Fridge cable- mice damage.

[zoothorn]

Hi chaps, 

 

I need to replace a fridge cable, but cannot figure out how to access rear section, to remove grey mains cable.

 

Hotpoint fairly new fridge. Photo here: seems to be a black square electric terminal housing. 
 

Anyone familiar with something like this? Thanks.

 

Zoot

 

 

[BotusBuild]

Those two screws are likely a clamp holding the cables in place. Remove those first. You should then see copper internals of the cable held in place however Hotpoint do it, hopefully simple some more screws

[Nickfromwales]

It’s a snap-together black terminal box, so start by unplugging it first and then removing the silver screws and send some close up pics. 
 

You may want to buy some HO5 or HO7 ‘rubber’ flex as I believe they dislike gnawing on that. 

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, BotusBuild said:

Those two screws are likely a clamp holding the cables in place. Remove those first. You should then see copper internals of the cable held in place however Hotpoint do it, hopefully simple some more screws

Hi BB, hope all's well in botusland.

 

Yup those 2 cable clamp screws easily removed (should've said I did those in #1). Then on though.. I'm stumped.

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

It’s a snap-together black terminal box, so start by unplugging it first and then removing the silver screws and send some close up pics. 
 

You may want to buy some HO5 or HO7 ‘rubber’ flex as I believe they dislike gnawing on that. 

Ah. This is a step onward. Ok yup I can easily undo those two silver screws/ which removes the two little black cable clamps. But it's from here I'm at a loss- how to get into this terminal box.

 

I can't really take any better pics: the wee clamps removed doesn't give me anymore logical way of entry.

 

All I can see, is a small clip RHS on the housing.. but prying under this (which seems indeed to be some sort of clip locking two sections of the housing together)... I get nowhere. I just cant 'open' the housing. I'll just break the clip if I go any harder at it. There's defo something else I need to undo or unclip, to get the housing open. 
 

But I can't get around rearside of it ( to find another clip or aomething), being pretty obviously inaccessible.

 

Great info about the flex thanks- That's exactly what I had in mind to buy poss tmrw in screwfix.

 

[Onoff]

Look for slots that you slip a small flat bladed screwdriver into to open the terminal cover.

[zoothorn]

21 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Look for slots that you slip a small flat bladed screwdriver into to open the terminal cover.

Hi there Onoff.

 

I can clearly see this one I'm pointing to in pic 1, but even a flat s'driver trying to prize this clip up, only gets so far.. it feels like there at least one other clip, rearside or something.. Lord knows how I could get to/ pic 2.

 

Thanks. Zh

 

 

[-rick-]

Can you show us the damage to the cable?

 

If it's tricky to access, maybe you can just cut it shorter and put a plug/joint on the shorter cable?

[zoothorn]

17 minutes ago, -rick- said:

Can you show us the damage to the cable?

 

If it's tricky to access, maybe you can just cut it shorter and put a plug/joint on the shorter cable?

Hi there Rick.

 

Good idea, bit I really want to replace cable for a mouseproof one.. afaik this didn't cause the kitchen spur or any, to trip the fuse. And I can't access behind the cabinets to seal up holes/ so mice will still be able to have another go.

 

I will have to do this if I can't get into the housing tho. 

[zoothorn]

1 hour ago, -rick- said:

Can you show us the damage to the cable?

 

If it's tricky to access, maybe you can just cut it shorter and put a plug/joint on the shorter cable?

Rick, can I assume you meant this (kinda blindingly obvious to me now!) way with your plug/joint idea? (Edit: photo added below).

 

[If so then once again, I self-nominate for the BH Big Thicko Cup.. '26].

 

Is there any safety compromises doing this way? I only ask as it's my Mum's fridge/ not mine. If all ok, I'll try buy a better 'mouseproof' cable tmrw & redo the female plug socket onto it.

 

 

 

Thanks Zoot

Edited yesterday at 14:24 by zoothorn

[-rick-]

18 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

Rick, can I assume you meant this (kinda blindingly obvious to me now!) way with your plug/joint idea? (Edit: photo added below).

 

Roughly yes, though from the earlier photo I didn't expect the lead to need to be cut that short. (It wasn't clear where the damage was)

 

18 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

Is there any safety compromises doing this way? I only ask as it's my Mum's fridge/ not mine. If all ok, I'll try buy a better 'mouseproof' cable tmrw & redo the female plug socket onto it.

 

I'm not an electrician but I don't think this is a problem. Keep the plug outside the fridge metalwork.

