Lighting circuit with no earth wire?

Twas common practice long enough ago...

Not ideal, although on a 17th edition CU setup one might argue it carries less risk that was the case before.

Failing a rewire, one ought to stick to insulated lamps and accessories.

(got the even dafter situation here - lots of nice metal dangly lamp fittings, earthed lighting circuit, and loop through wiring done via junction boxes in the ceiling void and no one bother to bring the earth to the fitting from the JB).

That reminds me - must order one of those routabout thingies...

If you had said 35+ years old. I would have said that was one of the last houses to be wired to the 14th regs. Which did permit non CPC on lighting circuits.

The other metal fittings light fittings would be a "code 1" on an inspection. IMHO, you did the right thing not to fit the light. The customer should probably be thinking of a rewire at some point.

Probably a bit more than that. Think earths became mandatory about '70 - but most were using them before that.

Indeed.

It's safe enough if all the switches and fittings are plastic, I suppose. Or double insulated.

My parent's house had no earths anywhere - 2 pin sockets including 15 amp ones. But no one ever got killed. ;-)

Oh - there were two earths. One for the radiogram and one for the telephone.

...but wired before washing machines, dishwashers, etc were the norm.

I believe that earthing wasn't required at all until the 10th edition regs came in in 1934.

I don't think that's right. AIUI mandatory earthing on lighting circuits was introduced by the 14th ed., published in 1966 - although it might have been one of the many amendments to that edition.

Nearer 40, I've a friend in a similar boat. Biggest problem seems to be ring circuits (2 of them) don't appear to have ever been rings, despite two

Definitely recommended, but see:

A risk assesment and labelling may be (almost) acceptable.

Actually the safety issue is very minor if all fittings are either insulated (plastic) or class II metal ones. And if you then replace light switch screws with plastic ones, there is zero safety problem.

NT

Some simple continuity testing using a low-ohms meter and wander lead (with the circuits isolated) should help home-in on where the rings are broken. Or even isolate each end in turn and work work round with a socket tester to find out which points are fed from each end.

That's Code 2. Code 4 would only apply if there are no Class 1 fittings or accessories, see BPG04

It didn't use metal conduit did it?

If so, this may have been used as the earth path!

I can see how insulated lamps & switches would make such a system safer, but given that most householders know little about electrickery, whats to stop them installing metal fittings themselves? In this instance, all the existing light fittings were metal, installed by the previous owner 30+ years ago.

Why did they have non earthed lighting circuits?

I have seen this quite often on old council houses, maybe it was cost cutting when they were built and less stringent regulations. Trevor Smith

Presumably the authorities thought there was no need for an earth at that time. As I said even power points at one time didn't have them either.

That is fairly typical IME.

At one time there was little or no earthing used for any circuit. Then it became expected for socket circuits, and later lighting. Lighting circuits pose slightly less risk in that you are unlikely to be powering portable appliances[1] used outside from them.

I was looking at the wiring at a friends house the other day - it had been rewired when his parents purchased it (probably 45+ years ago) and had all PVC wiring, even found the odd bit of MICC. None of the lighting circuits had an earth as such - although some of the twin was in proper threaded conduit that was earthed at the origin, not much attempt had been made to maintain continuity right through to the switches and light fittings. Socket circuits on the other hand gave quite respectable readings for a TN-S install. (worst socket was about 0.3 ohms loop impedance)

Is there still a source of those connectors and double switched adapters? Or will I have to make them from old bayonet bulb ends ;-) I actually still have one and it has been used in the past to power up lights in the house when we go away. Pull the lighting fuse and use a digital timer to come on and feed the lighting ring through a suitable sized fuse. Not done that for several years now, I use timers connected to a bulb holder, hanging from the light fitting, and make them come on at logical times. Works far better.

Dave

That's probably my next step (once I've convinced him Something Needs To Be Done. From the way the earth loop readings were distributed around the 'rings' I suspect they were never rings, and were bodged (by the small local builder) on installation. The one or two original sockets I've inspected had only one cable to them, which is why I suspect junction boxes.

^^^^^^^

Doh! Class II I meant. After the number of PA(T) tests I've done I put the wrong thing.

Only second hand AFAIK...

Not quite into X10 yet then? ;-)

Was enforcement less strict than today?

When I was a kid, our family moved into a brand-new house in August

Oh well, I hope you don't get too many more jobs in the same bleeding vein.