I have two sockets that are leaking green dye and another two that are sparking when you pull out the plug -what is wrong? are the leaking ones safe as they are in my little boys room?

Michelle Hudson, November 2009

Hi Jim here ,if you have two sockets that are leaking a green dye , if this is so then you have a liquid of some sort leaking into the sockets ,as regards the other two sockets if they are sparking when you pull the plugs out then they must be the un switched type, which are illeagle to use in a childs bedroom as they are permanently live and a child could easily poke something into them and be severly injured , for the sake of the children and any other person in the house have all the sockets replaced by a fully quaulified electrician , and have the leaking seen to REMEMBER electricity , does not wait for you !!!!!

Jim, January 2010

An Alternative Theory:
I have seen the "green dye" before. In that case it was due to a leaking roof - water was making its way into the house and running (in small amounts) down the conduits. The water was corroding the copper conductors and the corrosion products of copper are green.

J, November 2009

The sparking sockets probably have a poor /loose electrical connection - have them tightened up - if posible don't use them until repaired - ditto the green slime fittings.

P, November 2009

Have the plugs and sockets replaced... very soon... they are not safe...

Heat caused by high current and the passage of time are accelerating the breakdown of the plastic - what you see is a chemical reaction in the plastic - there will be an ammonia / fishy smell.

Wikipedia says of Aliphatic Amine / Triethylamine...

"is liquid at room temperature. It possesses a strong fishy odor reminiscent of ammonia."

An educated contributor here says...

"Aliphatic amines have a fishy smell and are liberated when plastic electrical fittings get over-warm and particularly as they age.

Typically, 13-amp plugs are in fact unable properly to handle 13 amp loads (i.e.3Kw) and will always get warm if handling such loads. Sooner or later they will start to smell as will plastic lamp holders fitted with high-wattage bulbs. Alan Sutton (C.Chem., FRSC)"

Peccavi, November 2009