I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at home.

[SteveSloth]

Please help with some advice... new to this forum!

I have a 3 bed semi, upstairs in Bed 2 are a double and 2 single plug sockets. Bed 3 has a double and a single socket. The double socket in each of these neighbouring rooms stopped working, along with a single socket in Bed2. I removed the front of the socket after switching off the power, the double sockets all have only 3 wires, the single has 6 wires. I have been told this means that the single is on the ring and the doubles are spurs. I was told roughly what that means! I checked the wires were attached, all seemed fine. A mate leant me a 'socket and see' socket test gadget which shows a NEUTRAL FAULT in each of the faulty sockets. Can this be interpreted by anyone?
I can't get hold of the guy that leant the gadget tonight!

What do I need to do to the sockets to make them work again?

 

[nickblake]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

Ill be honest with you and dont mean to be blunt but i would recommend that you get a qualified regestered electrician out to check it , he'll soon find the fault , fault finding is not as easy as you may think and advice that can be given on here will be limited

 

[millwall ken]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

Ill be honest with you and dont mean to be blunt but i would recommend that you get a qualified regestered electrician out to check it , he'll soon find the fault , fault finding is not as easy as you may think and advice that can be given on here will be limited

Beat me too it.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

Are these doubles "back to back" if you know what i mean?......

 

[Baconhead]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

If they were working prior to the fault,you've got a ghost that swaps wire over.
Have you checked what colour cable goes were,i.e blue or black in terminal marked N and brown or red in terminal marked L and green/yellow in terminal marked E.


Side note have you messed with them and now they don't work!

 

[SteveSloth]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

thanks nickblake. I should have guessed that would be the case really, but I suppose a small part of me hoped I could sort it myself quickly and, more importantly, cheaply! Thanks for taking the time anyhow to read my question.:yesnod:

 

[SteveSloth]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

glennspark, the single and double are back to back, so to speak. The sockets are probably original 60's wiring, I have lived here for 8 years and this is the first time I have taken the fronts off the sockets, after they failed to work. I have not removed/swapped any wires, there were none loose that needed any re-attaching and I never actually disconnected the front plate from the wires, just checked they were attached at the back, which they are. Cheers guys.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

thanks nickblake. I should have guessed that would be the case really, but I suppose a small part of me hoped I could sort it myself quickly and, more importantly, cheaply! Thanks for taking the time anyhow to read my question.:yesnod:

"sortin em out quickly and cheaply" is one thing mate but if you dont understand about polarity and safe working around electricity etc then its time to pick up the phone methinks.....cant put a price on your life mate.....safety first and a "socket and see" isn`t enough here mate...needs a MFT or seperates ..whatever and someone who knows how to interpret test results.....

 

[Octopus]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

Out of interest have you checked other sockets in your house?

 

[SteveSloth]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

Out of interest have you checked other sockets in your house?

Yes mate, just these 3 offending sockets. Silly of me really, should just accept that I need to get someone out who knows.... after pay day!

 

[nickblake]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

What you could have is a ring main which i will say you can then have one spur from each socket unless its fused , you may well find that there are a number of sockets spured off the same spure so socket off a spure then off another spure etc this could be a potential hazard , you could also have a ring fault where you have multiple faults IE 2 open circuits on the same leg which has now blown due to over load , there are so many differant reasons why the fault has occoured hence the advice on getting an electrician so easy to make a mistake , there could be faul fault which could potentially cause a fire , i dont mean to be blunt but its possible

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

Are these definately on the ring and spurred? A seperate radial for these three perhaps?...If so then maybe something at the board?

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

What you could have is a ring main which i will say you can then have one spur from each socket unless its fused , you may well find that there are a number of sockets spured off the same spure so socket off a spure then off another spure etc this could be a potential hazard , you could also have a ring fault where you have multiple faults IE 2 open circuits on the same leg which has now blown due to over load , there are so many differant reasons why the fault has occoured hence the advice on getting an electrician so easy to make a mistake , there could be faul fault which could potentially cause a fire , i dont mean to be blunt but its possible

yep well that was my thinking when asking about double sockets "back to back"....

 

[flukey]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

I removed the front of the socket after switching off the power, the double sockets all have only 3 wires, the single has 6 wires. I have been told this means that the single is on the ring and the doubles are spurs. I was told roughly what that means! QUOTE]

sounds like you got a junction box hidden somewhere :thinking:

 

[SteveSloth]

Re: I'm not an electrician Socket Test reads NEUTRAL FAULT in some of my sockets at h

Guys, I am now looking up a local electrician. Safety first! Not caused a fire since they failed about a week ago, but I can't tempt fate.:frown2: