Green Goo from plug sockets - 3 bed room - how long does re-wiring take?

wallbash

Cut and pasted from helpful link provided .

At one nuclear power plant, a non-safety related overcurrent protective relay failed to operate during routine testing. The relay failed because this substance had coated the electrical contacts of an instantaneous trip unit and prevented the relay from operating.


* Can the substance drip onto contacts or terminals?
* Is the substance flowing in such a way as to cause a short circuit?
* Does the insulation show sign of embrittlement?

addition, loss of the plasticizer can lead to embrittlement of the insulation.


For those cases where the substance can cause either a personnel safety problem (i.e., slipping hazard)

If electrical safety is not a concern, the wire emitting the green substance should be monitored and cleaned during normal electrical maintenance or housekeeping.






So if you are fortunate to live in a standard house and not a nuclear power plant , sleep easily .

diable

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

As I posted before, call an electrician in to test the insulation with his Megameter

Sorry way off topic but I remember attaching the clips to an apprentices ears and winding up the mega meter lol them where the days

laurap1981

I'm sorry wallbash but as a competent domestic rewire electrician of more than 15 years i totally disagree. Any sign of the wiring in your house showing signs of decay eg the green goo should be reported to a qualified electrician right away. The property should then have a full periodic inspection to confirm that the wiring is in a sound state.. Electricity is not to be messed with and should be treated in this manner. If the insulation is indeed breaking down then this is a real cause for concern especially if the fuse box that is protecting it is 25 years+. This could in turn cause a fire due to the fact that the protective device would not trip in time eg a 3036 fuse has a 5 second trip time unlike a modern 17th edition consumer unit that would trip in less than 0.4 of a second

The most common cause for the green goo is if the original installer has used a lubricant like fairy liquid to pull the cables through a tight hole or conduit. This lubricant or fairy liquid breaks down the insulation through time and makes the insulation very soft. This will be the reason the cables still look like new.

laurap1981

ormus wrote: »

about five days on average.

????? An experienced rewire squad would have the property rewired in 1 day.

wallbash

If the insulation is indeed breaking down then this is a real

But the insulation shows no sign of this .The wiring has been around for nearly 40 years , if it still looks good , why won't it last another 40 Plus years.

If it was brittle or showing signs I would totally agree, but the wiring ( apart from the goo) looks as good as the day it was installed.

Getting back to the OP , why should the LandLord rip out at a high cost , to stop a bit of the green stuff.
Wipe it off, and move on.

The most common cause for the green goo is if the original installer has used a lubricant like fairy liquid to pull the cables through a tight hole or conduit.

Don't think that is correct.

laurap1981

Wallbash you are a brilliant example of a little information is dangerous!!!

What qualifies you to make these wild conclusions???

Should the op wait until there is a fire or something more serious??

roddydogs

Its a council house............just throw the problem at the council!!

wallbash

What qualifies you to make these wild conclusions???

As the only poster with any experience of the problem, makes me the resident expert.
Who else has even seen the goo???

To many are just goo....gling!!

Should the op wait until there is a fire or something more serious??

Is the goo inflammable ?

Does the goo make the insulation brittle or soft , both claimed recently ( can't be both)

wallbash

Its a council house............just throw the problem at the council!!

As the OP said , Land Lord problem , as the house owner , I just clean the terminals once every 3 or 4 years.

keystone

wallbash wrote: »

Who else has even seen the goo???

Me.

Cheers