Suppliers cut out - Melting or filler?

[captaincaveman]

Hiya. Anyone seen a suppliers cut out like the one in the picture and do they know if it's of concern? It's got hardened black residue thats dripped down from where the cables go in. I can't decide whether it's hole filler or the actual casing. Some of the 'residue' is fresh then below it it's older. It's hardened but tacky. Cheers

 

[Strima]

AT a guess it’s bitumen, time to get the DNO out.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

The black stuff is bitumen, with which the whole sealing chamber is filled. Sometimes it will ooze out because a connection is running warm, otherwise if the hole in the underside is large enough it will slowly ooze out anyway. The DNO should fix it but it doesn't indicate that something is about to catch fire.

If the service cable is PILC, then you might also find cable compound leaking out, i.e. the impregnant of the paper insulation, that the bitumen is supposed to seal in. The main reason they would need to fix bitumen leak is to safeguard the cable against loss of compound and moisture ingress.

 

[Bobster]

I'd say the colour that is, something's getting warm. Or certainly >30degC. Now the cable is rated to run at far higher temperatures than that. So it may or may not be a problem. Impossible to say just with looking at a photo.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Had one like that at start of year, western power swapped it out, At least them changing it meant the high Ze was sorted as i was getting just over 2 ohms. The head had been in since the late 50s
It was a TNS supply but the whole estate had in effect already been switched to PME with all the works they had done recently in the streets , they were supposed to go around changing them overtime but had never got round to it, so do most on a needs basis whilst they try to get on top of the backlog.

 

[7029 dave]

Does it smell around the cut out of burning.? That was the question I was asked, when rang the DNO for leaking pitch.

 

[captaincaveman]

Cheers guys. I couldn't smell owt and it was hard so ergo not recent. I only went round to look at a "dangerous" faulty thermostat to find the dial had just fallen off. The customers were still concerned they'd get a shock from the plastic base behind it or the house would get too hot and burn down . Then they wanted me to look at a new cooker that had been standing for 2 weeks as a sparky condemned their last one but didn't return to fit the new one after doing 'something' with the fuses.. which is when I looked at the consumer units (all 5 of them).. "Ever looked at getting your system checked over?" I asked. I tried the DNO but gave up after being passed around the country several times. I don't care now. I've just come back from footy early having got there late after filling with petrol not realising i hadn't put any shorts on and then pulling my groin after ten mins playing in my boxers . Thank you and good night

 

[PEG]

Yes,the old drippy trail,that some get all excited about...

It,of course,could be signs of an overheating issue,but there are also two other very normal and standard reasons.

One,as suggested,is normal migration. Measure the thickness of an old pane of glass,at the top and bottom,and this phenomenon explains itself.

The other,is that jointers and engineers of old,could be just as sloppy with their pump-up brass paraffin burners,as lads are with their cordless drills,today

 

[dmxtothemax]

Ditto !
The cable probably gets warm, which causes the tar like filler to soften and run out. whilst I don't expect the cable to be dangerous yet, I would get it at least IR tested, then go from there, if it's the suppliers responsibility, then request it be replaced.

 

[Sparkie30]

Good point but chances of getting dno to do that are zilch. The only thing that could be done is check for tightness.