socket fault

[Cammer2005]

hi i have a problem with 2 sockets in my house when i plug anything in eg. light it will not work, if i plug a rapitest in all ok, if i plug a 4 way socket in and put a rapitest all ok then put the light in the rapitest shows neutral fault then live earth reverse if i then unplug the light it then flickers in the rapitest neutral fault, fusebox connections and socket connections all ok.
one socket is upstairs and one downstairs.
any advice would be appreciated.

Cam

 

[andy]

could be a loose connection, but not bad enough to effect the plug in tester. with power off, check connections are OK and not black or even snapped off

 

[plugwash]

first things first you NEED to figure out how things are wired. It sounds highly possible you have a situation with multiple faults fixing one of which could leave the system working but not safe.

i see four possibilities

1: ring with spur with break in both wires to the supply socket
2: ring with breaks in one cable each to two sockets such that two sockets and a segment of the ring are dissconnected
3: a two socket spur with a break between the ring and the first socket (two socket unfused spurs are no longer permitted)
4: the last two sockets on a radial.

once you have figured out the wiring you need to start inspecting and testing until you find the faults.

 

[Cammer2005]

hi thought i would provide an update

the ring main (so called ) goes from the fuse box to upstairs socket by window then downstairs by window then back upstairs to opposite end of the room then downstairs to the kitchen and no further.
I had an electrician to test and found the cable coming from downstairs by the window was faulty, and behind plaster so he put a junction box in and made the ring complete upstairs and the socket downstairs by the window a spur.
he also added a length of cable in the kitchen in a hollow wall and joined this to another set of sockets to create a proper ring circuit which he said should have been put in the house when it was built, he said the company that built these houses were known to cut corners.the house was running on 2 radials. He said he thought the fault was probably caused by a nail gone through the cable when the trunking was fitted and taken several years to go rusty then cause the problem.