"Oil" from cast iron head

[polo1]

Guys/gals, a cast iron three phase head with a PILC incomer, with what appears to be a light brown oil coming from the head down the incomer (soz, no picture as flash would not work). The head is in a domestic property delivering single phase.
Any ideas what the "oil" is and need I be concerned/notify DNO?

 

[Bobster]

Bitumen

And if you've seen it in liquid form, yes the DNO need calling. Not sure on domestic heads, aren't cast iron heads being replaced?

 

[alanl]

Yes, it is the bitumen leaking out.
The DNO may think it is not bad enough to change, but let them have a look at it to decide.

 

[Flanders]

AS Above

 

[nickblake]

if its a cast iron head then it definitely needs replacing, and could date back to the 20,s the oil / bitumin thats oozing could be a sign there is a problem , if im not mistaken these fuses were wire, can you get a pic

 

[Pete999]

What they all said

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Surely if it looks like oil it's not the bitumen but the cable compound. The paper in PILC cables is impregnated with an oily insulant to prevent it absorbing moisture, and one of the purposes of the bitumen is to keep it in the cable. If you look on the floor of an old switchroom with lots of PI cables you will sometimes see odd splodges of compound. Leakage may or may not be important, now I think about it I don't generally take much notice of a light ooze but a puddle should be reported.

 

[Knobhead]

As far as I know, a cast head should be changed.

Depending on the install date the brown oil could be any one of three different things.

Post a photograph.

 

[polo1]

Thanks guys. I did wonder about bitumen but where I've come across this before it's been black and more of a runny tar consistency. This stuff looks more like dirty 3 in 1. I'm due back Fri or Mon and have now sorted the camera on my phone. So a pic will be taken.
Replacement of CI heads - that's a laugh. We have thousands of these with no programme for routine replacement. The DNO simply will not invest in a replacement programme; hard enough to get them to replace even where there's a fused neutral. Again, thanks for the feedback.

 

[Darkwood]

I had a brown oily leakage on a job last week.... making my own fricken curries from now on!! :uhoh2: