Green slime from incomer

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I've searched, but failed to find definitive information on this.

So, if green slime is dripping from inside the sheath of a mains incomer, please could someone tell me the cause, the hazard (if any), and the remedy?

Thanks.
 
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could be the same green slime that comes out of some T&E of a particular vintage.
could be something else corroding some copper (maybe damp)
either way green is a sign of something reacting chemically with copper and that is almost certianly a bad sign. I would want it checking out by the DNO ASAP.
 
the green slime usually come from PVC plasticers used around mid 1970's. It tends to drip downwards out of cables but may be ejected by pressure build-up between the cores and their insulation.

If you're sure it's coming from the incoming cable then yes, it will be the supplier that has to fix it. If it isn't getting onto terminals or switches they may just wipe it off and say it doesn't matter. It can cause switches and breakers to stick. The consumer should phone the number on his electricity bill and they should pass it on. Affected insulation can become brittle through loss of plasticisers.

If cable has it, it will not get better or stop happening.

I'm sure you recognise copper corrosion from damp or chemical contact so it isn't that.

There is a 20 year-old report from the AEA somewhere as they researched after finding it inside reactor wiring :eek: IIRC it is considered non-hazardous.
 
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the green slime usually come from PVC plasticers used around mid 1970's. It tends to drip downwards out of cables but may be ejected by pressure build-up between the cores and their insulation.

If you're sure it's coming from the incoming cable then yes, it will be the supplier that has to fix it. If it isn't getting onto terminals or switches they may just wipe it off and say it doesn't matter. It can cause switches and breakers to stick. The consumer should phone the number on his electricity bill and they should pass it on. Affected insulation can become brittle through loss of plasticisers.

If cable has it, it will not get better or stop happening.

I'm sure you recognise copper corrosion from damp or chemical contact so it isn't that.

There is a 20 year-old report from the AEA somewhere as they researched after finding it inside reactor wiring :eek: IIRC it is considered non-hazardous.

And who says you don't learn something new every day.

After reading that at dinnertime I was looking for green sludge all day but couldn't find any :D
 
When I had a girlfiend who was a Smurf, she used to...

no, no. I can't say :LOL:
 
Thanks for all the information.

The slime is oozing from the incomer, before the connection to the service head/cut-out, not from any other point.

I wish I'd had a camera with me so that you could see, but the reason I know it's the incomer is because this is in a basement with the incomer entering the property at just below pavement level, and runs vertically downwards before looping up and into the service head. The goo emerges where the sheath is cut back, which is just about at the lowest point.

I wondered if the goo could just be dog urine (or some such) running down the cable from pavement level, but it doesn't smell of anything in particular, so I think it's the same as the slime described in the Wiki.

The goo is in a small puddle, and there's no prospect of it reaching any contacts or terminals. Insulation embrittlement is a possibility, but I'm not about to go testing the brittleness of the incomers, so it's now in the hands of the DNO.

Thanks to you all for your helpfulness. I'll let you know the outcome (if I ever find out).
 

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