A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green stuff was
oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in the house.
He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup, but bright green
instead of golden.
It is *not* corroding the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A
plugs are blackened.
The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg condition,
standard 7/029 T&E.
The effect was first noticed about 5 years ago.
Earth wires are clean, except where some goo has dripped on them.
Insulation is fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested.
Stripping back a bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in the
strands.

Any ideas?
--
roger

delete x's to email.

In article , roger
writes
A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green stuff was
oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in the house.
He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup, but bright green
instead of golden.
It is *not* corroding the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A
plugs are blackened.
The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg condition,
standard 7/029 T&E.
The effect was first noticed about 5 years ago.
Earth wires are clean, except where some goo has dripped on them.
Insulation is fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested.
Stripping back a bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in the
strands.

Any ideas?

Is it possible to see some detailed online piccys of that?. IIRC wasn't
there a thread on this some while ago with PVC insulation melting with
no apparent heat cause?..
--
Tony Sayer

In article ,
roger wrote:
A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green stuff was
oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in the house.
He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup, but bright green
instead of golden.

Verdigris. It's corrosion of copper (and brass) caused by damp. Loose
connections causing electrolysis will speed the process.

--
*Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things? *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

roger wrote:

Hello roger

r| A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green
r| stuff was oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in
r| the house. He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup,
r| but bright green instead of golden. It is *not* corroding
r| the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A plugs are
r| blackened. The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry
r| and in vg condition, standard 7/029 T&E. The effect was
r| first noticed about 5 years ago. Earth wires are clean,
r| except where some goo has dripped on them. Insulation is
r| fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested. Stripping back a
r| bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in
r| the strands.

Not come across that, other than the normal copper corrosion, but
that's not gooey afaik. If it is the wires and coming from inside the
sleeving, then I'd rewire the affected bits asap - this doesn't sound
good at all.

I have experienced goo coming through the ceiling and out of vents
before, but that was down to honey leaking from a bees nest.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK
uk.d-i-y FAQ: http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/

"roger" wrote in message
...
A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green stuff was
oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in the house.
He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup, but bright green
instead of golden.
snip

Just don't make it angry :-)

"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in news:bgrdnv$qji1f$1@ID-
122774.news.uni-berlin.de:


Just don't make it angry :-)

But don't show fear

mike r

In article , tony sayer
writes
In article , roger
writes
A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green stuff was
oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in the house.
He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup, but bright green
instead of golden.
It is *not* corroding the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A
plugs are blackened.
The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg condition,
standard 7/029 T&E.
The effect was first noticed about 5 years ago.
Earth wires are clean, except where some goo has dripped on them.
Insulation is fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested.
Stripping back a bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in the
strands.

Any ideas?

Is it possible to see some detailed online piccys of that?. IIRC wasn't
there a thread on this some while ago with PVC insulation melting with
no apparent heat cause?..

Sorry no pics - not much to photo really except shiny copper with
translucent green goo.
Googled it to death b4 posting - nothing.
Insulation is fine electrically and mechanically.
????????

--
roger

delete x's to email

In article , parish
parish_AT_ntlworld.com@?.? writes
Simon Avery wrote:

roger wrote:

Hello roger

r| A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green
r| stuff was oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in
r| the house. He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup,
r| but bright green instead of golden. It is *not* corroding
r| the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A plugs are
r| blackened. The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry
r| and in vg condition, standard 7/029 T&E. The effect was
r| first noticed about 5 years ago. Earth wires are clean,
r| except where some goo has dripped on them. Insulation is
r| fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested. Stripping back a
r| bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in
r| the strands.

Not come across that, other than the normal copper corrosion, but
that's not gooey afaik. If it is the wires and coming from inside the
sleeving, then I'd rewire the affected bits asap - this doesn't sound
good at all.

I have experienced goo coming through the ceiling and out of vents
before, but that was down to honey leaking from a bees nest.


