One for the sparkys - wiring of a flex outlet in new house

[gcpeters]

Hi Guys

looking for some help with this one, in the utility room of the house we have just moved into I have found the usual and also some wiring I don't quite understand, to list of what its in there.

Fused switch connected to socket for Fridge
Fused switch connected to kickboard heater
Fused switch connected to Central Heating Pump (boiler in the garage)
Flex outlet which I cant work out what it is connected to... (question below)

3 Way Light Switch..
1) Connected to the light
2) Connect to the utility room extractor fan (previous owners must have had wet dogs I presume..)
3) Connected to the outside PIR Lights

I basically want to remove the flex outlet and put in a standard socket, but as you can see in the pics of the flex outlet I don't understand why its wired like this, and also why would you keep this and not simply install a socket? makes no sense



The things I cant work out is...

1) why is the flex outlet wired the wrong way round
2) There also appears to be an extra "outlet" not even terminated! (worrying)
3) The extra yellow wire - I was thinking perhaps this was wired into an older extraction fan and used for the light switch?
4) why they choose those beautiful tiles

I have tested the cables connected at the moment, and they are live so its not unused..

any thoughts/pointers appreciated

GP

Edited by gcpeters on Monday 30th November 10:53

[xstian]

The wires look to be 1 or 1.5mm, so you can't just fit a socket to it.

As for what it does, who knows? It could be for lighting, ext fan, boiler or any number of other things. If you don't know what it's for, it probably best you leave it well alone.

[Dave_ST220]

gcpeters said:

The things I cant work out is...

1) why is the flex outlet wired the wrong way round
2) There also appears to be an extra "outlet" not even terminated! (worrying)
3) The extra yellow wire - I was thinking perhaps this was wired into an older extraction fan and used for the light switch?
4) why they choose those beautiful tiles

1) Looks like it is being used as a junction box rather than flex outlet?
2) Is it live?
3) 3 core + E is for two way switching or an extractor fan that needs a switched live & perm. live (run on timer), only other use would be smoke alarms but doubt that is the case here!
4) God knows.

My money is the flex outlet is been used as a junction box? What is the cable feeding or where is it coming from? What breaker in the CU kills it?

ps, extractor in utility is nothing unusual, current regs actually stipulate it.

[Simpo Two]

What's the grey wire floating about - looks like twin and earth.

[dav123a]

You can't put a socket on the lighting circuit , as has been said the cable isn't big enough. The yellow wire is probably spare , they ran a 3 core when only 2 were needed. Not sure where a flex outlet is in this though. A flex outlet is usually a single gang plate with a hole in the middle.

Edit looked again its just a joint box it can't be switching anything. What's the front look like ?

Edited by dav123a on Monday 30th November 19:15

[Dave_ST220]

dav123a said:

A flex outlet is usually a single gang plate with a hole in the middle.

or at the bottom as per the picture, you can see the cable clamp.

[gcpeters]

Thanks for the replies everyone, much appreciated and the investigation continues (I finally had some time last night to have a quick look)

so to answer some more questions

1) The grey flex is indeed 2 core + Earth, it is not live
2) The wiring as pointed out is indeed 1.5MM so not the correct spec for sockets at the moment

I took the adjacent FCU out, which is for the boiler and it looks like they have ran a spur from this to the mysterious "Flex Outlet" socket on the right! The Flex socket is wired on the ring circuit to the consumer unit..

See pics below for more details..







so something is definitely not right here, did they take a feed of the ring circuit for a lighting circuit? surely not?

GP

[Simpo Two]

gcpeters said:

1) The grey flex is indeed 2 core + Earth, it is not live
2) The wiring as pointed out is indeed 1.5MM so not the correct spec for sockets at the moment

My thought was the old T&E had once powered a socket there, so if you can 're-liven' it, throw away the small wires that don't do anything and swap the panel for a 13A socket you've achieved your aim

[gcpeters]

Simpo Two said:

My thought was the old T&E had once powered a socket there, so if you can 're-liven' it, throw away the small wires that don't do anything and swap the panel for a 13A socket you've achieved your aim

That was my thought, I just have to try and find where it goes - which could be a challenge! Other option I guess is to run another T&E across and make it into a new spur...

Im still not sure why though they are spurring of the central heating FCU into the "Flex" socket with the 1.5 MM cable though... hmmmm

[gcpeters]

Anyone else have any other thoughts from the latest pics?

[megaphone]

Looks like the 1.5mm cable is on the LOAD side of the left hand fused spur, you say this spur is for the boiler? Is the right hand 'flex outlet' just a junction to the boiler?

[Trevelyan]

I'd guess that the boiler used to be in the utility room connected to the flex outlet and was moved out to the garage. Rather than run a new supply direct from the FCU they've just connected into the back of the flex outlet. Does the flex outlet go dead when you turn off the adjacent FCU for the boiler? It certainly looks like it's connected to the load (switched) side as the poster above says.

[Cyberprog]

gcpeters said:

Anyone else have any other thoughts from the latest pics?

Get a qualified sparky in and stop messing with it! That's my thought here! There may be good reasons why things have been done the way they have been, or it might have been totally bodged and be unsafe. Without knowing the conductor sizes I can't comment exactly.