Green Gunk Alert!

One of our power sockets is cracked so I bought a new one. However, when I took the old socket off the wall, there was what I can only describe as green greasy gunk covering all the wires, there is even a small pool at the bottom of the wall box.

Is this a cause for concern?

Cheers

Reply to
simonhardy1976
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Do you have kids? Do you use Fairy Liquid? Any of the former lost any eyebrows lately?

There are a few possibilities that spring to mind:

1) The circuit was re-wired in situ and the "electrician" had difficulty pulling the cables down into the box. So added (copious) quantities of liquid soap (eg fairy liquid. swarfega, etc) to the cable from the top. He got the cable through but, in time, the rest of the soap came down the wires into the box.

2) Kid + fairy liquid bottle + socket.

3) Really damp walls + corroded through earth wires - nasty that.

4) Well, they get a bit silly from now on..

If you have some litmus paper (who doesn't?... well , if you have a kid with a chemistry set or a kind chemistry teacher) and see if it is acidic (eg copper corrosion), alkali (soap) or neutral (posh soap)...Or sniff it and see if it is "Pine fresh", of get the dog to taste it and see if it gets foaming at the mouth or other signs of lockjaw.

But, IIWY, I would probably what to know what it was.. Eyebrows today, living in a hotel while they re-build a burnt-down house tomorrow).

Reply to
Palindr☻me

"Green gunge" is most prevalent in cables made between 1965 and 1971. The gunge is degraded di-isoctyl phthalate and is the result of the reaction between the plasticisor in the insulation and the copper. Between 1965 and

1971 the temprature performance of PVC was uprated by the inclusion of an anti-oxidant in to the PVC. An unappreciated side effect was that the anti-oxident encouraged the production of exudate.

Evidence suggests that that high ambient temperatures accelarate the process. The exudate is of low flammability and low toxicity. Although unsightly it does not reduce the electrical integity of the conductor or the insulation.

See also the draft BCA statement (April 2001) below: -

1) PVC

PVC comes in two main grades, plasticised and unplasticised PVC.

Unplasticised PVC (UPVC) is used for example in double glazing window frames where a rigid material is required.

The PVC used for manufacture of cables is a plasticised PVC that conforms to the relevant British Standard for the cable type in question.

2) Ageing effects

As a cable ages; (at temperatures above normal ambient), the elongation to break decreases (also the Insulation Resistance increases). The life expectancy of a cable is arbitrarily considered to be when the elongation to break of the PVC is 50%. A lower elongation to break value could be considered suitable especially for a fixed wiring cable. Therefore, providing the cable is not subject to movement or when moved due to inspection of socket outlet or the like, the PVC does not crack, a much lower value of elongation to break is considered by some as suitable.

3) Greening

Greening is the appearance of a wet green substance that is a product of an adverse reaction between certain types of plasticiser and the copper conductors. This greening, which is a rare occurrence, can happen either after a long period of time for some cables, or if the cable has been severely overheated. The plasticiser itself is a clear oily liquid that is non conductive. The green substance is a combination of copper oxide and plasticiser which may become conductive under certain adverse conditions.

4) Action if Greening is found

Therefore whenever this green substance is found at socket outlets etc. initially it should be removed and the terminations cleaned (gloves should be used) otherwise it is possible that tracking/overheating may occur. It is strongly recommended that rewiring should be carried out as soon as possible.

If further information is required, the original cable manufacturer should be contacted.

There you have it. Jaymack

Reply to
John McLean

Wow! Thanks for that - I had never heard of this before. Mind you, I have rarely come across over-heated cables/sockets and never to this extent.

The OP found this through replacing a cracked socket - which may itself possibly be due to over-heating..

This sounds to me like either the socket was overloaded, had a bad/loose connection and was overheating to the point where the cable was damaged.

So it would be an idea to check all the other sockets that were installed at the same time, to check their conductor capture screws are tight and they have no signs of overheating.

I tend to blame 3kW fan heaters and that the socket allows them to be pulled out and inserted on full power.

"It is strongly recommended that rewiring should be carried out as soon as possible."

With any luck, if no other socket, switch, light fitting, etc or cable is showing damage, only the cables going to this socket need replacing. Obviously if there is more, it could mean anything up to a complete house re-wire. Not a good Monday morning feeling.

Fairy liquid would have been cheaper!

Reply to
Palindr☻me

Oh dear, this doesn't sound good, the majority of the sockets have some evidence of green residue around the pins. The building is a 1960's build which did originally have forced hot air heating which was converted to contral heating some years ago, i think it may be worth an electrician having a quick look.

Reply to
Simon

Yes. This is ectoplasm - a clear sign that your house is severely haunted. Spirit energy is moving around your environment using the wires as a conduit. The spirits are clearly trying to escape via the sockets and will become more active when they have done so, leading to funny noises in the night, keys disappearing and small pieces of cheese being stolen from your fridge. Your dog, or maybe cat, if you have one, will begin to stare into space and sometimes yowl or howl.

This is a serious infestation from the other side and needs urgent attention, such as an exorcism.

On the other hand, you could try an electrician ;-))

TonyB

Reply to
TonyB

replying to =?UTF-8?B?UGFsaW5kcuKYu21l?=, Bob tuttle wrote: ?

Green goo (also known as green gunge) is sometimes seen exuding from the ends of older PVC insulated and sheathed cable. It is normally seen in cables made in the 1960s and 1970s, but not generally seen in modern PVC cables.

Its origin is the plasticiser used to provide flexibility in the PVC polymer compound. This is generally di-octyl phthalate, which over time or with excessive heat has reacted with the copper conductors to produce copper phthalate (hence the green colour) suspended in the liquid plasticiser. The material is a health concern, so should be handled with care - gloves should be used and waste disposed of properly. The use methylated spirit can ease the removal of green goo and staining.

Although there does not appear to be a problem with the electrical performance or safety of the cable itself, any exuded goo should be removed as it can cause corrosion or affect the action of switches and terminations, potentially resulting in tracking / overheating. It can also cause cosmetic problems such as staining. The affected circuits should be rewired as soon as possible. Washing up liquid?kids?are u stupid?

Reply to
Bob tuttle

I have a 35 year old electric hand mixer. I unplugged is after using and there was green stuff on prongs and where the cord plug into the mixed. Can I clean and use it still? Works great.

Reply to
tbmadden@cox.net

Depends. Is your life worth more than the cost of getting a professional to look? Or for that matter a new mixer. They're not very expensive.

Andy

Reply to
Vir Campestris

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