"Lazarus" wrote
| Keep getting little electric popping sounds all over the flat
| under the floor where the wiring goes. Each time it happens
| the lights flicker for a second. Its like little "puch" noises
| like you get when a light bulb dies but its not in the same
| place and may not even be to do with my flat because
| my gf heard it in the close too?

It is possible that both your flat and the close wiring are completely and
utterly shagged out and imminently about to burst into flames ...

| If I do lift the floorboards (which would have to be cut) what
| do I look for?

Rather than lifting floorboards, you could start with the consumer unit and
then check a few fittings.
- How old is the flat? How long have you had it, and was any electrical
report done at the time of purchase/tenancy?
- Is the consumer unit modern and in good condition (do you have fuses, or
MCBs that look like little switches)?
- Do you have modern light switches and sockets flushed into the wall?
- Do you have any signs of earth bonding (green and yellow single core cable
attached to clamps on the water pipes) in the bathroom?
- Do any of the switches or sockets get warm in use?

If the flat is rented, your landlord has responsibility for ensuring that
the electrical installation is safe. In Scotland, if the flat is registered
as a House of Multiple Occupation, an electrical inspection certificate is
usually required as part of the licence.

If the flat is wired in old rubber-insulated cable then it is overdue for
rewiring. The rubber perishes and any movement of the cable can cause it to
crack and create short circuits. You should be very cautious of this if you
decide to (switch off at the mains first) loosen any of the switches and
sockets and peer behind, which is the simplest way of visually checking the
general wiring. You should see clean, fairly newish-looking, red and black
PVC insulated cores, usually in a white or grey sheath, with
green-and-yellow sleeving on the bare earth core. Any sign of braided or
rubberised insulation or lack of an earth wire, indicates rewiring required.
Light switches and sockets will be wired in single-core cable; stranded
cores on these size cables suggest old work.

Owain