GREEN GOO/SLIME COMING FROM YOUR SWITCHES OR SOCKETS
If your home was built or rewired between 1965 and 1971 this may be affecting you already.
You may have noticed a dark green substance seeping out of switches and sockets, it looks like Fairy Liquid and is tacky to touch.
It is a fault of the manufacturing practice. PVC requires a plasticiser to be added in order to make it pliable to use in cables, the early plasticisers reacted with the copper in the cable when it reached a given temperature.
So how does this effect you? If we look at the electrical installation first: the warmer the cables get the more the plasticiser leaches, this can result in the cable becoming brittle and eventually breaking down.
The goo substance itself can also cause issues with the functionality of switches and sockets. As for the health concerns contact with the Green Substance can cause ill effects such as dermatitis and or rashes. Therefore precautions should be taken to prevent skin contact.
Unfortunately if an installation is seriously affected then the only real solution is to have the effected circuits rewired. Simply replacing outlets/accessories will only serve as a temporary aesthetic solution, as the underlying problem still exists.
If you have concerns about your property a qualified electrician this will tell you to what extent your cable has or has not deteriorated via a visual inspection and a test. Call us on 01666 510976. Electrician in Royal Wootton Basset.
