Metal flat plate fittings

ELDON · 16 Jul 2004

Do all metal flat plate fittings have to be mounted on a metal box and not plastic, e.g., dry line boxes?

chickoo · 16 Jul 2004

ELDON said:
Do all metal flat plate fittings have to be mounted on a metal box and not plastic, e.g., dry line boxes?

I bought metal boxes for metal flat plate recently and as far as i know, you may use either of them. Moreover metal boxes cost less than plastic ones too.

ELDON · 16 Jul 2004

Thanks, chickoo. Have already bought dry line boxes but read on Homebase site that metal mounting boxes must be used with all brass fittings and wondered if this applies to all metal fittings. Sadly manufacturers instructions are non-specific about this. They do say that an earth wire must be led from the earth terminal on the fitting to the earth terminal in the mounting box, but dry line boxes have no such terminal and so I am rather confused.

plugwash · 16 Jul 2004

no problem putting metal plates on a plastic box as long as the plates have an earth terminal

chickoo · 16 Jul 2004

yes i forgot to add what plug said above. Thanks plugs.

ELDON · 16 Jul 2004

Thanks Chick & Plugs, can go ahead and get sockets and switches ready for sparky to come and wire up. Will save him bother and save me weeks of tidying up plasterwork; as on my last three house rewires.

securespark · 16 Jul 2004

plugwash said:
no problem putting metal plates on a plastic box as long as the plates have an earth terminal

And I know this sounds stupid, pedantic & an@l, but you must attach an earth wire to the switch plate terminal.

dingbat · 16 Jul 2004

securespark said:
plugwash said:

no problem putting metal plates on a plastic box as long as the plates have an earth terminal

Click to expand...

And I know this sounds stupid, pedantic & an@l, but you must attach an earth wire to the switch plate terminal.

Er, Simon, that's what plug said, isn't it?

ban-all-sheds · 17 Jul 2004

ELDON said:
Thanks Chick & Plugs, can go ahead and get sockets and switches ready for sparky to come and wire up. Will save him bother and save me weeks of tidying up plasterwork; as on my last three house rewires.

If you're on your 4th house rewire it would have paid you to do your 2381 and 2391 and DIY-ed them....

securespark · 18 Jul 2004

He said, "as long as the plates have an earth TERMINAL". I know it is a very small point, but there are some out there who take things very literally. The switch may have an earth terminal, but it needs a sound earth conductor wiring to it to be effective.

Like my mate "fill the engine with oil" - he put oil in till it came out of the filler cap.........he took it literally.

Sad, but true.

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Metal flat plate fittings

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