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my friendly electrician did that for me and it's only the grey which is bad. I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable with these sorts of questions so thought i'd rely on the anonymity of a forum instead...
i could run a new cable - but it would mean cutting a section of the ceiing out and then running again in the same holes (the cable runs perpendicular to the joists). probably my only option if we want a fan to run without being a stupid risk.
terlg
Airhead
In theory you could insulation resistance test the individual cores and try and establish which ones are sound, but i can’t recommend it in good faith. You wouldn’t risk using a pipe you knew you had cracked just because you couldn’t see it leaking.
You shouldn’t use the uninsulated earth as a live conductor, even though you do see it. The sheath isn’t rated for use as insulation. And every point of the installation should be earthed.
Can’t really advise what I’d do without seeing the layout of the place. Is there no chance you could pull a new cable through using the old one?