Metal cased wiring is it safe

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Just ripped out my rotten bathroom floor and noticed an open metal junction box which feeds the kitchen wiring below. Tested the box to see if it was live with a electricians screwdriver and it lit up. Then i tested the wire insulation and that lit up - slightly confused i tested the other wires and one of those lit up the screwdriver too. No earth at all in that circuit.

Put a new junction box in (plastic with lid!!) but having had a closer look at the wiring with the power off it appears to be metal encased with cloth covering the live and neutral. The cloth feels particularly brittle.

Never seen this sort of wire before is it still safe?? Shall i reconnect up or should i replace the wire? Only joking!

how old is this wiring though

PS does anyone want to buy my house? its a good un!! :confused:
 
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1) If you are using a neon screwdriver throw it away and buy a multimeter

2) wires with a rubber and and fabric coating are probably 50 years old or more and way past their replacement date.
 
You have the old lead sheathed cables & it is so old that I wolud suggest you leave it well alone. It can be perfectly safe & work ok as long as it is not disturbed. However if you are thinking of doing refurbishment, now would be a good time for a complete re-wire if all the cable in the house is the same.
 
You have the old lead sheathed cables & it is so old that I wolud suggest you leave it well alone. It can be perfectly safe & work ok as long as it is not disturbed. However if you are thinking of doing refurbishment, now would be a good time for a complete re-wire if all the cable in the house is the same.
Given the the junction box was live however I think there are pretty serious problems going on and it should IMO be replaced ASAP.
 
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Cheers - thought it was pretty old - cant see any rubber left it must have degraded to such an extent!!

Safe to say I will be replacing the wire completely and (do have a multimeter only tested with the screwdriver as a quick check -i know these can be unreliable)
 
What you describe about the insulation lighting up probaby is due having no earth present in the circuit.

As others have hinted, a rewire is the order of the day.
 
This is old . . . . we had a house with rubber twin core that was built in 1952. This is older than that so 60 years minimum!

Am surprised no one has asked you to post a photo of your consumer unit / main switch yet.
 
Lead cable

IMGP2255.jpg
 
Blimey, not come across that stuff in a while, they don't make anything like they used to do they!

Seen quite a bit of VIR singles in steel conduit recently.
 
Lead cable

{pic}
Surely it would have been more fitting to have had the other side of the rule showing?

terryandgary - if you have a house full of the stuff, don't just let the electrician take it away - scrap lead is worth money...
 
Last year i see some big Lead meter tails.

Unfortunately did not get a pic.
But know where the house is.
In a few years it may be worth more than the house.
 
lol, what csa do lead cables have to be relative to their copper counterparts?

I somewhat doubt they are recognised by BS7671 any more, just out of interest!
 
lol, what csa do lead cables have to be relative to their copper counterparts?

I think the inner cores were copper like the VIR, just lead used for the outer sheath.
It had silly names like 7/029 and 3/ 029 or something similar
 
It had silly names like 7/029 and 3/ 029 or something similar

Nothing silly about that, perfect description of the number and size of the strands in each conductor.
 

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