Shocking New Build Wiring

[Mark Elvin]

Had to pop one of the double sockets out in the breakfast room over the weekend.

As I pulled it out one of the wires into it seamed very loose so I removed the socket completly to investigate.

One of the two cables into the metal back box just pulled out, about 1metre of cable, with some remains of insulation tape on the end.

So I cut a small hole in the dry lined wall to investigate.

Turns out that the electrician who wired the house when it was bult had a ten gallon hat & a horse.

The offending cable had the insulation stripped from about 2" of the live, neg & earth, the wires were then twisted together, wrapped in isullation tape, then taped to the cable to "secure".

Whilst it was PITA to sort out, I'm glad I found it.

 

[holmslaw]

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[Mark Elvin]

I think all you found was one cable wrapped around another for the purposes of pullling in the cable.

NO, this was carrying current, one end of it was actually connected into the terminals of the double socket. Then 1meter up was this 'dodgy' join.

 

[holmslaw]

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[Mark Elvin]

I had one of these knocking around - http://www.allaboutelectrics.co.uk/30a-3-term-3-5-junction-box.html

So I made the whole in the wall large enough to work through, joined the wires with it, then as the area will be behind a wall mounted unit I made a removable access hatch up to neatly cover it and same the hassle of filling the joins in the plasterboard.

 

[chivers67]

This wall mounted unit, is it going to be fixed to the wall and no one else know about what's behind it apart from yourself?

 

[Mark Elvin]

This wall mounted unit, is it going to be fixed to the wall and no one else know about what's behind it apart from yourself?

Yes, why????? I suspect there's some regulation about "accesibility" or something similar I didn't know about.

 

[holmslaw]

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[Mark Elvin]

It would be better to have used insulated crimps and heatshrink, if you do fit crimps use a ratchet type crimper.

I can still do that as I have an access hatch!!!!! Also have access to ratchet crimpers, terminal etc from work.

Really the juction box was all I had at the time & was slightly better than twisting the wire together and wrapping in insulation tape as the builders did. Although it's been there 10 years.

 

[holmslaw]

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