Help with a plug socket.

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

Hi,
Got a plug socket that has never worked, it never really bothered because we put a wardrobe in front of it.

Now my daughter wants a game room so I decided to investigate further. Plug socket tester doesn’t light up meaning no live but my contactless voltage pen shows power. Removed the plug to find this (see pic).

I can see red (2 dirty reds I think) black and some bare wire I think maybe earth.

I’m confident I can wire it all up with out an issue, but if all goes wrong, how do I make it safe (so I can turn the electric back on) until I get a professional in.

The thing that connects the red wires looks like some kind of wire nut (seen them on YouTube)

Thanks,
Dan.

333rocky333 · 4 Apr 2021

Dont look safe to connect to me personally, looks like the red is damaged to the left where it enters the box.

JohnD · 4 Apr 2021

How old is your house?

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

That red wire (not the dirty reds) is just a end that isn’t connected to anything. I might be looking at something completely different to you.

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

JohnD said:
How old is your house?

1968-ish I think.

Adam_151 · 4 Apr 2021

Backed up by pictures of your fuseboard in the other thread.... https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/fuse-board-question-with-pics.567166/

I'd say that very much looks like an old point probably original to the house that was cut off when it was re-wired in the 90s and left in place because it was behind furniture. The original wiring looks to be VIR, and the joint appears to be a dogs dinner of a twisted mess which has been wrapped in glass fibre tape

JohnD · 4 Apr 2021

D4N1EL said:
1968-ish I think.

I think earlier.

Unless the electrician was very old and out-of-date or incompetent.

Your socket contents look unsuitable for DIY tinkering.

It would be interesting to see a pic of your fusebox (or consumer unit if you have one) and the wires, cables and other devices around it.

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

I’ve put the socket back on, I’ll leave it on and get a professional in.

There is another socket opposite it, it will probably be easy for them to run a spare off to this socket and make it safe.

Thanks.

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

JohnD said:
It would be interesting to see a pic of your fusebox (or consumer unit if you have one) and the wires, cables and other devices around it.

I have changed a socket today for a socket with USB plugs in, in the same room. That wiring looked a lot better.

There is also a link above to another thread with pictures of my consumer unit.

Harry Bloomfield · 4 Apr 2021

D4N1EL said:
1968-ish I think.

Some of that looks much older than 1968 - it looks like 'tough rubber insulated' maybe 1940's, with some PVC and possibly some grey bell wire or flex. Someone seems to have made use of a fabric Elastoplast in there as well. It suggests a very dangerous mess and you urgently need a professional to sort that out safely for you.

Diver Fred · 4 Apr 2021

Yuk.....

looks like you have 3 cables to deal with. One of which should be a spur. Neutral has three blacks twisted together an insulated. Live has 2 wires in 'as factory' insulation (the mucky red) and one wire with new insulation sleeved onto it with some copper exposed - that sleeving needs to be closed up and possibly bonded to stop the sleeping from moving.The bare copper wires all need sleeving green/yellow including a connection to the back box. Cause the live & neutral are insulated and probably not connected that is why the socket tester reported no power.

Get a professional in for your safety and peace of mind.

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

JohnD said:
I think earlier.

Unless the electrician was very old and out-of-date or incompetent.

Your socket contents look unsuitable for DIY tinkering.

It would be interesting to see a pic of your fusebox (or consumer unit if you have one) and the wires, cables and other devices around it.

Just double checked paper work from when I moved in. Approx 1955.

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

I have an electrical report from 2001, it says the wiring is unsatisfactory and needs a re-wire. It also mentioned VIR wiring.

Next time I take a plug off I’ll post some pics of the wiring.

Thanks everyone for advice, this is a job for someone else.

Colin Brenton · 4 Apr 2021

Yes, that wiring (or rather two thirds of it) is certainly rubber insulated stuff. My house (built in the same year as yours) was wired throughout with that cable when I bought it, and it crumbled at a touch. The only option was to totally rewire, which I had done prior to moving in.

Let's hope this is just a left over of the old system and is already disconnected. As much as I'm a fan of DIY, I'd suggest getting this checked over by a sparks.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

D4N1EL · 4 Apr 2021

I’m assuming it’s a part that wasn’t replaced because it was behind a wardrobe. I’ve changed loads of sockets, switches and lights and the wiring has always looked better then that.

The sockets I taken off today have a date sticker on of Aug 02, I know that is only the date of the socket, but it shows that someone has at least looked at it, even if it is just another DIY’er.

There is also a few marks around the house that makes me think it’s been rewired at some point.

When we first moved in, we had an electrician in to do a few jobs (jobs that I would now of done myself). I’d assume if the wiring was in poor condition he would of mentioned it.

I’ve got a week off at the beginning of May, I’ll get an electrician out to look at that socket then.

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Help with a plug socket.

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