Electrician help

[jrb]

Are the sockets on a radial or a spur?

A radial socket will have 2 live and 2 neutral cables per socket; a spur will have just 1 live and one neutral (unless they are the last socket in the radial).

If it's a spur, then you can just disconnect the socket and separate/tape up the conductors. With a radial you will have to remove the wires from the socket and connect them together with an appropriate connector, then apply electrical tape round the connector.

Isolate the circuit (trip the CB) before you make or break any connections and always use a socket tester to make sure the circuit is dead.

If you have ANY doubt, call an electrician.

The sockets are spur.

I'll do what you've advised tomorrow.

The socket/s aside, I need to find out where the damp is coming from.

Thanks for your advice and help. Much appreciated.

 

[Blue Mist]

Need some advice, if anyone can help, please.

When it rains heavily the RCD switch keeps on tripping.

I've narrowed the problem down to the downstairs sockets.

I do have some internal damp problems on 2 walls that have 2 sockets on them.

I don't know where the damp is coming from because they are internal walls, not external walls. The paint keeps on bubbling up and flaking away. I have to keep on repainting the walls over a period of time. There's no visible wood rot on the skirting boards or bubbling of the laminate flooring.

Inbetween the two sockets is the chimney breast. The chimney pots are capped so rain shouldn't be coming down the chimney breast, which was where the old gas fire was.

How can I find out if it is either or both of those two wall sockets causing the RCD to trip? And what do I have to do to both or either of those two sockets to stop the RCD tripping, so I can use the the other downstairs sockets. (without killing myself. :-) )

I will get an electrician in at some point. I just want to isolate either or both of those two sockets so they don't keep on tripping the RCD switch when it rains.

Thanks.

I'd fix the hole in the roof.
You can thank me later, right now I'd think more about covering the electric thingy with a plastic bag

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

The sockets are spur.

I'll do what you've advised tomorrow.

The socket/s aside, I need to find out where the damp is coming from.

Thanks for your advice and help. Much appreciated.

No worries.

I know yours are a spur, but just in case anyone has a similar issue with radials, to clarify (for my own piece of mind), when I said connect the wires from a radial socket together I meant separately (live to live, neutral to neutral, earth to earth). You might laugh, but I've actually seen someone just connect them all together and then wonder why their main CB tripped.

 

[RadcliffeRick]

No worries.

I know yours are a spur, but just in case anyone has a similar issue with radials, to clarify (for my own piece of mind), when I said connect the wires from a radial socket together I meant separately (live to live, neutral to neutral, earth to earth). You might laugh, but I've actually seen someone just connect them all together and then wonder why their main CB tripped.

I tired doing that. It was green to green, brown to brown ant then blue to bits!!

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

Need some advice, if anyone can help, please.

When it rains heavily the RCD switch keeps on tripping.

I've narrowed the problem down to the downstairs sockets.

I do have some internal damp problems on 2 walls that have 2 sockets on them.

I don't know where the damp is coming from because they are internal walls, not external walls. The paint keeps on bubbling up and flaking away. I have to keep on repainting the walls over a period of time. There's no visible wood rot on the skirting boards or bubbling of the laminate flooring.

Inbetween the two sockets is the chimney breast. The chimney pots are capped so rain shouldn't be coming down the chimney breast, which was where the old gas fire was.

How can I find out if it is either or both of those two wall sockets causing the RCD to trip? And what do I have to do to both or either of those two sockets to stop the RCD tripping, so I can use the the other downstairs sockets. (without killing myself. :-) )

I will get an electrician in at some point. I just want to isolate either or both of those two sockets so they don't keep on tripping the RCD switch when it rains.

Thanks.

Have you checked the connections at the sockets for corrosion/ or tightened them if loose ? If you think it's a socket at fault just renew it. Either that or remove the socket and temporarily reconnect the ring with Wago type spring connections and recover with a blanking plate. Either one is a fairly easy cheap option for trouble shooting.

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Axiom Blank Plate

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[jrb]

Have you checked the connections at the sockets for corrosion/ or tightened them if loose ? If you think it's a socket at fault just renew it. Either that or remove the socket and temporarily reconnect the ring with Wago type spring connections and recover with a blanking plate. Either one is a fairly easy cheap option for trouble shooting.

Spring Lever Connectors

These 32A spring lever connectors are a real time-saver. There are no fiddly screws to tighten – simply raise the lever, insert a stripped conductor and push back down for a secure connection. Perfect for a smart and speedy installation, particularly in tighter spaces.• Reusable connectors for...

www.toolstation.com

Axiom Blank Plate

BS5733.

www.toolstation.com

Thanks.

I’ll have a look at the two offending plug sockets today.

 

[Gaylord du Bois]

Thanks.

I’ll have a look at the two offending plug sockets today.

Without trying to state the obvious, the connectors should be used separately, ie one per live, one neutral and one for earth. You'll have probably already ready worked that out but just in case.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Thanks.

I’ll have a look at the two offending plug sockets today.

As GdB said, it could just be a corroded/loose connector or switch on the socket, in which case a new socket will fix things in the short term, but you definitely need to get your damp issue sorted.

 

[comiskey33]

Need some advice, if anyone can help, please.

When it rains heavily the RCD switch keeps on tripping.

I've narrowed the problem down to the downstairs sockets.

I do have some internal damp problems on 2 walls that have 2 sockets on them.

I don't know where the damp is coming from because they are internal walls, not external walls. The paint keeps on bubbling up and flaking away. I have to keep on repainting the walls over a period of time. There's no visible wood rot on the skirting boards or bubbling of the laminate flooring.

Inbetween the two sockets is the chimney breast. The chimney pots are capped so rain shouldn't be coming down the chimney breast, which was where the old gas fire was.

How can I find out if it is either or both of those two wall sockets causing the RCD to trip? And what do I have to do to both or either of those two sockets to stop the RCD tripping, so I can use the the other downstairs sockets. (without killing myself. :-) )

I will get an electrician in at some point. I just want to isolate either or both of those two sockets so they don't keep on tripping the RCD switch when it rains.

Thanks.

Your leading has give way on your chimney, or birds are nesting in chimney. (obviously if your not using it)

 

[gaz76]

Shocking thread!!

@jrb when you say the sockets either side of the fireplace are both spurs are they fed from a fused spur? If so your best bet is to kill the power and remove the outgoing cable from the fused spur.
infairness you could use that method if they are just butchered into your existing ring, but you would need to figure out which of the three cables is the one going to the socket.
personally my first port of call from what you have told us would be to unscrew the sockets from the wall and see whats going on behind them.
as always though kill the juice first, and if you get stuck call a spark