Old electric Fire fused spur not earthed?

[Chris198801]

Hi, There used to be an old 2-bar electric fire permanently attached to a wall in my flat which was built in the 1960s. The wiring is pyro. It was fed by a fused switch set into the wall. The fire is long gone, and I'd like to swap the fused swtch with a power socket, but - looking into the box - there's no earth connection. This is alarming as the fire had many external metal parts. The earth on the removable plate ends in bare multi-cored wire. I'm wondering if it was put there to touch the patrice box which might be connected to earth somehow. There are two pairs of black cables, and there is a tape tab on one which, perhaps, used to be red.

Any thoughts on if/how I can re-enstate this as a power socket? If not, I guess it's plastic wire nuts and a blanking plate.

On a related topic, the actual poer ocket on this same wall, is a double switched socket of the old MK variety. The problem with replacing that is that the bolt patter is different, with a bolt above and below each of the 2 sockets - 4 nolts iin all. I can't find a modern replacement with this pattern. All I can think if is either smething involving glue (eek) or to drill new holes through the box, into the wall behind, rawl plug and then use long wood screws to hold the new socket plat in place.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

Pyro is sheathed in copper tube, which is the earth conductor. It will (should) be terminated with a brass gland that connect to the metal backbox, which will (should) have an earthing screw for the flex of your appliance.

You will probably not be able to work on the pyro yourself, as cut ends need to terminated, potted and sealed using special tools. Unsealed cuts absorb water vapour which damages it.

As for your socket, have a look at the backbox. I don't recall how many screw ferrules they had. Is it surface mounted, or sunk into the plaster? Is it fed with pyro?

 

[Chris198801]

Pyro is sheathed in copper tube, which is the earth conductor. It will (should) be terminated with a brass gland that connect to the metal backbox, which will (should) have an earthing screw for the flex of your appliance.

You will probably not be able to work on the pyro yourself, as cut ends need to terminated, potted and sealed using special tools. Unsealed cuts absorb water vapour which damages it.

As for your socket, have a look at the backbox. I don't recall how many screw ferrules they had. Is it surface mounted, or sunk into the plaster? Is it fed with pyro?

Thanks JohnD. Both boxes are set into the wall, and you're sayoing that the box itself is connected to earth by the incoming pyro sheath. I can easily test that witha multimeter, so if that's OK, then I can find a way to earth to the case, so I probably have a way forward without touching the pyro for the fire switch - thanks.

The twin socket is fed with pyro from the back, I assume - it's all pryo. I suppose the patrice may have additional tabs for bolts in the modern left/right positions; I'll check, though I hate moving those wires becuase, if they snap, I'm screwed.

Many thanks.

 

[sparkwright]

As for the double socket back box, are you sure there are not two fixing lugs at the sides, where you need them?

Have you actually looked??

If there aren't any, you could possibly consider drilling two 3mm holes in the back of the back box, and thread them with an M3.5 tap, and use long screws. Or you could use screws and extensions.

 

[Chris198801]

OK I've finishged the job and thanks for your help. As John said, the patrice was earthed so I drilled out a spare lug and connected and Earth wire to it with a nut, bolt and washer, then took that to the new socket. The double socket DID have the other tabs too - I didn'tthink to look as I didn't consider that they might be double standard. I assumed it was an old standard.

Thanks again.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Pattress

 

[Chris198801]

Well, it's a French pattress whose name is Patrice...

But thanks, I stand corrected, but a broken man )

 

[SUNRAY]

But is it a pattress or a backbox? I read it as a metal box buried in the wall.