Double socket keeps failing

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Hi, just had a call from my tenant to say their washing machine has stopped working in a low level double socket. This is the second time this has happened, the first time was 10 months ago last August 2018, however, there are differences between the two incidents.

We bought the property in September 2015, so for 3 years the washing machine worked without issue. Last August it stopped mid-cycle and the plug was mangled (scorched) and had to be changed, which the tenant did by cutting off the moulded plug and connecting up a new one. The double socket also had scorch marks on it and wouldn't work, so this was also replaced by myself. The mcb tripped on this occasion. The double socket was hanging off the wall with cables sticking out of the wall. There was NO back box, so I fitted a wall mounted back box and a new face plate. Now, the previous owner of the property was a bit of a botch-it-DIY'er, from what I have seen, so I wonder if HE had installed the double socket himself, hence no back box. the new socket and plug appeared to resolve the issue.

Everything has worked fine until this morning. Same thing, the washing machine stopped during its cycle. This time, the plug looks okay and the fuse in it is also okay. They simply plugged it into a different socket and it started working. However, although there are no signs of scorching on the double socket nothing else plugged into this particular socket will work. The tenant says the mcb did NOT trip, unlike last time!

A bit of background. The property was built in the 1930's so clearly the wiring doesn't meet today's standards. The "consumer unit" is very old and originally had wired fuses, the type that needed to be replaced when they blew. I replaced these with appropriate Type B 6 amp and 32 amp MCB's. That was done 4 years ago.

It worries me that the socket has "failed", but the MCB didn't trip!

I'm resigned to having to get an electrician out to test the house wiring and do a PAT test as our tenants safety is our main priority and it would appear that the socket is failing for some reason. I wonder if it is a spur installed by the previous owner and the load from the washing machine is too much for it? Just a thought as I'm not an electrician. I also wonder if the issues could be being caused by the washing machine itself developing a fault.

It would be useful to have a better understanding of what might be happening here, so would appreciate your thoughts.

I'm going over this afternoon and had considered replacing the faulty double socket with a metal socket with a built in rcd to provide some additional protection. But would this only provide protection from the appliance plugged into it and not the circuit connected to the socket.

Coincidentally, and I don't believe this is related, last weekend the cooker hood extractor stopped working. This is wired up to a fused spur, which I noticed had a 13amp fuse in it, rather than the required 3amp fuse. Despite changing the fuse the extractor appears to be dead so I plan to replace it. In the 4 years the tenants have been in the property it looks like the extractor filters have never been cleaned. I've never seen so much grease and gunk on filters and the motor, so this may have caused the issue!
 
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Everything has worked fine until this morning. Same thing, the washing machine stopped during its cycle. This time, the plug looks okay and the fuse in it is also okay. They simply plugged it into a different socket and it started working. However, although there are no signs of scorching on the double socket nothing else plugged into this particular socket will work. The tenant says the mcb did NOT trip, unlike last time!
Loose connections cause heating. Did you properly tighten the connections.
Sounds as if the wire has come out of the terminal now.

It worries me that the socket has "failed", but the MCB didn't trip!
MCBs do not detect loose or disconnected wires.

I'm resigned to having to get an electrician out to test the house wiring and do a PAT test as our tenants safety is our main priority and it would appear that the socket is failing for some reason.
You should have done that already.

I wonder if it is a spur installed by the previous owner and the load from the washing machine is too much for it?
Not just one washing machine.

Just a thought as I'm not an electrician. I also wonder if the issues could be being caused by the washing machine itself developing a fault.
Not from the symptoms you describe.

It would be useful to have a better understanding of what might be happening here, so would appreciate your thoughts.

I'm going over this afternoon and had considered replacing the faulty double socket with a metal socket with a built in rcd to provide some additional protection.
I don't know why you think a metal socket would be better.
RCD wouldn't hurt but behind the washing machine is not advisable.

But would this only provide protection from the appliance plugged into it and not the circuit connected to the socket.
Correct.
Nothing you have said indicates a problem anywhere but the socket.

