Nightmare

[ban-all-sheds]

yes but that rubber has like a cloth overcoat, often when you strip it out although the terminations have crumbled, further back under the cloth is generally serviceable albeit temporary.
I do believe there was a plain rubber cable that is even older, lots of Vir is still in use .

Ah - OK - I see what you mean.

 

[HawkEye244]

yes but that rubber has like a cloth overcoat, often when you strip it out although the terminations have crumbled, further back under the cloth is generally serviceable albeit temporary.
I do believe there was a plain rubber cable that is even older, lots of Vir is still in use .

Why do you think then rocky, would you condem it?

Found a good thread on VIR here : https://talk.electricianforum.co.uk/topic/13493-old-vir-cable/

 

[333rocky333]

Hawkeye, your description of the flat is similar to a flat I owned. I ran a 50x50 plastic trunking from the CCU to the other end of the flat and then rewired room by room. It's not a difficult job for a skilled electrician.

CCU I think was the 14th regs

 

[mwatsonxx]

CCU I think was the 14th regs

And the 17th

 

[HawkEye244]

OK, then, I will.


As I said, the problem was that you did not seem to accept just what a parlous state your electrics are in. Or at least the parts you've shown us; yes, it's possible that the rest is fine, but I wouldn't bet much on that.

If you're willing to learn, wrt this, then what you need to learn is how to rewire an entire house from scratch, because that is what may need to be done. And you do not have time to learn all that you would need to know - you cannot put off getting the work done.



That's probably premature.

You cannot do anything with the existing wiring you have shown us. You cannot extend it, you cannot replace any accessories or lights, you cannot even touch it until you are at the point, with new reels of cable, tools for chasing walls and ceilings, capping/conduit as appropriate if you want or need those, etc to hand. And the same may well go for the rest of the installation.

You have seen how those cables are snapping, and the insulation is just crumbling away - for all you know every single bit of wire in your house is like that. Just taking off switches or sockets to have a look could cause catastrophic failure of the wiring so that you're then in a house with no power until the rewire is finished.

The lighting circuit that that room is on should be left switched off, and preparations for a total rewire put into place, with all tools and materials acquired, before you do anything to any other part of any of the other circuits. Maybe you won't need to rip everything out, but you could so easily and quickly pass the point of no return that it would be very imprudent to not be able to start ripping everything out and replacing it the moment you decide to see what state the rest is in.

I think the problem is you misinterpreting my words.

1) I have the MCB on off.

2) I'm not intending on ripping anything out, I'm intending on re-chasing the correct wiring configuation through the existing conduit.

3) I don't need to be told not to touch live electric or stick a finger in an electrical socket or some such thing.

4) the RCD will flip if there is a surge. You are wasting your time fear-mongering repeatedly. I've seen you do it routinely on here and know what to expect from you.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it's gotten to the point of trolling now and I'm going to stop responding to certain people if it continues.

 

[mwatsonxx]

Why do you think then rocky, would you condem it?

Found a good thread on VIR here : https://talk.electricianforum.co.uk/topic/13493-old-vir-cable/

That post is nonsense from start to finish, with lots of illogical comments from inexperienced electricians.

 

[mwatsonxx]

Hawkeye, I won't get into your lack of electrical knowledge. Part of your solution could be to install a dropped ceiling throughout the flat, on 40mm ish batons, this would allow a complete rewire and the incorporation of other services.

 

[phatboy]

I think the problem is you misinterpreting my words.

1) I have the MCB on off.

2) I'm not intending on ripping anything out, I'm intending on re-chasing the correct wiring configuation through the existing conduit.

3) I don't need to be told not to touch live electric or stick a finger in an electrical socket or some such thing.

4) the RCD will flip if there is a surge. You are wasting your time fear-mongering repeatedly. I've seen you do it routinely on here and know what to expect from you.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I think it's gotten to the point of trolling now and I'm going to stop responding to certain people if it continues.