Hmmm, perhaps this thread should move to alt.fan.hitchcock? :-)

Seriously, I would have thought verdisgris too but, like Simon, I've
never seen it "gooey", only dry and crystalline. Also, doesn't it
require oxygen to form? In which case I wouldn't expect to find it
*inside* the insulation (although the OP didn't say how far he'd
stripped back the PVC).

It's decidedly Hitchcock.
I've spent enough time at sea to be fairly sure it isn't verdigris; the
copper is bright, smooth and definitely not corroded. Nearest salt
water is 30 miles away.
It's as though it is grease-packed waterproof cable, but packed with
green syrup....
I must ask Neville to ask his neighbours if they have any similar
phenomena.

--
roger

delete x's to email

Simon Avery wrote:

roger wrote:

Hello roger

r| A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green
r| stuff was oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in
r| the house. He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup,
r| but bright green instead of golden. It is *not* corroding
r| the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A plugs are
r| blackened. The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry
r| and in vg condition, standard 7/029 T&E. The effect was
r| first noticed about 5 years ago. Earth wires are clean,
r| except where some goo has dripped on them. Insulation is
r| fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested. Stripping back a
r| bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in
r| the strands.

Not come across that, other than the normal copper corrosion, but
that's not gooey afaik. If it is the wires and coming from inside the
sleeving, then I'd rewire the affected bits asap - this doesn't sound
good at all.

I have experienced goo coming through the ceiling and out of vents
before, but that was down to honey leaking from a bees nest.


Hmmm, perhaps this thread should move to alt.fan.hitchcock? :-)

Seriously, I would have thought verdisgris too but, like Simon, I've
never seen it "gooey", only dry and crystalline. Also, doesn't it
require oxygen to form? In which case I wouldn't expect to find it
*inside* the insulation (although the OP didn't say how far he'd
stripped back the PVC).

"roger" wrote in message
...
In article , tony sayer
writes
In article , roger
writes
A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green stuff was
oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in the house.
He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup, but bright green
instead of golden.
It is *not* corroding the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A
plugs are blackened.
The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg condition,
standard 7/029 T&E.
The effect was first noticed about 5 years ago.
Earth wires are clean, except where some goo has dripped on them.
Insulation is fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested.
Stripping back a bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in the
strands.

Any ideas?

Is it possible to see some detailed online piccys of that?. IIRC wasn't
there a thread on this some while ago with PVC insulation melting with
no apparent heat cause?..

Sorry no pics - not much to photo really except shiny copper with
translucent green goo.
Googled it to death b4 posting - nothing.
Insulation is fine electrically and mechanically.

I think I foudn it using google: Searching the web for "green goo" and
wiring found this on the web (2nd hit):

What is Green Slime or Goo? And do I need to re-wire circuits with Green
Slime coming out of the wires?

Also known as "Green Slime", this phenomenon is characterised by the
appearance of a sticky green exudate leaking out of PVC-insulated wiring at
locations such as switches, hot points and light fittings. The green goo
problem is predominantly associated with older (25+ years) TPS-type cables
operating in a warm environment. The exudate comprises a plasticiser that
has migrated out of the PVC insulation, coloured due to reaction with the
copper conductor.

Due to its stickiness and unsightly colour, the goo has a high nuisance
value, however it poses no significant health hazard. It may be cleaned from
surfaces by wiping with a rag soaked in a petroleum- or alcohol-based
solvent (such as meths).

The long-term consequence of the exudate is that it represents a
de-plasticising of the insulation, meaning that as the process continues the
PVC will eventually become brittle, and crack.

Coutesy of http://www.olex.co.nz/faq_general.php

Jc.

On 6 Aug 2003 21:55:42 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
roger writes:
It's decidedly Hitchcock.

No, it was Dr.Who which had the green slime -- I'm sure.

Not Quatermass??



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"roger" wrote in message
...

The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg
condition, standard 7/029 T&E.

