Red brown black blue wires- what's the black wire?

Esho

Hi folks - these wires are going from one double socket to another.

I didn't remove it so I'm not sure how to wire them up.

Do i connect the two reds and wire the others into the socket?

Is this an old cable or is this standard?

The Continental Op

Sorry OP but I think we need a picture?

Esho

Clockwise - blue brown red black

Esho

Thanks

awec

Is this an old house that was re-wired at some point? Or was the socket added here at a later date than the house was built?

I think I would consult an electrician here, as what you have is both the old and the new wiring colours (red and black is the old live / neutral), but there is no earth cable there (unless the earth is the wrong colour).

I am not an electrician, but IMO an unearthed socket is dangerous.

meercat

Sometimes the earth is sleeved with black insulation

hard to tell exactly from photos

red and brown are normally live

blue and black neutral

you need an electrician to sort this out though

The Continental Op

OK so first thing is how can that have been a double socket when the cut up is only for a single socket.

Any chance this is double switch?

Esho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119416359#Comment_119416359

Yes it's an old house that was rewired . Thanks for that

The Continental Op

OP That make no sense as a ring main? There looks to be three cables which would be a ring main with a spur. But then there are 8 wires visible and no obvious earth wire although at least one earth wire can be seen in the middle of the left hand cable below the red which may or may not terminate with the brown wire. Three cables (T&E) = 9 wires including earth and only 6 wires covered in insulation. So along with the size of the hole being for a single socket and the lack of an earth terminal on the front plate of a light switch I still think this is a light switch with the earth wires terminated on the metal back box in the wall.

Sorry OP but like so many similar threads you just haven't given enough information. My guess is this is either a light switch with a fan attached (sometime the earth is used to trip the fan), a double switch with one double switched light or just maybe a ring main with a spur off it. But there are plenty of other options.

A better description might help or additional pics that show ever single wire including the earth.

Esho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119418048#Comment_119418048

Thanks for that

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119418630#Comment_119418630

But you are still not telling us exactly what was there in the first place :-)

Any chance of a picture of the fitting that came off the wall in the first place? Then we won't have to worry about the terminology.

standardg60

OP does the other socket just have blue and brown wires?

What it looks like to me is this socket was used to connect the additional socket into the original unearthed main ring (the red/black wires).

In which case the red and brown wires will connect to the live and the black and blue ones to the neutral. Don't think it was that unusual to have unearthed main rings back in the day when most appliances only had two pin plugs, more of an issue today though.

The Continental Op

@standardg60 another possibility is an original ring main and two spurs off it. If it was a double socket that would at least explain the 8 wires we can see. Two for the original ring main the cables that have the red and black covered wires. Then Two blue wires and two brown wires (second brown wire looks like it has some connection with the earth but I think thats just the picture) would be two spurs?

Regarding the earth. All 4 earth wires could be terminated on a metal back box so we can't see them?

But as usual its just guessing.

standardg60

No the two brown/blue are just the two ends of the spur ring, which would be why they are joined together. I don't see any evidence of earthing which would make me think it never had one. But a pic of the other socket would help.

Esho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119418821#Comment_119418821

That is it i think - looks like it was rewired in the 90s.