Earth terminal

[timegoesby]

The earth terminal inside plastic patresses. Does the eath wire require connecting to the sockets from this ternminal. It seems redundant to me serving no purpose at all except just a terminal.

TIA

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Its about as much use as a fridge to an Eskimo. ;-)

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[John Rumm]

It is just there to "park" an earth wire when required (e.g. in a lightswitch).

[David Hansen]

On 25 Jan 2006 16:17:34 -0800 someone who may be [e-mail] wrote this:-

No, it goes straight to the terminal on the socket on a plastic box. On a metal box a flying earth lead should go from the terminal on the socket to the one on the box, to preserve earth continuity if the screws are lose or not present.

On a light switch it generally serves as somewhere to connect the earth lead without the possibility of it working lose and making contact with an energised terminal. If a plastic switch is replaced with a metal one then the earth lead is also neatly ready to be connected to the terminal on the switch.

[Dave Liquorice]

I'd run the earth wires from the cables direct to the sockets and put a jumper from the socket to the back box. I wouldn't be at all suprised to find that you *have* to fit this jumper even with a plastic back box.

A fridge could be very useful to an Eskimo, to stop things freezing. Might have to reverse the heat pump though. B-)

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

So your the cause of global warming. ;-)

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Jim Gregory]

The expression often employed to show uselessness is "about as useful as a chocolate teapot!" Jim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Define patress?

If using a plastic lighting switch with no earth required or terminal provided it's simply a make off point for the TW&E earth for possible later use with a metal switch, etc.

Surely this is obvious?