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The switches are these: http://www.diy.com/departments/holder-10a-2-way-black-nickel-effect-switch/176843_BQ.prd I had assumed that the "nickel effect" finish that is easily scratched with a screwdriver was not conductive. Unlike a more expensive solid brushed chrome switch. My assumption is...

Well I would have gotten away with 25m of cable! I guess my estimating skills are not too good :-) So the 50m of cable connected to the multimeter gave a reading at the meter at what seemed to be 1.2 to 1.3 Ohms. I tested the earth at each light switch in turn and got readings ranging from 1.4...

Ah ok. I suspect that i have deluded myself somehow then, as the multimeter i have is not that sensitive! So i guess i can do a basic continuity check. But measuring the resistance with a device that is probably only accurate to 20 ohms is clearly out of the question..

Yeah the house is an awkward shape and the fuse box is a long way from the furthest light switch. So i have bought 50m of 1mm t&e to to the test. My multimeter is basic, but i could measure 1.5 ohms over about 2m of 2.5mm t &e. So it should be able to measure longer lengths. I will have a...

Ah ok. So if earth worked the fuse would trip. I'll keep that as a backup plan :-)

How would that help? What would i be looking for?

Thanks for the analogy. I did no realise initial that the earth was more for failure cases as opposed to normal operation. I will buy 50m of T&E and test the continuity between the CU earth straps and the faceplate. Hopefully this will give some assurance.

So will the above continuity check go a long way to mitigating this risk on the light switches? I presume the wall sockets are lower risk, as their earths can be tested by using something such as this..

Ah ok, I now understand the continuity test. Running a wire from the earthing point next to the CU to a multimeter and then connecting the multimeter to the earth inside each switch and checking for a circuit. That sounds do-able if I can find about 50m of wire to run from the CU and the...

All face plates installed, and used! I looked at the supplied links a number of times, but it is a bit like reading Russian. Struggling to make head nor tail of it. So, so far i have not tested for continuity or if I have a faulty path to earth at the supply.

Thanks for the info. Halfway throught changing the light switches. Some have three of four earth wires going into them, so i have had to run them into "chock blocks" with a feed off of tha feeding the faceplate. In leymans terns how would i check the continuity of the earths? Thanks

Ah ok thanks will try that as the first choice solution.

So presumably running a short length of wire from earth connection on the back box to faceplate will suffice.

Hi, I am thinking of installing some chrome light switches and sockets. Light Switches: Looking at the existing wiring, the light switches (faceplates) are currently plastic and have metal back boxes set into the wall. The metal back boxes have earth wires connected to them. So is it just a...

Message received! Many thanks!

Robbie, thanks for the continued advice. I am slowly learning some new life skills! I went for the Oil based undercoat as the Zinsser White Primer said it was "solvent based". I presume if I get a water/acrylic base undercoat it will happily sit on the Zinsser White Primer? Thanks again.

Many thanks for the info. Would the below work.. 1) Prime using Zinsser White Primer http://www.diy.com/departments/zinsser-white-primer-undercoat-1l/38767_BQ.prd 2) Under coat using Leyland Trade Pure Brilliant White Gloss Undercoat...

Hello, My other half would like to remodel our staircase and paint the dark wooden hand rails and newel caps with a grey gloss paint. I have been trying to puzzle out the best way to paint the wood and get a good finish. My current thoughts are.. 1) Give it a light sanding 2) Paint it with...

Ray, many thanks for the suggestion. I have never heard of that stuff before. I have removed all of the flaky paint, so I am good there. Do you happen to know if this stuff would allow the bricks to breath? The wall section in question is internal, so one side is in the hallway and the other is...

Bump. Really keen for some advice. :-)