i am changing some light switches from white plastic to chrome, when i loosened the white fronts i noticed the earths had been cut right back as the back boxes and fronts are plastic. does anyone know the best thing to do regarding earths or are there any chrome covers that fit onto plastic faces thanks
light switches
- Thread starter jaydee242
- Start date
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ideally you would smash out the backboxes and put metal ones in.
reagrding the earths ,through crimp them.use a decent crimper and they wont fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you must earth the metal switchplates using the earth terminal provided.
reagrding the earths ,through crimp them.use a decent crimper and they wont fail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you must earth the metal switchplates using the earth terminal provided.
If the CPC has been snipped at the switch, then I'd want to verify it is actually connected to earth at the other end.
what utter tosh and a totally stupid response..
the plastic back box is most likely a fast fix box in a plasterboard wall.. there is no way to retro fix a metal back box into the wall...
if it is indeed a fast fix box, then there is lilkely slack in the wire which can be pulled through and the outer sheath stripped back..
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hello happy!
i aint saying its essential to have a metal back box in a brick wall,more one of my pet hates seeing it.you never know he might end up screwing down to tight and busting the thread,what does he do then?
very minimal work to make good after putting in a metal one.still its up to him either way.you could be right about the cavity wall,but then you could be wrong.i will always push for the best job rather than the minimums you can get away with.what happens if no slack and i am right about the box/wall combination.he may have to gain slack somehow,removing the backbox is a good way od accesing the pipe.
#let the original poster tell us what box he has .i am sure he wont need you to jump in like this
btw stop kicking my backside there is nothing wrong with the advice i gave him.why you keep jumping down my throat.
tool
i aint saying its essential to have a metal back box in a brick wall,more one of my pet hates seeing it.you never know he might end up screwing down to tight and busting the thread,what does he do then?
very minimal work to make good after putting in a metal one.still its up to him either way.you could be right about the cavity wall,but then you could be wrong.i will always push for the best job rather than the minimums you can get away with.what happens if no slack and i am right about the box/wall combination.he may have to gain slack somehow,removing the backbox is a good way od accesing the pipe.
#let the original poster tell us what box he has .i am sure he wont need you to jump in like this
btw stop kicking my backside there is nothing wrong with the advice i gave him.why you keep jumping down my throat.
tool
again, lack of information from the OP has lead to us each making asumptions and starting an argument..
I apologise if my comment offended...
but in my mind at least, no sparky puts plastic back boxes into a brick wall.. so it struck me as being a fast fix box in a stud wall..
on thinking on it however, it may be a surface patress but then fitting a chrome switch to it would just look awfull..
oh and to the OP, I do recall seeing a chrome clip on cover for sockets so there should be covers for switches too.. it depends on the make however..
I apologise if my comment offended...
but in my mind at least, no sparky puts plastic back boxes into a brick wall.. so it struck me as being a fast fix box in a stud wall..
on thinking on it however, it may be a surface patress but then fitting a chrome switch to it would just look awfull..
oh and to the OP, I do recall seeing a chrome clip on cover for sockets so there should be covers for switches too.. it depends on the make however..
No - what he said was right. Yes there are instances of people burying plastic backboxes in brick or equivalent walls, but the chances of this being the case are so small that without corroboration from the OP it was utter tosh, and stupid advice, to tell him to smash them out and put metal ones in.
with all due respect B.A.S. we've settled this argument and both apologised like grown men so we don't need you to start stiring it up again..
untill we get further confirmation from the OP we're leaving it alone...
untill we get further confirmation from the OP we're leaving it alone...
ive pulled a few fronts off and i have found that there are some surface mounted plastic back boxes that have been buried into the brick wall and there is no play in the cables, im wondering if i can move the switches in the direction of cable run to maybe get some length of earth that seems like the easiest way any ideas please
and daytona called it...
yes, do as daytona said and smash the backboxed out and move the light switches up or down a bit ( depending on which way the cable comes.. )
if they are run in conduit you might be stuffed, but if they are in capping then you can snip back the capping carefully..
if it's conduit though, there should be no trouble replacing the switch drop all the way back to the light..
the metal backboxes will be smaller than the plastic ones, so get some pollyfilla...
yes, do as daytona said and smash the backboxed out and move the light switches up or down a bit ( depending on which way the cable comes.. )
if they are run in conduit you might be stuffed, but if they are in capping then you can snip back the capping carefully..
if it's conduit though, there should be no trouble replacing the switch drop all the way back to the light..
the metal backboxes will be smaller than the plastic ones, so get some pollyfilla...
own up, what was the edit for?
posted and "i told you so!!!" and then thought better of it?
posted and "i told you so!!!" and then thought better of it?
thinking on,it could be the filler between the box and pipe stopping the slack from coming through.try chipping away at that very very carefully with the supply off.either that or maybe catching on the pipes/capping /oval upstairs in floor voids or loft space so see what you can do from above.dont pull to hard either way or you could do more harm than good.breaking out the boxes is still the best job by far though,its probably the cable entry for the backbox stopping the cable from coming through.
are you sure you cant get a crimp on the earth?
are you sure you cant get a crimp on the earth?
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