Socket has stopped working

[lavanic]

A single switched 13 amp socket that my extractor fan is plugged into has stopped working after 10 years. The fan itself works when plugged into another socket. Today I replaced the switched socket like-for-like, but the outlet still does not provide power to anything plugged into it.

As far as I know the outlet does not have its own fuse on the consumer unit, and besides all switches on the unit are "on", and no other sockets, switches or spurs in my home have any issue. The extractor fan's outlet just stopped working a couple of weeks ago.

What could be the problem, could it be something between the consumer unit and the outlet? All wiring was replaced 10 years ago during a house refurbishment.

 

[littlespark]

Apologies for not replying sooner… completely missed the thread!

How many cables are behind the socket? If just one set of one live, one neutral, one earth then the cable may come from another nearby socket as a spur off the main circuit, and that is where you may find a loose cable.

Fan works if using another socket, so not the plug fuse.

 

[brianmoooore]

Apologies from me as well. I saw the thread when I was in a hurry, intended to reply later, and completely forgot.
Why is the fan plugged into a socket, rather than being 'wired in'?
Is the socket provided especially for the fan?
I'm wondering if the socket is similar to one that you may find in a loft for a TV aerial amp, where it may not be wired to supply a full 13A, and may be fed from a fused connection unit somewhere.
I once spent several hours chasing down something similar, before I discovered a switched FCU behind some storage racks in the garage, where the switch had been knocked off by someone pushing something back on the shelf.

 

[lavanic]

Apologies for not replying sooner… completely missed the thread!

How many cables are behind the socket? If just one set of one live, one neutral, one earth then the cable may come from another nearby socket as a spur off the main circuit, and that is where you may find a loose cable.

Fan works if using another socket, so not the plug fuse.

Hello - thank you for the reply - there is one set of cables behind the socket. Interestingly the cable seems to come out of the wall behind the cupboard in which the extractor sits. I will attach photos below.

 

[lavanic]

Apologies from me as well. I saw the thread when I was in a hurry, intended to reply later, and completely forgot.
Why is the fan plugged into a socket, rather than being 'wired in'?
Is the socket provided especially for the fan?
I'm wondering if the socket is similar to one that you may find in a loft for a TV aerial amp, where it may not be wired to supply a full 13A, and may be fed from a fused connection unit somewhere.
I once spent several hours chasing down something similar, before I discovered a switched FCU behind some storage racks in the garage, where the switch had been knocked off by someone pushing something back on the shelf.

Hello, thank you for your comments - I do not know why the fan is plugged rather than wired, it was done by an electrician 10 years ago and has worked without issue till now. Kindly take a look at the photos that I will attach below. It seems just to be a standard 13amp socket.

 

[lavanic]

Dear all, please see attached photos of i) open socket (fairly standard?) and ii) the cable that supplies power, which just emanates from the wall behind the unit.

 

[DPG]

You definitely need to find out where that socket is fed from.

 

[lavanic]

A bit more information, from looking around above the kitchen cabinets:

There are four cables in total that come out of the wall, from three locations.

• One cable goes into a junction box that then powers the under-cabinet lights (pictured)
• One cable goes directly into the socket (as pictured above).
• Two cables go into another junction box, which then powers other under-cabinet lights. (Also pictured - seems a bit weird to have two cables for that one, given the other under-cabinet lights only have a single power cable? Maybe one is a cable "in", the other is a cable "out" elsewhere, but if so it goes back into the wall).

All other sockets and switches in the kitchen are working - I tested them all with a lamp. The fridge and freezer remain working, the switch for the oven is in the back of a cupboard and is also working. As a reminder, all switches in the consumer unit are "On", and there is no failure in power anywhere else in the house.

I checked the outside wall, there are no cables there - so the cables are all in the plaster.

Any more information that may be helpful, let me know!

 

[brianmoooore]

You definitely need to find out where that socket is fed from.

This is very likely to be where the problem lies.
It could be in a hidden junction box, or spured from one of the other kitchen sockets.

 

[DPG]

I think you need soneone on site.

Having said that, a cable detector may help find where the cable is routed from

 

[lavanic]

I think you need soneone on site.

Having said that, a cable detector may help find where the cable is routed from

Interesting. Ok. Thank you. Googles cable detector

 

[lavanic]

Hello - just an update for anyone who contributed - you were right, and I found the switch behind a stack of plates in a kitchen cupboard. The plates had been pushed backwards at the perfect height to flick the switch to "off". It's funny - we use the cupboard the whole time and never noticed the switch!

 

[lavanic]

Thanks to everyone for contributing. The mystery is solved.