Earthing a chrome light switch

[robbie11940]

I have recently bought a 1930s semi and some of the wiring is not up to standard. I updated the light switches over the weekend to chrome from plastic but there was no earth cable for me to connect just a live and neg. can I add my own earth wire and how. The plug sockets I upgraded to chrome did have earth wires.

Any suggestions?????

 

[JohnD]

Some older installations do not have an earth wire in the lighting circuits.

These must NOT have metal switches fitted as you cannot earth them. Nor metal lamp fittings.

Sorry, you'll have to put plastic ones on (until you get it rewired).

 

[Steve]

ASAP ASAP ASAP ASAP

DANGER OF DEATH

 

[danp]

Some older installations do not have an earth wire in the lighting circuits.

These must NOT have metal switches fitted as you cannot earth them. Nor metal lamp fittings.

Sorry, you'll have to put plastic ones on (until you get it rewired).

Ah right, think that answers one of my questions as well, b*gga...

Can I not earth the (metal light) fittings to the back box (metal) behind the wall and ceiling roses ? Sparky suggested basically doing that for my a shaver socket in bathroom...

 

[JohnD]

No.

On a lighting circuit with no earth, the metal backbox is not earthed to anything.

 

[Adam_151]

Not unless the box in the wall happens to be earthed, which could be the case if things are run in conduit.

BTW, if the box in the wall is not earthed, you should be using nylon screws, oh and be careful about playing round with an installation of that vintage, it could be VIR and it might just decide to fall off the cables leaving you up the paddle without a creek, or something like that!

 

[JohnD]

If it's an oldish domestic installation with no visible earth, I wouldn't trust the conduit Probably not earthed, probably slip jointed, and probably not continuous

 

[robbie11940]

Apart from getting a full or part re-wire is the any other way of making these chrome light sockets safe… Maybe I could run a earth wire from the chrome plugs which are earthed up to the light switches.

 

[JohnD]

You don't want to take the advice of removing them and fitting plastic ones, do you?

 

[Steve]

Maybe I could run a earth wire from the chrome plugs which are earthed up to the light switches.

It would be just as much disruption to rewire the lighting circuit.

 

[robbie11940]

Thanks for the advice guys I’ll through in the towel and go for a re-wire. I guess it will cost about £1750 for an average sized semi and about 3 or 4 days work. What do you think?