Make Safe - Wall Socket Power

[Craig Wallace]

Hello guys.

Hope you can help. I have for the last week been having issues with the power in my kitchen. For some reason the wall sockets have been tripping the fuse. I put it back on and 1 hour or 5 mins later bang it goes again. I was in the kitchen with the lights off when it went bang and managed to see where from. It was the plug on the back of my fridge.

I unplugged every device in the kitchen and again it went bang. I disconnected the power fully opened up the wall socket and could see the cable going in to the back of my socket but also what looks like an old cable that would have maybe powered it at somepoint. with the light off and the power back on to the kitchen i could see this extra cable sparking which i am guessing what was tripping my power.

Anyway i have cut the cable back a bit so there is a clean cut now and the sparking has stopped. I have no idea where the cable is going to but is there anyway of just making the cable safe? electrical cable or some kind of protective cap?

Thank in advance for any help

 

[Engineer54]

Are you sure you didn't pull the face plate away from this cable?? It could well have been a loose connection and that cable being part of the plates wiring circuit, as in a ring circuit!!!

Just can't believe anyone would leave a live cable with bare conductors, unconnected in the back of the outlet box!!!!

 

[ruston]

As in you used to have two wires now you have one.

 

[Dan23584]

I think your safest bet would be to get a Qualified Electrician to check it out for you.

 

[ruston]

I think your safest bet would be to get a Qualified Electrician to check it out for you.

Like today!

 

[Phil]

post up your location if you want to (not address) just general location and there will be someone close that will have a look for you. as said you may well have cut off part of the ring and i would not advise leaving it there as is.

 

[Craig Wallace]

Thanks for the replies guys.

When i opened up the socket this extra cable was not connected to anything. It looks like it had been at some point. The cable was just cut and left in the socet mount. It looks like over time the insulation cable that seperates the live , negative and earth and just worn away and it was sparking. Since cutting the cable back a couple of cm it has now stopped.

Im just wondering how is best to make the ends safe?

 

[ringer]

A decent electrician who did not have to travel far would probably sort this out properly for you for about £30. Maybe more if you wanted him to investigate further - but my advice is get someone in who knows what they are doing.

 

[Rockingit]

Hi Craig, there's probably sligthtly more to this story than meets the eye. *IF* that cable wasn't part of the ring (so you should now be left with 2 x cables terminated into the back of that socket, yes?) it was either meant to be going somewhere or meant to have come from somewhere which someone else has failed to make dead elsewhere. Either way, it's potentially very dangerous.

I know it's the week before Crimbo and everyone is spent up, but honestly it shouldn't cost you much at all just to get a registered electrician in to look at it - if it IS a case of making safe it's a five minute job, or if it's something else then at least you can get proper advice and sleep easy.

 

[Craig Wallace]

Thanks guys. I am in Eltham in se London. If anyone is free and would like to make this cable safe then please let me know. Or will take a look for. Local guy.

Craig

 

[Dec]

Hello Craig,

Random i know... but you don't happen to be a football man and bike enthusiast who used to be called McFarland do you?

 

[Craig Wallace]

Stone me that is random. Never really a football man but massive sports bike fan and yeah used to be called McFarlane. have we met?