6mmTC&E not cooker, not shower. Whats it for?

[emilne82]

While removing tiles from the kitchen we found a metal breakout box with a 6mm wire inside the wire is a twin core and earth and appears to be joined to another 6mm wire. The front of the box was covered with a tile. Both of these wire are look as if they are running vertically up the wall. There is no easy way to follow these wires apart from knocking out some of the plaster to follow the wires.

There is only one socket near this breakout box but that socket is part of the ring mains. Because it is a 6mm wire I would assume it is for a high power appliance, cooker or shower. However it is not part of the cooker radial as I can follow the cooker wire back to the CU. The shower is a mixer shower without a pump so the wire isn’t going up to that. Any ideas as to what it could be for?
Is their any way that I can test if these wires within the break out box are live ?

 

[slippyr4]

if you have a clamp meter, you can see if any current is flowing.

if you have one of those stud/metal/voltage detectors, it should be able to find the 50Hz

How are the cables joined? if you can get to some metal, you could stick a meter on the connections.

 

[plugwash]

you can set your multimeter to AC voltage and stick its probes in the live and neutral of the block but be very carefull.

are there any 6mm cables back at the CU other than the cooker circuit you have already traced?

my guess would be it was part of an old cooker circuit that was first moved to a new location and then later either disconnected or converted to supply a socket.

 

[emilne82]

Thanks for the replys guys. I am unable to look at the CU just now as I am at work but I will check to night and post back.

The cables are connected using black colored chock blocks.

I thin i will start knocking off some plaster tonight and follow the wires.

 

[industryspark]

before you start knocking off the plaster do as plugwash suggested and have a look in the CU to see if anything else other than shower or cooker are on 6mm cable. seems a long shot as you would have thought of the circuit already i know.....

but maybe its an oddball circuit where someone's used the 6mm that was once for something else to connect up a different circuit.

if there's one thing to remember with house electrics, its to expect the unexpected.... people do all kinds of things in there homes that arent the norm.

also a good point to use the multimeter to test for voltage, but please be 100% confident that you know how to use the equipment safelly before attempting this.

let us know if you find that there is indeed voltage there.

 

[emilne82]

Good morning,
Had a look at the cu last night and only one 6mm wire is coming out of it and that is for the cooker radial. I tested the wires using a volt meter which reported no current. I also checked with one of those pen things (forget the name), again that reported no volts. I am going to assume that this is a dead wire going nowhere and that it is safe to remove. Which I will be doing tonight or tomorrow.