Back in the old days you didn't need to earth light fittings if they were above a certain height. These days you do need a earth regardless of the height. You should really upgrade the wiring to the current standard and have earth wires pulled in.
Full Answer
What do I do if my light fitting is not earthed?
What do I do with the earth wire if my light fitting is not earthed? If any of our lamps, lights or bulb holders do not have an earth connection it will be because the outer surface is predominately made from a non conductive material such as glass, plastic, ceramic or bakelite etc, therefor it is not necessary to earth the unit.
Do light fittings need to be earthed?
Earthing any light, lamp, bulb holder or fitting with a metal exterior surface is required to ensure against the risk of electrocution. What happens if light fitting is not earthed? If you don’t have an earth connection in your electrics, the electrician will not be able to put a light up.
Do I need an Earth in a lighting circuit?
no you do not need a earth in a lighting circuit, but you can not have any metal fittings {switches are lights] they must all be plastic.
Does a switch need to be earthed?
If the switch is metal you will have a earth point which MUST be earthed. If the switch is plastic there is no earth, so the earth the terminates on the back box earth stud. Your onward feed to the fitting or series of fittings will again be TE cable.
Can you fit a light without an earth?
Any light, lamp, bulb holder or fitting with a conductive or metal exterior surface must always be earthed to ensure against risk of electrocution or serious injury.
What happens if you don't have an earth wire?
Without the earth wire, if a fault occurs and the live wire becomes loose, there is a danger that it will touch the case. The next person who uses the appliance could get electrocuted . The earth wire is therefore connected to the case and is attached to a metal plate or water pipe underground.
Why do some lights not have an earth wire?
Older properties that were built before 1970 were not required to have an earth cable present. What this means is that lights that are not double insulated, used in a property without an earth wire may in turn use the person who is operating the switch as the earth and you could get a nasty shock!
Can I install a light fixture without a ground wire?
Grounding your fixture is necessary for the safety of both the light and the wiring. You should ground any metal part of the fixture, including the switch, to avoid an electric shock. It's important to note that you can still use your light without a ground wire if it's safely stored and out of reach.
What happens if a light fitting is not earthed?
Most normal light fittings have an earth terminal on them & if you don't have an earth connection in your electrics then the electrician cant put the light up.
Where do you put an earth wire in a light fitting?
I would recommend putting the earth in a connector block (Especially if there is more than one cable coming into the fitting as it will be carrying the earth to other points on the circuit) . This would then be accessible for testing purposes as and when the situation arises.
Do LED lights require a ground wire?
Nope! Power is power and our LED light products won't discriminate between grounded and ungrounded power so long as it's coming through an adapter. A.K.A. as long as you're feeding it DC power your lights will work just fine, grounded or not.
How do you ground a light fixture?
0:592:05How to Connect Ground Wires in Light Fixtures - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGround make sure you make your loop. In the same direction that your nut is tightening up and thatMoreGround make sure you make your loop. In the same direction that your nut is tightening up and that will pull the wire underneath the screw.
Do you need to earth a metal light switch?
Yes, the metal faceplate needs to be earthed. Swing the earth wire from the backbox on to the faceplate, or use a piece of 1mm2 cable from the earth terminal on the backbox to the earth terminal on the faceplate.
What happens if a light switch doesn't have a ground wire?
Grounding light switches have become commonplace, used as a preventative safety measure. It is perfectly legal to wire a light switch without the inclusion of a ground. Dimmers will require a ground wire but traditional toggle-type switches will not. Omitting a ground wire on any switch is not recommended.
What if I don't have a ground wire for light switch?
If the light switch has a screw for a bare ground wire but your electrical box doesn't have one, you're OK just leaving that screw empty and connecting your other wires to the hot screws. In many cases, especially in older houses with metal boxes, the metal box may be grounded even if you don't have the wire.
What is the purpose of a ground wire on a light fixture?
Electrical code requirements making ground wiring standard were phased in during the 1960s, so most modern homes have grounded outlets and electrical panels throughout. The purpose of a ground wire is to give excess electrical charges a safe place to go.
Why do we need an earth wire?
Earthing is used to protect you from an electric shock. It does this by providing a path (a protective conductor) for a fault current to flow to earth. It also causes the protective device (either a circuit-breaker or fuse) to switch off the electric current to the circuit that has the fault.
What appliances do not need an earth wire?
Some appliances - such as vacuum cleaners and electric drills - do not have an earth wire. This is because they have plastic casings, or they have been designed so that the live wire cannot touch the casing. As a result, the casing cannot give an electric shock, even if the wires inside become loose.
Do you need to earth a plastic socket back box?
No not required,just terminate the earth wire/s in the terminal in the socket.
Why do UK plugs have earth?
The U.K. plug is designed so that the grounding prong is slightly longer than the prongs responsible for transferring current. Like a tumbler in a lock, this grounding prong is responsible for “unlocking” the socket, giving access to the more dangerous live and neutral terminals.
