Should I Be Worried?

[jameseye12]

First Post...so go easy!

Currently training as an electrician so I don't know everything and was wondering if you could set my mind to rest about a couple of things I've noticed about the wiring in my house

1) There is a black tar like substance running out of the bottom of the service head and down the service cable. What is it and is it a problem?

2) We had the house rewired about five years ago but the electrician left some of the more recent PVC cables in. I found that he has lengthened one of these by a foot to reach the new consumer unit. However the cables seem to be crimped and wrapped in red pvc tape and then stuffed through a hole in the ceiling cavity. Is this ok?

Cheers

James

 

[batty]

The black stuff is pitch its an insulator used in the head does it feel warm as though its leaking or been there for a while. maybe an idea to contact your electrical supplier to check it out though to put your mind at rest. As for the cable joints sounds like a poor job maybe take a few pics so we can access it. Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

[Apache]

Hello and welcome

Can you take a picture of your service head? Does it look very old. The tar could be a sign of overloading/overheating on an old install.

The crimping is fine as a means of joining cable. Heatshrink is probably better than tape. It should be in some kind of enclosure - not just in the ceiling cavity. Why not pop it in a choc box?

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/46538/Electrical-Supplies/Cable-Accessories/Connectors-Blocks/Chocbox

Provide strain relief and protection and comply with the regs.

 

[jameseye12]

The black stuff is pitch its an insulator used in the head does it feel warm as though its leaking or been there for a while. maybe an idea to contact your electrical supplier to check it out though to put your mind at rest. As for the cable joints sounds like a poor job maybe take a few pics so we can access it. Welcome to the forum by the way.

Yes, in fact the pitch was there before the house was rewired. I'll get you a pic. The electrician who rewired the house replaced the main earth terminal and connected it to the main cable (as well as replacing the meter tails and leaving removing the seals). The pitch has recently started seeping back out again. The service head is a plastic one, probably the original one from the house c.40/50 years. The cable itself though is an antique, like a metal pipe wrapped in cloth

 

[Andy™]

call DNO about the leaking pitch. they may replace service head if its bad

and this 'metal pipe wrapped in cloth' is most likely paper/lead

crimping cables is accetable, but wrapping in tape is not. it should be either heatshrinked or in a suitable enclosure. and a re-wire isnt exactly a re-wire if they leave the existing wiring in...

 

[jameseye12]

Here are some photos just to confirm my findings, the state of the taped cable was worse that I first thought. eep!

 

[Evans Electric]

The (pitch) cable compound is how they seal those older service heads, dribbling out is usually the sign of a loose connection in the head, causing heat ,melting compound.

Call energy supplier.

The taped connection doesn't really comply but done properly would probably outlive us all. Should be in an enclosure of some sort.

 

[ProDave]

I would have kept that crimped joint enclosed in that bit of trunking, not shoved up into the ceiling.

But you have enough slack on it to re do it with say a choc box, which would be accessible inside (or outside) the trunking so would be okay.