Terminating a live twin and earth inside a wall.

[Kenwb1966]

Hi guys I'm looking for some advice. I have recently removed a wall socket that we no longer need, and have wrapped the individual Live, Earth and Neutral wires in electrician's insulating tape, and then wrapped the end of the whole cable in insulating tape, before cementing it back into the wall and plastering over it. Have I done the right thing? I am concerned, because, the circuit breaker for the wall sockets tripped off this morning, and then later on this afternoon the main breaker tripped off . During this afternoon, I have noticed that the lights around the house are flickering intermittently (although these are on different circuits). Could these issues be related to me plastering over the live cable, or could it be a coincidence? Thanks in advance, Ken.

 

[DPG]

This is not a good way of doing it. A better way would be to terminate the wires with Wago connectors or choc block connectors inside the backbox, and then fit a blanking plate over it. Even better is to disconnect it at its source.

The other issue is that you may well have a cable which is no longer on a prescribed zone, and so will be a hazard to other people on the future.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

[littlespark]

not a good way at all....
Any moisture in the plaster or cement will have got its way into the cut end of the cable.

It may just be coincidence that the tripping has started, but its likely its connected to this cable.

 

[Rockingit]

This picture may assist you! It's considered bad practice and unsafe to leave a live wire 'somewhere' due to the risks of a) someone in the future coming a cropper and b) not being terminated and protected properly it will eventually break down and cause tripping issues - which in your case seems to have happened already.

Either dig it out again and fix it as suggested above in an empty patress with a blank plate or if you can identify the feed cable from above or below the wall (ground floor tends to be ceiling > socket going down, 1st floor is floor > socket going up) then joint it off properly there, inside a purpose made connecting box.