains power supply and replacing the socket like for like,
Yes

would i need to trim back the wires..?
It would depend on the state of the cable and the amount of slack particularly if the new socket's terminals were in different locations.

Question is though is it the water that has damaged the socket or is it just a loose cable. While water can get in the terminals and cause problems it usually eventually dries out. Are you sure that a cable has not just come out of the terminal.
 
Question is though is it the water that has damaged the socket or is it just a loose cable. While water can get in the terminals and cause problems it usually eventually dries out. Are you sure that a cable has not just come out of the terminal.
Indeed. Not only what you say but, on the face of it, it's very difficult to see how water getting into one socket could cause that socket to 'stop working', with all of the other sockets still functioning normally.

james1975: did you 'do anything' to the socket (e.g. loosen the screws and pull it forward a bit) when you were stripping the wallpaper? If so, that could have resulted in some connections loosening, or even 'coming out.

Kind Regards, John
 
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If there are tennants involved then get a professional in.

Someone with greater knowledge will be along soon but water getting into a socket wouldn't always mean changing the socket will be the right repair. The short created by the water entering the socket may have knackered the cable elsewhere.

This happened at my parents old house, the junction for the cable ended up taking the brunt of the damage and involved running a new cable from a new junction box in under the floor above and re-channelling the wall.


There are tenants involved, so your probably right about getting a pro to do it. A friend suggested doing it myself as it's such an easy task, but with tenants involved there's no room for error. It's just the thought of paying someone 50 quid to change a socket.
Thanks for your help!
 
... with tenants involved there's no room for error. It's just the thought of paying someone 50 quid to change a socket.

That's the point - you won't be paying just for someone to change a socket, you'll be paying for peace of mind, and the professional judgement of the electrician as to what needs doing. Bargain!!

PJ
 
Question is though is it the water that has damaged the socket or is it just a loose cable. While water can get in the terminals and cause problems it usually eventually dries out. Are you sure that a cable has not just come out of the terminal.
Indeed. Not only what you say but, on the face of it, it's very difficult to see how water getting into one socket could cause that socket to 'stop working', with all of the other sockets still functioning normally.

james1975: did you 'do anything' to the socket (e.g. loosen the screws and pull it forward a bit) when you were stripping the wallpaper? If so, that could have resulted in some connections loosening, or even 'coming out.

Kind Regards, John

The socket worked before I started stripping the 2inch woodchip from the walls using an electric steamer. I got a bit carried away I suppose and soaked the socket. When I noticed it was wet I unplugged the steamer. I figured it would dry out and never used the socket again. That was last month, the new tenant now reports the fault. I figure the socket just needs replaced but if there are other faults I,d be clueless. I will just leave to Spark. That friggin woodchip is still causing grief! Thanks for everyone's replies, most appreciated.
 
It's should be quite a simple task for someone is competent, the fact you are here asking the question suggests that you are not at ease taking this task on.
Although the logical cause of the fault could be assumed to be water ingress, that could be coincidental and something more sinister maybe behind the fault.
It's let property, so as advised by others, you must employ a competent electrician. Make sure you get some documentation of the fault being corrected and you can always claim the charge back on your tax returns!
 
The socket worked before I started stripping the 2inch woodchip from the walls using an electric steamer. I got a bit carried away I suppose and soaked the socket. When I noticed it was wet I unplugged the steamer. I figured it would dry out and never used the socket again. That was last month, the new tenant now reports the fault. I figure the socket just needs replaced but if there are other faults I,d be clueless. I will just leave to Spark.
That sounds like the best and most sensible solution. I do doubt that it will transpire that the 'not working' now has got anything to do with the soaking the socket got last month - it would be nice if you could let us know what the electrician discovers, in due course.

Kind Regards, John
 

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