No Earth in Socket
- Thread starter diynoob
- Start date
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Have a look underneath the socket.
If the socket is fed by an armoured cable it could be earthed via the steel armour wires wrapped around the cable. The armour is usually clamped by a gland nut where the cable enters the backbox.
Of course, for that to work, there should be a similar arrangement at t'other end of the cable too...
If the socket is fed by an armoured cable it could be earthed via the steel armour wires wrapped around the cable. The armour is usually clamped by a gland nut where the cable enters the backbox.
Of course, for that to work, there should be a similar arrangement at t'other end of the cable too...
The armour of the SWA cable is earthed.
The armour is connected to the metal back box via the SWA gland
The wire that connects the earth terminal to the backbox ensures a good earth connection, otherwise you would be relying on the socket retaining screws to provide the earth connection. Not a good idea as they are meant to hold the front plate on, not to provide an electrical connection.
PS I hope you turned the power off before taking the socket front off the back box!
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Oh I see, the earth wire is connecting the socket's earth terminal to the backbox, and the backbox is earthed via the armoured cable. I was in the mindset of thinking that the wire was there to earth the backbox. Makes sense now.
I did turn the power off, but this socket is dead anyway which is why I was nosing around.
I did turn the power off, but this socket is dead anyway which is why I was nosing around.
I found the source to the shed sockets and it's not pretty. The armoured cable leads back to the socket on the left in the house.
Note that the earth is not attached here using a gland. The armour is twisted around and then sleeved and connected to the earth terminal. Is that allowed?
So the shed sockets are a spur from the socket on the left. However, there is another spur coming off it - to the FCU on the right. The FCU also has a spur, to an outside socket. That outside socket has a spur to an outside light.
Now looking back at the left socket, there is only one cable left, therefore the left socket is itself a spur
I found the socket that feeds the left socket and it is on the ring so the dodgy spurring ends there. The left socket is the start of the mess. If I get that replaced by a FCU will that make the arrangement compliant? I would lose a socket, and the whole down stream arrangment would be limited by the FCU, but that's fine.
Note that the earth is not attached here using a gland. The armour is twisted around and then sleeved and connected to the earth terminal. Is that allowed?
So the shed sockets are a spur from the socket on the left. However, there is another spur coming off it - to the FCU on the right. The FCU also has a spur, to an outside socket. That outside socket has a spur to an outside light.
Now looking back at the left socket, there is only one cable left, therefore the left socket is itself a spur
I found the socket that feeds the left socket and it is on the ring so the dodgy spurring ends there. The left socket is the start of the mess. If I get that replaced by a FCU will that make the arrangement compliant? I would lose a socket, and the whole down stream arrangment would be limited by the FCU, but that's fine.
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