Earth fly @ socket walkthrough?

[Casterbridge]

An earth fly is no longer necessary for a standard socket. My understanding is that the screw connected the earth to the metal backplate. But doesn't that sound a bit Heath Robinson. How many times do people drop the front plate without isolating? To do kitchen tiling for example. Imagine the plate dropped, and when re-connecting the plate someone pushes the face plate against the metal backplate and, say clips the line cable against the sharipish edge of the metral plate? Am I missinbg something, or would a fly earth eliminate a potenially hazardous issue?

 

[sparkwright]

Agree with you, once the faceplate is removed, the back box is no longer earthed.

There's still a lot of electricians who do earth the back box though.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It's not a requirement but nor is it forbidden.

 

[RF Lighting]

Remember BS7671 is a MINIMUM standard for your work. I'm sure all proper electricians still fit fly leads.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Am I missinbg something,

Yes you are missing something - the situation that you descrisbe is where the socket face plate is removed with the circuit still energised.

Do you consider this a

potentially hazardous issue?

?

I have seen too many line conductors pop out of the back of sockets when they are removed from the wall. Not on my watch mate. Safe isolation, then take the plate off.

 

[Casterbridge]

Yes TTC I do consider dropping the face plate a potentially hazardous issue if you have not isolated first, but my point is, once the electrician has left the premises, there is nothing stopping someone else dropping the faceplate without checking with you, once you're long and gone? e.g. someone re-tiling a kitchen might not isolate although they should - after all they've got to make a cup of tea while working

 

[sparkwright]

What WAS a bad practice was this,

Metal conduit systems where the only earth was the conduit itself; or mineral insulated cable where the only earth was the sheath itself, and there would be no flylead from the metal back box to the socket front.

Again, the earth connection relied on the fixing screws - and if the socket front was loosened for decorating, that socket had no earth.

Thankfully that doesn't seem to be done now.

 

[RF Lighting]

That wasn't and isn't allowed under BS7671.

You are still required to install the link with all wiring systems when using surface metal clad boxes.

 

[sparkwright]

Ah.

Seemed a common way of doing things on 1960s concrete flats and the like.

 

[flameport]

Relying on the fixing screws is useless with sockets like this one:

Untitled

• flameport
• 20 Nov 2013
• 1

That's not some old thing either - new and still available to buy:
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/d190/sd2633/p33287

 

[DaftPunk]

Wow that's horrible

 

[JohnW2]

Relying on the fixing screws is useless with sockets like this one:

Goodness - is that even compliant with BS1363? stillp?

If they weren't so dirt cheap, I might have suspected that it had been done deliberately for some specialised application.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Imagine the plate dropped, and when re-connecting the plate someone pushes the face plate against the metal backplate and, say clips the line cable against the sharipish edge of the metral plate? Am I missinbg something, or would a fly earth eliminate a potenially hazardous issue?

Where's the hazard?

The back box (which by then is inaccessible) becomes live, and then as soon as the socket is settled in place and the screws put in, the RCD trips. A fly-lead would make that happen a little bit sooner, that's all.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

my point is, once the electrician has left the premises, there is nothing stopping someone else dropping the faceplate without checking with you, once you're long and gone? e.g. someone re-tiling a kitchen might not isolate although they should

There's nothing to stop them crossing the road without looking, removing all the safety guards and interlocks on tile saws, rubbing grouting into their eyes and drinking drain cleaner either.

 

[mfarrow]

You are still required to install the link with all wiring systems when using surface metal clad boxes.

I'm not familiar with that being the case - can you point me to the right reg?