Replacing Single Socket - Two main wires?

**Milkchew** · 23rd September 2007, 05:00 PM

First time poster here so bare with me.

I just replaced a single socket cover, but when I did I noticed that there was two main thick white cable either side inside the socket housing, both with one earth, nuetural, and live in each! I though I should just put them all in the relevant parts of the socket cover, so I did, then when I turned the power on I thought it was all ok, I didnt try the new socket, but about 5mins later I heard a bang, all the power went out, and there was a burn mark around the new socket. I have disconnected it now, and put electrical tape around the wires. I have no idea what to do, and dont know all the technical jargon. Could do with some serious help, as I dont really want wires hanging out of the wall. Any ideas what the two cables are for? And how I should sort it all out.

**Milkchew** · 23rd September 2007, 06:52 PM

All sockets are working still. Obviously apart from the one with no cover.

There never was a cover on it in the first place. Long story I bought a new house and gutted out one of the bedrooms, and behind all the built in furiture there was this single sized socket. I checked the internal gumf in other sockets in other rooms, and all have one main line coming in (Big white wire with live, eart and neutral wires inside), but this socket has two thick white wires. So I thought screw it ill just pair up all the red and put in in the live section, all the green/yellow and put in it the earth section and do the same with teh baclk, and put that in its own section.......................AHA! Just had another look at the two big thick white wires coming into the socket housing, one has two live (Red), two neutral (Black) and one earth (Green/yellow), and the other has one of each (Live, neutral and earth). Does that mean anything at all? what the hell are they both? And which should I connect up?

**Andy c** · 23rd September 2007, 09:26 PM

Call out an electrician and Pay! Stop messing before you Die!

**Milkchew** · 23rd September 2007, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by Andy c

Call out an electrician and Pay! Stop messing before you Die!

Never!

Im not paying £70 odd for someone to connect a few wires over 5mintutes.

**Andy c** · 24th September 2007, 02:23 PM

Enough said ! Any other electricians veiws please.

**Milkchew** · 24th September 2007, 06:46 PM

Anyone?......could really do with knowing which wire to blank off and whch to connect up, or what to do full stop really.

**bigj** · 25th September 2007, 06:10 PM

this got to be a wind up if not stop before you kill yourself or somebody else.
no one is going to be able to tell you anything without seeing it.

**Graeme1** · 28th October 2007, 02:36 AM

might be an idea to take some pictures of it and upload them so we could maybe see exactly what you talking about.

photobucket hosts pictures for free

**professorgbr** · 29th October 2007, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by Andy c

Enough said ! Any other electricians veiws please.

I say dont pay£70 ODD for someone to connect a few wires in 5 minutes but pay for someone to Check ring continuity R1 +R2 Insulation resistance polarity Zs and RCD at 1/2 i delta n x1 i delta n x5 i delta n and it sounds like that house is a diy death trap and needs a periodic inspection report

**rocker** · 2nd February 2010, 09:22 PM

Gotta agree with the professor, it's not paying £70 for a few wires. That's why a spark would know what to do and you, quite clearly, don't. Do you know how much it costs to train as a spark? How much an approved tester costs? The hundreds of pounds per year to join an approved scheme? The insurance? Tools? Materials? Van insurance? Not to mention working with a particularly dangerous 'substance'....

... which brings me to my next point - electricity can kill you. Quickly, efficiently and easily. Easier than, let's say, gas, but I'm sure you're a little less eager to start ripping your boiler apart. It's not a case of sticking wires in terminals and hoping for the best. You could electrocute yourself or somebody else. Do you know if the terminations you assume are correct are arcing away when you fit the accessory back into it's slot, slowly waiting for a lovely dark, snowy night, when the fire brigade can't get to you, when it proceeds to burn your house down? This isn't a 9v battery and a couple of LEDs, it can be bloody lethal and even if you think you know what you're doing, if you haven't had any training then you don't, and only a pig-headed moron would continue any further than changing a fuse in a plug.

Pay the damn money. If anybody could do it, everbody would be doing it.