 

If you are going to buy different cable then you can get joint boxes to replace the plug + socket. Will be a neater/more compact job. For example:

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/vimark-30a-chocbox-connector-box-90-x-30-x-50mm-white/194vt

[zoothorn]

2 minutes ago, -rick- said:

 

Roughly yes, though from the earlier photo I didn't expect the lead to need to be cut that short. (It wasn't clear where the damage was)

 

 

I'm not an electrician but I don't think this is a problem. Keep the plug outside the fridge metalwork.

 

If you are going to buy different cable then you can get joint boxes to replace the plug + socket. Will be a neater/more compact job. For example:

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/vimark-30a-chocbox-connector-box-90-x-30-x-50mm-white/194vt

Ah yes a connector box like that would seem a better idea. I can buy one tmrw to replace the plug & socket. 

 

A few things remain though: could anyone ID some form of 'mouseproof' cable from either screwfix or toolstation? Im getting hundreds of results with the screwfix App thing that's been forced on me to use: I cannot abide it as it seems to calculate hundreds of unrelated items.. then Im sifting for a needle in a haystack.

 

Lastly, forgive my idiocy here.. but it just occured to me how I get the cable fed through, at the cabinet rear. ??
 

IE say I have my 3ft x H 5ft kitchen cabinet 'hole' to slide my fridge into with the cable now replaced. Once it's slid in.. I obviously have no possible access to get to the plug/ cable behind it, to then pass plug behind & Rightwards into the back of the adjacent sink cabinet (same board back general hole where the sink pipes go out).. where the plug socket is.

 

Thanks. Zoot 

 

[zoothorn]

How would the fridge cable here, have been manipulated, in order to insert the plug on it's end, into the adjacent (sink cabinet) socket??

 

Im tearing my hair out trying to figure out how whoever did this (or indeed any under-the-worktop type appliance, a dishwasher, washing machine/ anything) got it's plug, into the socket.

 

You can see the BLACK plug in the double socket, on the RHS midway above the open door..

 

 

Edited 21 hours ago by zoothorn

[Onoff]

7 hours ago, zoothorn said:

How would the fridge cable here, have been manipulated, in order to insert the plug on it's end, into the adjacent (sink cabinet) socket??

 

Im tearing my hair out trying to figure out how whoever did this (or indeed any under-the-worktop type appliance, a dishwasher, washing machine/ anything) got it's plug, into the socket.

 

You can see the BLACK plug in the double socket, on the RHS midway above the open door..

 

 

 

You're messing with us surely?

 

Feed a string through from the right hand cupboard, tie it to the fridge plug before you push the fridge under the counter. Pull the string as you push the fridge in. Sometimes easier with two people.

 

Or get the fridge as close as to the counter to whilst still maintaining arm access to feed the plug around / under the divider into the right hand cupboard. Again one person pushes the fridge whilst the other grabs and pulls the plug end through. 

[zoothorn]

2 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

You're messing with us surely?

 

Feed a string through from the right hand cupboard, tie it to the fridge plug before you push the fridge under the counter. Pull the string as you push the fridge in. Sometimes easier with two people.

 

Or get the fridge as close as to the counter to whilst still maintaining arm access to feed the plug around / under the divider into the right hand cupboard. Again one person pushes the fridge whilst the other grabs and pulls the plug end through. 

Hi Onoff, no Im not messing.. & I expected this response tbh. I still don't get it.
 

How do I feed the string through from the RHS hole (twds the R, lower centre, of the adjacent 'plug socket' sink cabinet)... to get it out at the back of the LH cabinet? Some kind of extra long coathanger type rigid wire??

 

Thanks Zoot 

[-rick-]

Obviously the fridge was previously installed so it's likely possible with the factory plug on it. However, given you've already chopped that off and are making your own connection:

 

1. Just use a long cable a feed it through before you make the connection.

 

2. Then make the connection before you slide the fridge into place.

[zoothorn]

4 hours ago, -rick- said:

Obviously the fridge was previously installed so it's likely possible with the factory plug on it. However, given you've already chopped that off and are making your own connection:

 

1. Just use a long cable a feed it through before you make the connection.

 

2. Then make the connection before you slide the fridge into place.

Hi Rick,

 

just bought your choccy box connector.. got it home & hasn't got the lug terminals inside I was expecting! D'oh! That was daft not to look inside it (Id assumed two sets of terminals you see in the middle, that are joined, & all you need do is attach cable A to oneside, & cable B to opposite side). I have absolutely no idea how to connect two bare cables together safely & securely, inside this empty white box.

