Installing ceiling: regulations general and missing ground

Hi all,

I have a few ceiling lamps that need to be installed. In all the years before, I have usually done this myself (outside UK and with the usual precautions), but with a new home, matters of insurance etc I had an electrician in for a quote of this and some other work.
Now the oddity is that some of the rooms have a ground-cable for the ceiling lamps, but none for the light switches. The switches are made of plastic, some of the lamps/ lamp holders are plastic others are metal.
Unfortunately the talk with the electrician didn't go that well, he seemed more interested to sell his all-inclusive re-wiring package which ended up in a several thousand pounds quote.

What I would like to know:
1. If the lamp has a ground cable, but the switch has not, is it save to install a metal lamp?
2. For insurance and liability in general, may a ceiling lamp be connected by a non-certified person?

Many thanks!

What tends to happen is that loop in loop out LNE feeds are rewired to the ceiling rose and the old cable to the switch left in due to it being harder to remove and re chase cable between ceiling and switch.

Since you have cpc / earth at the rose you can use metal fittings. Since you don't have cpc / earth at the switch you cannot use metal clad switches.

Minor works such as changing a fitting or even replacing a switch are within scope of DIY and thus the politically correct police won't be knocking on your door.

It would be a good idea to include a new switch cable as part of the redecoration programe as you go through the property room by room.

You are assuming that the cpc's at the ceiling roses are connected to the MET, this needs to be confirmed.

wingcoax said:

You are assuming that the cpc's at the ceiling roses are connected to the MET, this needs to be confirmed.

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Sure was.

OP to test cpc / earth continuity you will need a multimeter and suitable omg lead.

Terminate lead on the MET (main earth terminal). Then put mm probe on the rose cpc, the other probe on the lead.

Set the meter to continuity and that will provide reassurance that the earth is terminated all the way back.

mthdiy said:

What I would like to know:
1. If the lamp has a ground cable, but the switch has not, is it save to install a metal lamp?

Click to expand...

Providing you can prove that there is a continuous path to earth, you can fit metallic fitting at those points.
PS. We rather to circuit protective conductors (AKA earth) and earth. Not ground!

mthdiy said:

2. For insurance and liability in general, may a ceiling lamp be connected by a non-certified person?

Click to expand...

There is no law to say you cannot, the law does state that "reasonable provisions are made to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installation against fire and injury".
So that being the case, I would consider having documented proof to say you have complied to this, this can be by the means of a minor works certificate and an understanding of test results taken.