Coincidentally, and I don't believe this is related, last weekend the cooker hood extractor stopped working. This is wired up to a fused spur, which I noticed had a 13amp fuse in it, rather than the required 3amp fuse. Despite changing the fuse the extractor appears to be dead so I plan to replace it. In the 4 years the tenants have been in the property it looks like the extractor filters have never been cleaned. I've never seen so much grease and gunk on filters and the motor, so this may have caused the issue!
Coincidences happen and tenants are negligent (lots of experience).
 
Thanks for the prompt response. The connections were definitely tight.

I managed to find a photo that was sent to me last August when this happened for the first time. It didn't strike me as unusual at the time, but there is a single cable running to the socket and the cable is "round", rather than grey and flat. This suggests it is a spur and I guess it is possible that the cable is of the wrong size (can't tell from the photo), so maybe this is causing the overheating. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if there were other spurs around the house. All sockets upstairs and downstairs are connected to the same fuse on the consumer unit.
 
Nothing wrong with round flexible cable rather than flat twin and earth.

It would have to be very small to not cope with a washing machine and even if it were then the cable would suffer the damage rather than the socket and plug.

As you have said it is flex (with stranded conductors) then even more likely that it was not terminated propery - ensuring no strands were left not under the screw.
 
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Just checked the socket and I was wrong about the cable it is 2.5mm grey flat, but only one so definitely a spur. Checking for live using a LED screwdriver and it is showing both live an earth connections are live!

Wish I'd brought my multimeter!
 
We bought the property in September 2015
Now, the previous owner of the property was a bit of a botch-it-DIY'er
The property was built in the 1930's so clearly the wiring doesn't meet today's standards
I replaced these with appropriate Type B 6 amp and 32 amp MCB's
as I'm not an electrician
This is wired up to a fused spur, which I noticed had a 13amp fuse in it, rather than the required 3amp fuse.
I'm resigned to having to get an electrician out to test the house wiring and do a PAT test

These statements seem to be at odds with this one

as our tenants safety is our main priority

If anything were to happen to your tenants as a result of an electrical fault I suspect that the courts would throw the book at you
 
Thanks for the constructive feedback NotSoNewboy. That was very helpful, I'm surprised you even bothered to take the time with those multi-quotes. Hope your feeling pleased with yourself.
 
Had a chat with a neighbour of the property and he believes it was rewired by the previous owners, but it still has the original "consumer unit" installed.

Tried to trace the source of the spur socket and may have found it, but I can't explain why it isn't working. Took the front off and check the connections. All good and no sign of damage.

In my own home built 20 years ago, the neon screwdriver I have provides a confirmation of when power exists. E.g. I recently changed a double socket face plate. Before the change, touching earth and nuetral would not have registered with only live causing it to glow. Then having turned the power off and testing live again, no glow, so good to go.

However, at the rental property, every connector I touched caused the screwdriver to light up; earth, neutral and live!

Plugging an appliance in various sockets showed they worked, except for the washing machine socket.

Time to get in an electrician.
 
The socket if behind the unit may be on the load side of an Fcu mounted elsewhere,hence the single cable
 
Hope your feeling pleased with yourself.

Not in the slightest but if you finally recognise (after 4 years) that you need an electrician to test the installation then all the better.

Nice to see along with your professional approach to being a landlord you also invest in the right tools for your amateur attempts at electrical repairs.

Long live the neon screwdriver!
 
Coincidentally, and I don't believe this is related, last weekend the cooker hood extractor stopped working. This is wired up to a fused spur, which I noticed had a 13amp fuse in it, rather than the required 3amp fuse. Despite changing the fuse the extractor appears to be dead so I plan to replace it. In the 4 years the tenants have been in the property it looks like the extractor filters have never been cleaned. I've never seen so much grease and gunk on filters and the motor, so this may have caused the issue!

I wonder if the washing machine socket is fed from the fcu which the fuse was replaced in, when the washing machine got to the heating part of the cycle, this would blow the 3a fuse
 
Thanks for the constructive feedback NotSoNewboy. That was very helpful, I'm surprised you even bothered to take the time with those multi-quotes. Hope your feeling pleased with yourself.
Irresponsible person.
You obviously don't care a jot about your tenants. Who would put paying tenants into their property knowing the previous owner was a botcher without having the installation professionally inspected, which it would appear you have not done?
 

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