Strange Socket Wiring

[Bowness72]

Hi, I'm new to this website/forum and wonder if anyone knows what might be going on with my house wiring. The house is about 100 years old although electrics generally dont look too old. I was thinking of adding a couple of sockets and decided to investigate the existing ones with the intention of maybe spurring off. All the sockets I checked upstairs appear to be spurs already i.e. - wires coming in but not going out again. I checked all upstairs sockets except one. Does this sound like a recognised type of circuit (perhaps an old way of working) ? Someone told me it sounded like a radial circuit, but that doesn't sound right to me. It doesn't sound like that or a ring main. Are there any other types or is it just very shoddy work ?

Many Thanks to anyone who can help.

 

[JohnD]

It isn't a modern radial designed for fused square-pin plugs.

It is possible that the single cables come up as spurs from the downstairs sockets, or maybe even junction boxes.

Have a search round and see if you can trace them.

It might be an amateur method or wiring invented by a previous occupier.

It is even possible, if there aren't many sockets, that they have been converted from very old 15Amp round-pin radials. This could be very bad. Tell us about the consumer unit (fuse box) and, if you can, put up a digital photo showing the mains supply, main fuse, meter, fusebox/consumer unit, and cables around it. I like to know what colour the CU is too.

Start thinking about rewiring.

 

[Steve]

although electrics generally dont look too old.

How did you reach this conclusion? What did you base it on?

 

[Pensdown]

Ummm, I see you are from Leeds. Based on that I think I'll let the local expert members comment because I've seen some of their photographs

 

[RF Lighting]

Its not unknown for all the sockets to run into a central joint under the floorboards, although this is not good practice.

As has already been said can you take a photo of your intake and fuse box?

Which part of Leeds are you in?

 

[dingbat]

Sounds like an amateur job, probably involving lots of junction boxes. Without a proper inspection it's impossible to say.

A 100-year-old house in Leeds, however, is likely to have a much more significant problem... no means of earthing.

If you need any professional help I know a damned good spark very close to you.

 

[RF Lighting]

You'll have to be quicker than that

All this rain must be slowing your internet down

 

[dingbat]

I meant you!

(What rain?)

 

[Bowness72]

Thanks for the replies lads, I will try and post a photo.
The fuse box has five, 15 amp (blue) and one 30 amp (red) all of which are the old two pronged pull out fuses (if that helps). When we bought the house about three years ago we were told that it had been "partially" re-wired. Some of the wires coming out of the top of the fusebox look quite new but are next to some which are still covered with very old paint. Not sure what the "CU" is ? I dont think there is a problem with earthing, we had a visit from the electric man who did something with that next to the junction box. Not sure what he did because I was at work at the time.
I am in Morley by the way.

 

[JohnD]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=73320&highlight=photobucket

I use photobucket

 

[dingbat]

The fuse box has five, 15 amp (blue) and one 30 amp (red) all of which are the old two pronged pull out fuses (if that helps).

Sounds like an old Wylex Standard

When we bought the house about three years ago we were told that it had been "partially" re-wired.

There's a potential mess, right there... it usually means stuff has been added, inexpertly.

Some of the wires coming out of the top of the fusebox look quite new but are next to some which are still covered with very old paint.

And there's one of the indicators, right there. You can't cable into the top of an old fusebox and retain the degree of ingress ('international') protection required without resorting to some form of mastic.

I dont think there is a problem with earthing, we had a visit from the electric man who did something with that next to the junction box.

Even if he has upgraded your cutout he wouldn't have connected the earth conductor, which you may not even have. They never do.

Other things you may find:
No earth on lighting circuit
Incorrectly fused lights (smallest fuse is 15A, right?)
incorrectly identified circuits - if identification exists at all
Rats nest inside the fuseboard
Mix of cable sizes/multiple circuits sharing fuses
No RCD protection, of course
No supplementary bonding in the bathroom
Undersized main equipotential bonding (along with, I suspect, no actual connection to the means of earthing)
(If the earthing is not up to scratch it means that you have no protection from live-to-earth faults becaue the automatic disconection won't work. )

None of these things mean it is immediately dangerous (except for the lack of an earth) just that it probably falls a long way short of compliance, like the majority of domestic installations. But you shouldn't consider altering any of it until you know what you're dealing with.

Professionally I should recommend a Periodic Inspection Report, but this may be an expensive way of finding out you need a rewire. You could ask a couple of electricians for quotes to do the work you're thinking of. If they don't check the earthing and bonding and talk about certification and the Building Regulations then don't consier employing them.

 

[Bowness72]

Photo of fusebox if uploaded properly.

 

[Adam_151]

Yeah you need that looking at, for a start you have no earth to your fuseboard (you can see the DNO have provided you an earth terminal, but no one has run a cable between that and the fuse board

Those cables don't look very expertly installed? (local spider did it? )

Whats the extension cord for?

Most odd selection of fuses (lots of socket radials and lights on FCUs? or something dodgy?)

One thing you can do youself quite easily is identify circuits, switch off the main switch, remove a fuse, switch back on, find out what doesn't work, label accordingly, switch off, fuse back in, and back on again, rinse and repeat

 

[breezer]

i see no earth a cu

 

[Spark123]

You appear to have no main earthing conductor. This is immediately dangerous (all you need on New Years day!!). You really need an electrician to sort it out.

Ok, I'm a bit slow today lol.