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Ok, my flat was built in about 1960, it has a very old wylex fuse box for which the fuse for the heating and power is one switch. The lights have blown but I still have power. In the past when the fuse has blown the power and lighting has been lost so therefore the fuse has not blown this...

Oh, ok. :lol:

The lights ARE on a ring circuit. I live in a flat - the wiring is 40 years old - black and red. The lights and power share ONE fuse switch in the cupboard whether or not there are two fuses behind I'm not sure but when the plug fizzed and smoked last night, the lights went on and off.

Ok thanks, that's what I was worried about. I thought it was a bit odd when the lights flickered last night. The lights are on a ring circuit so I should imagine the power is as well and the lights and power share one fuse. I'll get someone out to check today.

Have added some pics. //www.diynot.com/network/lozzy73/albums

Yes, it was the Live. It's a Volex extension lead. Have had it for years, always been ok. I just wasn't sure if it was caused by faulty wiring in the socket itself (hence my question that I couldn't understand why the socket was so hot).

Ok thanks. All my electrics (lights and power) are on main fuse (old wiring and old fuse box). I don't intend using that socket until it is replaced and checked as you say but am I safe to use the others? Everything seems ok to me but I'm not sure if they are on a ring circuit (as the...

Hi I don't know if the reason for this is faulty wiring in the wall socket or faulty wiring in the extension lead plug that caught fire. Basically, I had a normal extension lead (off which was running laptop, 2 heaters (1.2 kw each) and a lamp). For a couple of days I could smell TCP and...

Thanks all.

Hmmm, now getting somewhere I think. Have been googling and it seems that in very old houses/flats the ceiling conduit operates as the earth itself. If this has a wire screwed into it then doing nothing but hanging, then presumably this is the earth which should be wired to the light fitting...

just found my camera, took a picture and then bloomin' battery died! Am unable to upload...what a day! :roll:

Have you seen any recessed light fittings where a wire is screwed into that fitting? All it seems to be doing is allowing the red and black cable to pass through a couple of holes, yet it has a wire screwed into it. I'm assuming this is old too but perhaps not as old as the red and black wiring...

Can't find my camera right now but have just taken another look at the fitting. The red cable and the black cable disappear up into the ceiling. The blue cable is screwed into the metal fixing recessed into the ceiling. Given that the red and black cables are in all other rooms. Could...

No the light fitting has a green/yellow cable from the E junction to the metal bracket holding the light up. As said above, the only light in the flat which has an earth cable is the kitchen light.

The only light in the flat I can see with an earth is the kitchen (yellow wiring). Electrician will only call in at £25 per half hour... The light fitting itself is earthed as the casing is metal.

Just three cables coming out of ceiling 1 red, 1 blue 1 black

No, I can't understand why there is a blue cable either. It is bright blue, don't worry I'm not colour blind but the other rooms don't have a blue cable. In terms of layout of the flat, this room is closest to the meter cupboard, start of wiring. Next to it is the next bedroom with the two...

The wires are connected, have not been disconnected so electricity is running through them (they are on a ring system too). As to what each wire is, no, he didn't tell me or I'd be able to wire the light up. But my presumption is that the Red is Live as the Red appears in all the light...

Oh, forgot to mention that the light in the other bedroom doesn't have a blue wire but two black and two red. The two black are wired together, the two red are wired together. I am presuming the red wire is the ring-system wire...maybe the blue is the switch wire??? Confused, don't know what...