random sockets stopped working

[andyc209]

Please can someone help me solve a problem in my house - basically random sockets around the house have stopped working - all in garage, one upstairs and three in the kitchen. This happened a few weeks back then two days later they all worked again. Now they have gone again although a surge protect adaptor is showing power when plugged in (green light is on) but when i turn a lamp on that i plug in it does not work. Then strangely the gas cooker ignition started working again for about 15 minutes then stopped again. I have a small fuse box with a pull out fuse for sockets, lights, cooker and heating so i assume it cannot be the fuse as all the other sockets work. Has anyone any ideas? I bought a digital multimeter from B&Q which says it can test up to 600 volts AC/DC - will this help me test each socket?
thanks for any help.

 

[andyc209]

sounds fair to me - but are you sure coming all that way - will pm you details, cheers

 

[Liamsparks]

Top banana doododododod! Case closed

 

[Cj24]

How did u Get on tel?

 

[telectrix]

have to wait and see whatr the fault is. don't wait up.

 

[spatz]

I also have to agree with tel, you deffinateley have a loose phase connection and yes if it happens to be within range of any thing flamable you have a serious risk of fire so take the multi meter back and put the money inyo hiring a sparks for the day to sort it.

 

[72-van]

I agree with all our learned sparks
cheap multimeter on AC range = chocolate fire gaurd..

handy for continuity on car electics and the like though .

Well done teletrix for sorting out the issue

72-van

 

[telectrix]

job sorted. client confidentiality prevents further comment on an open forum.

 

[72-van]

Damm it would have been interesting to know what the issue was ...

but i respect the mans right to privacy

 

[telectrix]

ok, briefly. poor N connections in 2 sockets, cable discoloured and insulation overheated. ring continuity lost by a builder's bodged extension wiring, so all sockets in house were fed with 1 leg of the ring.

 

[steamboatwilly]

ok, briefly. poor N connections in 2 sockets, cable discoloured and insulation overheated. ring continuity lost by a builder's bodged extension wiring, so all sockets in house were fed with 1 leg of the ring.

Yesssssssssssssssssss......I had a secret fiver on a dodgy neutral. Had a few of those myself and they can go intermittent (heat?).

 

[72-van]

The important thing is its fixed the house and household are safe and the guy didnt get hurt using an iffy multimeter which would not likely have been gs38 compliant.

respect to the telectrix man

 

[steamboatwilly]

respect to the telectrix man

Absolutely....and great to see the forum delivering value!

 

[Marvo]

....and the guy didnt get hurt using an iffy multimeter

He may have avoided multimeter pain but Telectrix's invoice would have made up for it though.

Just kidding Tel thanks for the update, sounds like it all went pretty straight forward.

 

[andyc209]

Tel was a top man! Was a real eye-opener when he found the dodgy socket right by my 4 yo's bed OMG. Still amazed though as to what you can find in a house years after moving in, shocked the dodgy extension never came up on the building report for the mortgage. Spoke to someone who knew the previous owner and he confirmed he was a builder but no electrician but he has amazed it looked like he had cut corners as he said he was a top bloke and spent ages building the place. Going to get Tel back to sort out the feed to the extension soon.

Main point is - once i had explained the 'The Boss' what the problem was its amaxing how it still is somehow my fault even though the place was built three years before we bought it and she had told me what the problem was well before Tel even set foot in the house!! Women!!

 

[72-van]

Andy by the sounds of it you were very lucky indeed ..

The moral of the story here is if your not 100% sure what your playing at then call in a Pro ..which is what your builder should have done in the first place.

Also morgage surveys would only have found this out by doing a full PIR

Might be wothwhile for your own peace of mind to get the tel man to do one for you make sure there are no more hidden nightmares

72-van