What happens if light fitting is not earthed?
If you don’t have an earth connection in your electrics, the electrician will not be able to put a light up. A class 2 light is a double insulated light that can be used without an earth connection.
Do you need an earth on a lighting circuit?
The lighting circuit needs an cPC on it. This doesn’t mean that you don’t need one on an existing circuit. This means that any electrical device that requires connection to earth can’t be used on the lighting circuit.
Do you need to earth metal light switch?
The face plate should have the earth connected to it. The metal backbox needs to be “earthed” by taking a wire from the earth slot in the face plate to the back box. If the screws in the backbox aren’t fixed, then this is required.
Can an RCD trip with no earth?
The RCD won’t trip as there isn’t any current flow and the earth has potential. There is a chance that a second fault will cause an electric shock.
Will a plug work without an earth?
Some appliances only have a single wire. They don’t rely on the earth wire for protection. Make sure the screw on the earth terminal is not loose because there is no earth wire to connect the plug to.
Does a plug need an earth wire?
If you need to wire a plug, the instructions can be found on most electrical items. Double insulated appliances have no need for a wire. The Live terminal is on the right side and has a brown wire going to it.
How do you ground a light fixture without a ground wire?
Simply connect the hot wire from the electrical box to the hot wire on the light fixture if you are installing an electrical light fixture that does not have a ground wire.
What should I do with twin flex?from community.screwfix.com
What you should really do is take a short piece of twin flex from the fitting into a suitable joint box and continue the earths in the JB. Personally if doing it this way a just use a small 20A joint box, others will say that horrific as its got no strain relief on the cables and wont be fastened down, I say as long as the monster that lives under the floor doesn't play with them they will be fine.
What is class 2 insulation?from plugwiring.co.uk
class 2 appliances are commonly known as double-insulated equipment, the live parts are encapsulated in basic and supplementary insulation (double), or one layer of reinforced insulation
What is a CPC?from community.screwfix.com
The circuit protective conductor, cpc, is actually the most imperative one to get correct, this is what affords protection during fault conditions etc and could save your life, again, most people do not realise that. Click to expand...
What happens if the power cable to the last light ends at the last light?from community.screwfix.com
So, if the power cable to that last light ends at that last light, then the earth wire can do so too. Just terminate it as you suggest.
What is a ring in a light?from community.screwfix.com
Light wiring - like those on the sockets - are generally carried out in two ways - a 'ring' ( which has the main power cable coming out of the CU, going around all the sockets in that circuit, and then returning to the same connection in the CU), and a radial (which means single cables heading to the lights and daisy-chaining).
Can you put a choc block on a light?from diynot.com
If the light has an earth wire and the supply cable dos'nt then DO NOT fit the light as it will not be earthed and possibly dangerous. If the other way round then fit a choc bloc to the end of the earth wire (with g/y sleeving over) and tuck away.
Why is the earth important?from community.screwfix.com
The earth protects the cable/circuit as well as anything connected to it even if the fittings are double insulated. It also means the earth is there if the fittings are ever changed in future to ones requiring an earth.
Do you have to earth a metal light?
Any light, lamp, bulb holder or fitting with a conductive or metal exterior surface must always be earthed to ensure against risk of electrocution or serious injury.
Can you fit a light fitting without an earth?
Can you fit a light fitting with no earth? Yes, if the light fitting is of a non-metallic substance, there is no real need to make an earth connection because the light fitting is not conductive.
What happens if light fitting is not earthed?
An earth connection is designed to take away the danger of electrocution from a fault in an incredibly fast time. Most normal light fittings have an earth terminal on them & if you don't have an earth connection in your electrics then the electrician cant put the light up.
Can you wire a light with no earth?
lighting circuits pre 1966 did not have earth or circuit protective conductor,No metal light switches or light fittings can be fitted unless marked as class 2 which is double insulated. upgrade of the wiring would be twin and earth from the consumer unit to each ceiling rose and each switch.
Do LED lights need to be earthed?
Now, any fixture that uses LEDs, or a bulb that uses LEDs to replace an incandescent bulb, must be grounded, similarly to the incandescent-bulb-using fixture. If not grounded, these fixtures use 110/120 volts AC power and might cause injury.
Do bathroom lights need to be earthed?
Bathroom ceiling lights, wall lights and downlights are all available without the need for an earth connection. Lightahome has actually specialised in these types of lights for years.
How do I know if my light fitting is earthed?
Take one of the wires and place it in the earthing port, which is the third hole at the top or bottom of your outlet. Place the second wire in the live port again to see if the lightbulb illuminates. If the lightbulb has the same intensity as your first test, then the outlet is properly earthed.
How to fuse a light feed from a socket?