 

Nor could I get any kind of mouse resistant anything , shroud or flexible conduit, to put over my replacement cable. Which is just a standard 1m white extension cable mains plug one end, female socket the other.

 

So. I'm back with my my approach as per photo above (with white cable attached).
 

Assuming this is safe enough/ & I cannot see any reason why not.. I can then attatch the white cable's socket end to a coat hanger (as I still have no idea how Im meant to get a string or anything, thru the sink cabinet hole, & 60cm Leftwards, to where I can go into the fridge recess.. to grab it). Then undo it from coathanger, & pull coathanger back. 
 

If Im yet --still-- being thick/ missing summat.. could someone please holler!!
 

Many thanks.

 

Zoot

 

 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by zoothorn

[-rick-]

Just now, zoothorn said:

just bought your choccy box connector.. got it home & hasn't got the lug terminals inside I was expecting! D'oh! That was daft not to look inside it (Id assumed two sets of terminals you see in the middle, that are joined, & all you need do is attach cable A to oneside, & cable B to opposite side). I have absolutely no idea how to connect two bare cables together safely & securely, inside this empty white box.

 

Well that's annoying. I did think the price on that one was low and looked in the details to try and confirm it did come with everything. Sorry. Loads of other options there that will come with everything. You don't happen to have an old one of those blocks lying around the house? (I know it's your mums but it's just one of those things that is incredibly common to have stashed somewhere, at least for older people).

 

You absolutely need a proper connection. Don't attempt to jerry rig something. Better to stick with the plug + extension.

 

Can't help any further with fishing the wire. Coat hanger is a good idea, just make sure you aren't poking it anywhere there are live electrics (turn off first if in doubt).

[Super_Paulie]

14 hours ago, zoothorn said:

Im tearing my hair out trying to figure out how whoever did this (or indeed any under-the-worktop type appliance, a dishwasher, washing machine/ anything) got it's plug, into the socket.

cant help think this is harder work than it should be! im my cupboards i drill out a hole big enough to pass through a plug and then grommet the hole like the attached image. 

As for the cable issue there isnt a lot you can do about mice eating stuff if thats what happens in your area. Keep it off the ground if possible or wire in a switchless socket behind the fridge up a height and plug it in there? Could maybe keep some cheese on the other side of the room as a distraction. 

 

[zoothorn]

21 minutes ago, Super_Paulie said:

cant help think this is harder work than it should be! im my cupboards i drill out a hole big enough to pass through a plug and then grommet the hole like the attached image. 

As for the cable issue there isnt a lot you can do about mice eating stuff if thats what happens in your area. Keep it off the ground if possible or wire in a switchless socket behind the fridge up a height and plug it in there? Could maybe keep some cheese on the other side of the room as a distraction. 

 

Hi- yup if this was a build project/ simple/ Id put sockets L side of sink cupboard like you.
 

But this is my mother's house 100m away, i do not have tools with me (she only told me her fridge packed up a day before.. once i got here!!! Argh! She's 87..). Plus she'd not agree to cutting new holes. Plus a massive faff & dirty too, even if it's the ideal way.
 

All I need do, is do whatever the chap who fitted the replacement fridge did 2 days ago. I just cannot establish what he did it. Simply how he got the plug, onto the socket. 
 

Thanks, Zoot

[Super_Paulie]

cut the plug off and then whack another one on after youve passed it through a small hole?

[-rick-]

Just now, zoothorn said:

All I need do, is do whatever the chap who fitted the replacement fridge did 2 days ago. I just cannot establish what he did it. Simply how he got the plug, onto the socket. 

 

Hang on. You only had the fridge fitted two days ago?

 

Are you sure it's a mouse that damaged the cable, not an installation error? Why not get the installer back to deal with?

[Onoff]

Are you sure, when he pushed the fridge in, he didn't trap / run over the cable with the fridge?

Edited 3 hours ago by Onoff

[Onoff]

Freezer on the right, fridge on the left. Leads run from both appliances to a socket behind the cupboard on the left. Somehow SWMBO and I didn't kill each when one was feeding and the other grabbing the leads. 

 

 

[Roundtuit]

6 hours ago, zoothorn said:

Nor could I get any kind of mouse resistant anything , shroud or flexible conduit, to put over my replacement cable. 

You really need to mouse-proof the house, not the cable, for all sorts of safety and health reasons, and sort out the current infestation ASAP if you've had mouse damage to new stuff within two days.