Vintage mains light switches

[SteadyRolling]

So I have a load of lovely old brass mains light switches (pictured is one of the plain ones, some of the others are much more special) that I would like to use to give my Victorian house a slightly more appropriate period look than the awful 80s white plastic installed by a previous owner. Problem is (I'm told) the lack of earthing on the switch units - is anyone aware of any safe modern replacements that are available to attach to the brass plates in the same way pls? Obviously the actual switch part of the unit would need to be brass/brass-coloured too.

 

[ETAF]

earth for lighting i think was introduced around 1966 , although i have lived in some 70's house with no earth on lighting circuit
anything metal is going to need earthing unless its in some sort of double insulated container
you dont have any earths at all in the light circuit ?????

i found a lot online - BUT non say double insulated and not sure how they would do that anyway - Others in the trade may know better

 

[ericmark]

There is nothing to stop you using extra low voltage switching, I have one smart relay which does that, Table 53.2 - Guidance on the selection of protective, isolation and switching devices lists the BS or BS EN number of each device and says what it can be used for.

is what is listed in my old copy of BS7671, there may be more, but as an electrician I would not fit any light switch which does not have some sort of British Standard.

Years ago when I started I saw items like this

used for mains voltage, clearly today would only be used with extra low voltage, just because it was used years ago does not mean it is safe.

 

[flameport]

24 volts AC SELV supply for the switches, and a box of relays located somewhere convenient and out of sight to control the 230V AC lights.

 

[SteadyRolling]

Thanks guys, this is already way over my understanding (I can straight-swap sockets and light switches but that's about my limit). But please post any other bright ideas and I'll discuss them when I call in an electrician as this is obv not gonna be a job for me unless replacement units are indeed available...

 

[SUNRAY]

Thanks guys, this is already way over my understanding (I can straight-swap sockets and light switches but that's about my limit). But please post any other bright ideas and I'll discuss them when I call in an electrician as this is obv not gonna be a job for me unless replacement units are indeed available...

Do you also have suitable backboxes for that/those

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Problem is (I'm told) the lack of earthing on the switch units - is anyone aware of any safe modern replacements that are available to attach to the brass plates in the same way pls?

Are you saying there is no earth available at the switches? If you have, perhaps you could adapt what you have, to add earth terminals, such as soldering a brass bolt head, to the brass plate, to form an earth terminal?

 

[bernardgreen]

24 volts AC SELV supply for the switches,

DC would be better than AC,

The coils in AC relays can create a humming noise.

 

[SUNRAY]

DC would be better than AC,

The coils in AC relays can create a humming noise.

Certainly can but modern ones are much better.

 

[SteadyRolling]

Do you also have suitable backboxes for that/thoseView attachment 395933

The bloke that I spoke to about them (I was enquiring about a "PAT test" sort of thing at a local electrical repair shop which is how I realised about lack of earth) suggested making wooden boxes for the ones that will be a different shape to what's there now.

 

[SteadyRolling]

Are you saying there is no earth available at the switches? If you have, perhaps you could adapt what you have, to add earth terminals, such as soldering a brass bolt head, to the brass plate, to form an earth terminal?

It almost seems too easy/obvious a solution to be what I need... I have actually just found this post on a similar topic - https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/vintage-light-switch-reused.12310/post-67843 - so will investigate both solutions later this week, thanks

 

[SUNRAY]

The bloke that I spoke to about them (I was enquiring about a "PAT test" sort of thing at a local electrical repair shop which is how I realised about lack of earth) suggested making wooden boxes for the ones that will be a different shape to what's there now.

Hopefully you can see in the picture the switches are screwed to the back of the box.
Then the brass plate is held in place by the lockrings.
That's not to say all sortsof "alternative arrangements" have been created over the years (50 years ago I used some mounted on a hardboard panel in the way your pic shows for my trainset)

The pic I used came from https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/using-old-crabtree-dolly-light-switches-ed.628850/

 

[securespark]

The only times I have come across those lovely old Crabtree ceramic switches with the cast boxes, they were wired in conduit connected back to a cast board, so solidly earthed.

But I guess the boxes could have an earth terminal retro-fitted. As to attaching one to the plate, that's not going to be easy.
But, as Sunray says, the plate will be earthed when attached to the switch modules with the threaded ring.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

But I guess the boxes could have an earth terminal retro-fitted.

Those I recall seeing, had a sort of raised lug in the rear, with a 4BA tapped hole in it, to accept an earth lug/screw.

 

[securespark]

Ah, good old 4BA....I love the old imperial stuff.

Pulled a single box out of the lounge years ago to swap it for a double, it was, by today's standards, a beast. Really chunky steel and thick coats of black paint.