A light feed from a socket should be fused down via a fused spur. So you take a LNE to the fused spur from the socket, you then fuse down at an appropriate level for the lighting cable and the light demand 3 amp is common and covers all but daft lighting loads.
Why do metal switches need to be earthed?
The metal switch etc must be earthed so that, if there is a fault and it becomes live, the current flows straight to earth and the MCB or RCD will operate quickly, and without you having to touch a live thing.
How much mA does a RCD need to trip?
If there is 30 mA flowing through your child from the switch plate then the RCD is likely to trip but for a small child 20 mA can cause serious harm and could be fatal before the RCD trips if it does trip.
How often should you test earthing lights?
There are instructions See this by the Electrical safety council but the rules were changed in the 1960's on earthing lights and electrical installations should be tested every 10 years or change of occupier which ever is shortest time so between the 1960's and now the problem should have been raised at least 4 times so the owner should be well aware of the problem and has had at least 40 years to correct it.
What happens if there is no earth connection to the metal switch plate?
If there is no earth connection to the metal switch plate then there can be no path for current to earth other than through a body if there is a fault and if there is no earth current the RCD will not have an in-balance between Live and Neutral current ans therefor will be unable to trip.
What happens if there is no earth wire?
If there is no earth wire (tested for continuity back to the main earth terminal) you MUST NOT use metal switches or other accessories. The RCD provides additional safety (compared to not having an RCD) if you touch something live. It is not guaranteed to protect against fatal electric shock, especially for children.
How many W can you use without an earth connection?
Country: In a house you are allowed 20 W without an earth connection if you use a approved isolation transformer, it is the only IT supply allowed in a house. IT means the supply is isolated from terra firma (earth) hence the IT label. The only place these are used is in a bathroom.
What does "no lighting" mean?
This does mean that no lighting or other electrical device that requires connection to earth cannot be used on the lighting circuit. So warnings should be given as such.
Can you rewire a fitting Nicola?
Rewire it Nicola regardless to the disruption of decoration. Hope this helps and my answer does not seem too harsh. I have seen too many tenants take down ordinary lighting drops and put up fancy chrome lights. If you have not provided adequate maintainence and warning notcies as mentioned above you could be liable if there was an accident even though technically the tenant should not have changed the fitting.
Can you run a circuit without a CPC?
The circuit or circuits without cpc must be clearly identified at the consumer unit. It is by far the safest and best option to have the circuit upgraded so that it conforms to today’s wiring regulations. Whichever way you go, get a full Periodic Inspection on the property before letting it out. Hope this helps.
Can a CPC be upgraded?
The regulations allow a consumer unit to be upgraded even if the cpc (circuit protective conductor) is absent providing that a number of point are followed. The main one being that NO metal accessories are installed on that particular circuit. Class 2 double insulated fittings or pvc pendants or battens are acceptable.
Is a rewired circuit required under BS 7671?
There is no legal requirement, and no regulation in BS 7671, requiring and existing lighting circuit to be rewired or otherwise upgraded to current standards. The following are some of the main requirements of BS 7671 that must be taken into account where an existing lighting circuit without cpc is to be extended or altered.
Is it safe to upgrade a circuit?
It is by far the safest and best option to have the circuit upgraded so that it conforms to today’s wiring regulations.
Is renting a long term gain?
Renting is a long term gain and the only long term practical solution is to outlay some cash, eradicate potential problems and then hopefully sit back and watch the rents coming in . Rewire it Nicola regardless to the disruption of decoration. Hope this helps and my answer does not seem too harsh.
What is a Ground Wire?from farmihomie.com
A ground wire is usually a bare wire or green wire in the fixture. It is designed for protective reasons, which is in the events of any short circuits or if a live wire breaks loose in a ceiling fixture, the ground wire signals the circuit breaker. It is, in simple terms, an extra layer of safety.
Where are the mounting screws on a ceiling light?from farmihomie.com
Locate the mounting screws at the base of the fixture. Unscrew them and lower the bottom of the fixture to expose the wiring from the ceiling.
What color wires are in a pendant?from electriciansforums.net
the pendant has a small connector with blue,brown and green/yellow wires. however on the ceiling , there is just one basic pendant with 2 cords attached (blue and brown) so there’s no earth.
Do lights need to be earthed?from avforums.com
If the lights have a metallic shield they are classed as class1 equipment and they do have to be earthed. If the shield is plastic then they do not need to be earthed but it seems they are class 1 equipment. You can ignore the earth connection even in class 1 equipment provided:
Should an electrician run a supplementary earth?from avforums.com
If there isnt an earth in the cable NO electrician should run a supplementary earth.
Do you have to be an electrician to make something compliant?from electriciansforums.net
P.s. you don’t have to be an electrician or touch any wires to make something that was compliant, non compliant.
Do new lights have metal around them?from avforums.com
Yes the new lights do have metal around them, but, somewhat strange, so do the old ones.
