Low voltage to double socket

[oliverseddon]

Hi all,

I have recently moved house and discovered a double socket in the living room doesn't seem to work.

I have taken the faceplate off the wall and tested the cables with a multimeter and get a reading around 190 volts, but if I plug a lamp in and turn it on it goes down to around 160 volts. Anyone got any suggestions what might be happening, or what else I could check?



Thanks
Oliver

 

[Sintra]

I have moved your thread to the DIY section and given you permissions to access.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

It is likely there is a break or high resistance connection on the cable feeding the socket,if it is a spur then it is likely at the point it is spurred from.If it is a ring then there is likely a more serious issue that requires investigation. Either way only get involved in this if you feel competant to do so,make certain the circuit is isolated before working and if you have any doubts get an electrician to sort it.Should not take long for an experienced spark to trace the problem.
Have you had an inspection on the wiring in your new house?

 

[Marvo]

Be warned the reading you're getting is not an indication of the circuit voltage. Treat the entire circuit including the neutrals as live.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

This circuit needs isolating and disconnecting from the consumer unit (not a nice place to be without experience), and then it needs a full dead test, this should locate your problem, but the problem maybe hidden under a floor or elsewhere especially if it is someone's previous DIY work.

Without test kit you are pretty much restricted to removing your sockets on that circuit one by one and looking for anything obvious like loose connections, burnt wiring etc etc. Make sure you isolate the circuit before taking anything apart or tightening anything up. Just as a word of warning a 32 amp circuit will not give you a 32a shock, you will draw the prospective fault current up your arm, and in most cases that will be several hundreds or thousands of amps, and it can and will kill in the right circumstances.

Cheers...........Howard