New ceiling light fittings

[PenguinWithHair]

Hey guys, I'm replacing my ceiling light fittings and it looks like a bit of a nightmare so I'm hoping to tidy it up a bit with your help.

Can you check my understanding of what's going on here please and tell me if I'm wrong.

Here's the scarey thing, our old celing fittings are metal and they don't appear to be attached to an earth wire! There's no connection on the old fittings for an earth wire either.

Our new fittings are metal and I'd like to check if I've got the right idea here, do I attach the earth connection on the new fittings to all avaliable bare wires which I think are earthed.

Can anyone tell me if it's a problem that the live and neutral are attached from multiple groups of wires? I'm planning on connecting those points exactly as the old ones were as they were working perfectly as they are, I'd just like to make sure the new fittings are earthed!

Many thanks guys

 

[chivers67]

Attach you earths to the light fitting for sure, buy some earth sleeving, you can join the existing earths with a choc block and extend if necessary. What fitting does the first photo go into is it some kind of double light

 

[PenguinWithHair]

The two different pictures are for two different light fittings, but yea both pictures are just normal light fittings with three bulbs on them, for some reason there are two groups of wires for one light, and three groups of wires for the other, not really sure what's going on there. I really just wanted to double check with you guys that a bare wire is very likely to be the earth wire. It's just amazing really the old lights weren't earthed and they're low hanging metal fittings!

 

[Echo the husky]

That wiring is terrible. The bare wires should be earth, but only testing can confirm that. If I saw that sort of disgusting wiring in 2 fittings, I would be checking all the others and the switches etc. It would be a good idea to call an electrician to tidy and test the wiring to ensure it is safe. Sellotape has no place in electrical installations, although it has been used extensively on the wiring of a local kebab shop!

 

[PenguinWithHair]

I do agree Mr Husky, thats why for now I wanted to have a second opinion from here but yea from the looks of this we could have some bodged jobs about the place.

 

[flameport]

The first picture shows the end of what looks like slip conduit with the T&E cable shoved through it so that the sharp end can cut into the cable.
Such conduit was used as the earth in many old installations.
It may have been rewired and the earths connected properly. Or not.

 

[PenguinWithHair]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've given this mess a jolly tidy up with choc blocks and insulation tape around just to be sure.

Can I double check my decuction skills, I'm not sure it really matters in terms of functionality but for my own sake of understanding I'd like to ask. Here's what the multimeter is telling me.

Live and neutral - 240v
Live and earth - 0v
Neurtal and earth - 240v

Is it a reasonable assumption to say live and neutral are wrongly labled. I think the lights will still work either way but for the purpose of added safety and tidyness I'd like to get them labled up correctly.

 

[PenguinWithHair]

Side note, I'm using how the lights were wired up previously as a reference here, as all the wires are actually just black.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Live and neutral - 240v
Live and earth - 0v
Neurtal and earth - 240v

Is it a reasonable assumption to say live and neutral are wrongly labled. I think the lights will still work either way but for the purpose of added safety and tidyness I'd like to get them labled up correctly.

Well, wrongly labelled on your picture.

The Browns and Blues are the wrong way round.