You are not entirely correct there:-

1) Turned off? On Off is a little misleading

2) Chasing would involve cutting out the wall to install new conduit, or just cables. You are proposing to just pull new cables in, I think

3) Good, that's re-assuring

4) No, it will trip in a L-E or N-E fault, not a L-N fault. That will be the MCB, which will take the full capacity and more (6amp probably in this circuit case). If the short is small, there could be a lot of heat involved prior to tripping, causing a fire.

You need to know point 4 to demonstrate competency with this. It's a sh1t situation, but you do need a pro to just get it done for you.

 

[333rocky333]

Why do you think then rocky, would you condem it?

Found a good thread on VIR here : https://talk.electricianforum.co.uk/topic/13493-old-vir-cable/

To be honest, yes.
Reading further, it sounds like your doing the place up, it would be prudent to replace it now.
If you were living there now with no lights and short of cash, then a short term fix just to get by.
Many homes have that wire still and quite frequently that crumbling is discovered when the homeowner gets his new switches from Band q. its not always possible to rewire straight away, so they invariably oversleeve it, like they have done yours

shop and pub back areas often have loop systems and some electricians can reuse a majority of it, though electricians that do housebashing will probably tell you surface conduit is needed.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

4) the RCD will flip if there is a surge.

No it won't.

You are wasting your time fear-mongering repeatedly trying to get me to accept the reality of my situation. I've seen you do it routinely on here and know what to expect from you I don't want to know, because if I pretend that I can't possibly be living in a house on the brink of becoming a death trap then it will of course turn out that I don't.


I think it's gotten to the point of trolling now and I'm going to stop responding to certain people if it continues.

Well, I don't know who you are going to stop responding to, and I certainly can't see anybody here who has deliberately written something inflammatory, or off-topic, in order to provoke an argument or to upset you.

But you will have no need to respond to me, again, as I'm out. It is quite clear that there is no point me wasting my time trying to tell you things that you simply refuse to accept. You may well find that you have no need to ever respond to anybody again, for the same reason.

 

[HawkEye244]

Hawkeye, I won't get into your lack of electrical knowledge. Part of your solution could be to install a dropped ceiling throughout the flat, on 40mm ish batons, this would allow a complete rewire and the incorporation of other services.

Reasonable idea actually and have considered it due to noise issues from above.

So battens running along the shortest width and then acoustic plasterboard screwed in could be an option.

Acoustic PB is heavy, is there any risk of it pulling the battens out of their fixings? 40kg a sheet if I remember correctly.

 

[HawkEye244]

No it won't.



Well, I don't know who you are going to stop responding to, and I certainly can't see anybody here who has deliberately written something inflammatory, or off-topic, in order to provoke an argument or to upset you.

But you will have no need to respond to me, again, as I'm out. It is quite clear that there is no point me wasting my time trying to tell you things that you simply refuse to accept. You may well find that you have no need to ever respond to anybody again, for the same reason.

Ok you go away and justify in your mind that me blocking you now you warrants that parrot rant and that I'm somehow ignoring everything being said to me.

Blocked.

 

[John D v2.0]

Reasonable idea actually and have considered it due to noise issues from above.

So battens running along the shortest width and then acoustic plasterboard screwed in could be an option.

Acoustic PB is heavy, is there any risk of it pulling the battens out of their fixings? 40kg a sheet if I remember correctly.

It won't help the noise issues, to have a chance you need an independent ceiling, so basically at least 4by2s fixed only to the walls, Rockwool between and then plasterboard over the top, probably 2 layers.

 

[Lectrician]

Why do you think then rocky, would you condem it?

Found a good thread on VIR here : https://talk.electricianforum.co.uk/topic/13493-old-vir-cable/

Clutching at straws.

 

[HawkEye244]

It won't help the noise issues, to have a chance you need an independent ceiling, so basically at least 4by2s fixed only to the walls, Rockwool between and then plasterboard over the top, probably 2 layers.

How would you fit the 4by2s to the wall? Hangers?