Updating lighting wiring

This is the next stage in the new lounge wall lights saga.

I've now checked the lighting wiring, and most is not earthed (checked for continuity with a known earthed 13-amp socket). But there is - usually - an earth wire in the old cable. This summarises the lighting wiring:

Light 1. This has the cabling at a strange angle. The connected wires are red and blue; there is a white wire but this is not connected. There is a bare earth wire, not connected to earth by continuity test.

Light 2. This Is connected via a spur from a 2-amp socket. It failed the earth continuity test. I opened the 2-amp socket and found it was also wired up with red and blue wires, and an unconnected white wire. There was a bare earth wire (although green/yellow sleeved) connected to the socket earth, and the spur cable earth wire, but this green/yellow sleeved earth also had no continuity when tested.

Light 3 Is not on the same circuit as the other two, and is not operated by the wall switch. It has red and black wiring, and a bare earth wire. This is connected to earth as it passed the continuity test.

The wall switch has red and white connected wiring, and a blue unconnected wire. There is no earth wire at all. The switch is plastic, but fitted to a metal pattress in the wall. (NB the cable is grey PVC, all cable to the wall lights is white PVC.)

So the questions:

If it passes insulation tests, could the current wiring to the lights be used if the earth was made functional?

Can it be made functional by simply connecting it to a known good earth point?

As the switch is not earthed and has a metal pattress, does it need new cabling and the pattress connected to earth?

If I have a new central ceiling light connected up (using cable which complies with the current regs), would an electrician be allowed to connect it to the old cabling (assuming that cabling is safe!)?

Reply to
Jeff Layman
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Well I think to be honest this sounds like one of two things. You do it all yourself and keep quiet if selling the property, or you get an electrician in who will want to rip the mess apart and rewire it all. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

That's why I asked the question. Would it be within the regs to connect up the earth of cabling which is already there, even if the rest of that cabling is the "wrong" colour? That would be a happy medium for me, as it would not require a complete rewire and resulting redecoration that would involve.

Reply to
Jeff Layman

If it's your family home it can be used with or without earthing.

AIUI it's already functional. Connecting earth from something earthed to the lighting points would improve safety, of course it's not regs compliant to borrow an earth from another circuit, but it's better.

Define need. You're working with a noncompliant setup. If it's a recessed pattress, you could use plastic screws instead. If it's surface then earthing it would be a good idea, but you're not normally obliged to upgrade it.

If you mean in a new location, no. They can't connect 3 core cable to a 2 core circuit. And presumably the CU supplying it is also not compliant.

Probably, if said CPC meets the regs. Unless I've missed it you've not said why you're keen to partly meet the regs. None of the options is going to end up regs compliant except a rewire & most likely a new CU. What exactly are you trying to achieve?

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

If you were to connect it up, when you came to sell, who would know that it hadn't been connected from the day that it was first installed?

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

That's good to know.

OK. I'd thought an earth was an earth was an earth...etc. I checked this afternoon and the cable bringing power to the lounge lighting circuit is two core without earth. Interestingly, following it back to its source revealed it terminated in a veritable rats nest of tangled cables joined by "flying" terminal blocks wrapped in insulating tape! Some of the other cables had earths, so it would be possible to replace that lighting twin without earth with twin and earth (as per

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) Was it ever compliant to borrow an earth? In the loft there are several single green/yellow wires running from one place to another.

Insulated screws sounds the simplest solution.

The CU was new 6 years ago and compliant then. I have no idea if it's compliant now.

I was hoping to make the light fittings safer by connecting them to an earth. I assume there was a good reason that the regs changed umpteen years ago to make twin and earth compulsory for lighting.

If this pl;ace had been built between 1966 and 67 instead of 1965 and 66 I doubt I'd be having all these issues with the lighting!

Reply to
Jeff Layman

The 1st edition of the wiring regs in 1882 did not address shock risk at all. When borrowing earth was prohibited I don't know.

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yes

it should be, other than it probably being plastic, which won't be an issue re rewiring one circuit.

Adding a borrowed earth plus putting a notice to that effect on the CU would eliminate 98% of the risk of lacking an earth. Rewiring from end to end would eliminate 100%.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

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