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Hi, I recently went to look at a house with about 10 sockets not working. Checked the continuity on the ring main ends - all good. I turned off all other socket circuits in the board just to make sure no crossed circuits - still the same, about 5 sockets working and the rest (about 10) not working.
No live/earth continuity at the non-working sockets either. Tested the ends in a non-working socket with all the ends connected at the board. Neutrals reading ok but open circuit on the lives & earths. I'm usually pretty good at fault-finding but this one has got me baffled.

Any ideas much appreciated.
 
i'm in cheshire. you want me to assist? fault finding is so much easier with 2 heads and 4 hands.
 
If you have continuity at the board, end to ends but not at the sockets which do not function apart from the neutrals you may have a figure of eight situation which has broken down.
 
it's a head scratcher without being on site.
 
If you have continuity at the board, end to ends but not at the sockets which do not function apart from the neutrals you may have a figure of eight situation which has broken down.
The ring within a ring is what I was thinking. Work has been done in the past. New conservatory and kitchen. Some of the kitchen is in new wiring colours but no obvious Jb's or joins in sockets. T&G chipboard flooring above with fitted carpets and plenty of furniture too. Flooring would have had to be cut though above somewhere so may be obvious if some of the rooms were emptied.
 
Theres got to be shenanigans if you're getting end to end continuity.

Ring off ring or the 10 US sockets are a none fused radial off the ring. Although you'd have seen a single cable socket if radial.

Ring off ring would have had to have a double point failure to see what you're seeing though, itself unlikely but not impossible.

Got to he JB(s) somewhere

Best of luck..
 
Double point failure yes but one failure may have always been there, the cpcs but it is the line failure which has highlighted the issue.
I was thinking more, if its a ring off a ring, then each leg would have to fail to see what he's seeing even if one cpc and a live had failed then there'd still be the other leg to provide power.

You're right though, the other end may never have been connected, worrying.
 
I might have misunderstood.
Do you have end to end continuity at the board? L-L, E-E and N-N?
Do you have continuity as if you were doing a R1 + R2? ie, L-E at the board with L-E shorted at each socket in turn (and L-N, N-E)

Suggest you take @telectrix offer of help. 2 heads better than one, and i'm sure he'll charge at a flat rate of 4 beers per hour
 

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