"25 years old" and "7/0.029" are not compatible attributes. Metric cable
came into use around 1970, so either the house is older than you think or
you've got stranded 2.5mm^2.

--
Andy

roger wrote in message ...
In article , Simon Avery
roger wrote:

r| A friend asked me to look at his house wiring because green
r| stuff was oozing out of L & N at most of the 13A sockets in
r| the house. He wasn't kidding - it's like Lyles Golden Syrup,
r| but bright green instead of golden. It is *not* corroding
r| the copper wires at all, but the brass pins of 13A plugs are
r| blackened. The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry
r| and in vg condition, standard 7/029 T&E. The effect was
r| first noticed about 5 years ago. Earth wires are clean,
r| except where some goo has dripped on them. Insulation is
r| fine - over 100M on the circuit I tested. Stripping back a
r| bit of neutral insulation, the goo appears to be in
r| the strands.


Hi

Someone suggested cleaning with alcohol: just one point, alcohol
contains water, and water conducts. So very thorough drying would be
needed (ie plenty of time to dry) before repowering.


I have experienced goo coming through the ceiling and out of vents
before, but that was down to honey leaking from a bees nest.

At first I read it as 'god' not goo!

Regards, NT

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
roger writes:

It's decidedly Hitchcock.


No, it was Dr.Who which had the green slime -- I'm sure.



Yep, "The Green Death", the one with the giant white maggots and the
"insane" supercomputer.

Lee
--
To reply use lee.blaver and NTL world com

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 11:20:26 +0100, Lee Blaver
wrote:

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
roger writes:

It's decidedly Hitchcock.


No, it was Dr.Who which had the green slime -- I'm sure.



Yep, "The Green Death", the one with the giant white maggots and the
"insane" supercomputer.

Mornington Crescent! ;O)

Take Care,
Gnube
{too thick for linux}

"Andy Wade" wrote in message
...
"roger" wrote in message
...

The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg
condition, standard 7/029 T&E.

"25 years old" and "7/0.029" are not compatible attributes. Metric cable
came into use around 1970, so either the house is older than you think or
you've got stranded 2.5mm^2.

--
Andy



It's all that damp green electricity that is being generated by the offshore
wind farms . Expect a lot more of it and a big increase in prices :-)

Richard

Richard writes
"25 years old" and "7/0.029" are not compatible attributes. Metric cable
came into use around 1970, so either the house is older than you think or
you've got stranded 2.5mm^2.

--
Andy



It's all that damp green electricity that is being generated by the offshore
wind farms . Expect a lot more of it and a big increase in prices :-)

Richard

Thanks guys - I'll relay both on.

Neville has decided to replace stained sockets, clean goo off wire ends,
and keep fingers crossed.
No sign of embrittlement yet, and as he says as long as he doesn't
disturb the wiring it doesn't matter if it does go brittle.
--
roger
del x's to email

"Richard" wrote in message
...

"Andy Wade" wrote in message
...
"roger" wrote in message
...

The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg
condition, standard 7/029 T&E.

"25 years old" and "7/0.029" are not compatible attributes. Metric
cable
came into use around 1970, so either the house is older than you think
or
you've got stranded 2.5mm^2.

--
Andy

Or his house was fitted out with Old Stock Cable!!

In article , sheque
writes

"Richard" wrote in message
...

"Andy Wade" wrote in message
...
"roger" wrote in message
...

The wiring and house are about 25 years old, dry and in vg
condition, standard 7/029 T&E.

"25 years old" and "7/0.029" are not compatible attributes. Metric
cable
came into use around 1970, so either the house is older than you think
or
you've got stranded 2.5mm^2.

--
Andy

Or his house was fitted out with Old Stock Cable!!

I wondered that myself, but now find I had got construction date wrong -
was circa 1965, consistent with Andy's 1970 metrication.

My own house was built in the Copper Crisis of 1968, with uncoated
aluminium cable. Now almost completely replaced. Only one fire.
Where was the IEE in 1968?
--
roger