Your thoughts

[M107]

This time last year I undertook a periodic for a customer at one of his rental properties.

Came up with a few code 1's that have all been sorted (by his handyman :C ).

Also gave a 2 for green goo on the immersion & spured socket for shower pump in airing cupboard & another 2 for the spur being on the immersion circuit anyway.

At the time he asked what needed to be done with the circuit & green goo. I told him the circuit tests fine but keep an eye on future IR readings on future periodics as it is currently low but ok (R1+R2 = 0.17 IR >20Mohms Zs = 0.42 ) & the green goo is probably due to the ambient heating of 1960/70's cable from immersion tank & pipework, as no other circuits are suffering from the goo effect & the immesion circuit conductors at the cu end are clean.

I advised that the circuit terminations be cleaned & fcu + socket be changed (idealy the socket removed from immersion circuit & added to the ring main).

Now zoom forward to the present....new tennants move in & cant get pressure in the shower so call the letting agent with complaint, letting agent calls out a plumber (without notifying landlord) who rolls up & plugs in the pump.... hey presto the shower works.

Now the tennant sees the socket & notices green goo around the rocker switch (yes the my advice was ignored by landlord ) & promptly calls the letting agent to complain again the agent without notifying landlord sends in a local sparks, the message to the landlord from the agent..

" The electrician has looked at the socket & (reading from the report sheet)due to green goo I have turned off the circuit by removing the fuse. I advise the circuit be rewired asap as the green goo is a sign that the cable is old & breaking down"

The cost for the sparks to look at the green goo

 

[Andy™]

i would probably only disconnect if the circuit had failed

 

[Bacon]

With the recomendation a periodic test is undertaken on the whole property as the last electrician didnt pick up the green goo on this circuit so other things have probably been missed......What a w*****

if he had bothered to ask for a copy of the report (I always ask if any test sheets are available if going to a rented property, no matter what work I'm there to do) that I sent to the agent direct & the landlord, he would see in sections G & H the words "Dioctylphthalate also known as green goo" & immersion circuit mentioned.

So my question to you all.......

How many would isolate a circuit just because they see the Dioctylphthalate / green goo effect... no testing the circuit just a plain and simple its a danger & I must turn it off.

I don't think your gripe should be with the sparky with regards the new periodic being required,I'd say it's with the letting agents and landlord for not showing him your previous report whether or not he's asked for them.

And turning it off is down to the individual with regards to the circuit as you say it was not dangerous when you did the first periodic but needed rectifiying at an appropriate time.

 

[ProDave]

I think any spark that charges

 

[NozSpark]

Have you read the ESC guidance note on this...

Recommends a rewire of affected circuits IIRC

although cleaning off of goo is also montioned, wearing appropriate PPE

IMO I wouldn't disconnect the circuit, but I would recommend rewiring it.

 

[Manator]

Dioctylphthalate is the platisiser used in the cable to make it pliable. The green you see is the oxidation process with copper. It is an indication that the insulation could be breaking down and that heat is present at terminations making the migration of the plastisisor faster. A cable can never be condemed on this visual indication, otherwise it would be incorperated in the BRB , insulation testing is the only recognised method to fail a cable showing this visible symptoms.

When any PIR is completed I always urge people to make notes and include those notes on the certificate, if anything catches your attention but does not warrant a code make this observation in your notes, the more detailed your certificate the better. If it passed IR tests I would not have given a code 2, but would have shortened the interval greatly, and made a note in the comments so any other electrician would be left in no doubt that it has been seen and been noted, on comment and interval.

 

[sprocketflup]

I think any spark that charges

 

[M107]

I think any spark that charges

 

[sellers]

I can probably tell you exactly why this is! He will be the letting agents usual spark for periodics, at some rediculous rate of

 

[spinlondon]

As I understand things, the presence of green goo does not warrent any code at all.

I'd suggest to the landlord that he finds out just what is in his contract with the letting agent.

Do they have authority to send in tradesmen without notice, and who gave authority for the circuit to be de-energised?

 

[Badger]

heres a post from me regarding green goo, i went to change the light switches at my fiancees mom and dads house beofore christmas and on taking the switches off the walls and replacing them, i also found signs of green goo. i recommended to them since the property was originally wired in the 1960's and there was only one new circuit all others was in old wiring ive recommended them to get it rewired, come to present day and room by room im rewiring their home to make it safe for their future they have also ended up with new sockets installed as well. i think once they saw this on the wiring they were of the opinion for me to sort it. and also get some extra sockets too. so result all round

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Holy thread resurrection Batman    :B-

 

[Badger]

i was loooking in the cellar and found this hadent been replied to so thought id open the can of worms up :slap

 

[batty]

That green goo makes your hands smell. Had a cooker cable at the weekend that was showing signs of it but was not to bad. Strange the other cables installed at the same time had no signs of it at all.

 

[binky]

green goo does not merit re-wire if it passes test, howver I do recommend a shorter re-test period. As for letting agent, I would advise landlord to tell them to firk off.

 

[wozz]

green goo ruins accessories and is toxic.

Is a socket for a shower pump off a immersion circuit really a code 2?

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

That green goo makes your hands smell. Had a cooker cable at the weekend that was showing signs of it but was not to bad. Strange the other cables installed at the same time had no signs of it at all.

No, that was the cooking  grease  that had drippped down the sides and back  

 

[Manator]

I need to go to bed<,a discussion opened in 2010 and concluded in 2013? well never mind.

IR tests have shown even with the plastisol seepage resulting in the green goo, cables have passed IR tests!

I would always go for a rewire though.

 

[batty]

Very True Manator long term its the way forward after all its very unlikely to stop seeping out unless the circuit is no longer used.

 

[Apache]

Very True Manator long term its the way forward after all its very unlikely to stop seeping out unless the circuit is no longer used.

Here's a question for you - does it require current to be present to form, or is it a simple age related change?