Old electrics with no earth? with/PIC

[JohnD]

tradesman doing a cash job, using the firm's materials?

 

[Lectrician]

Many older council houses/flats that were intended for 'rough living' where wired like this.

 

[HDRW]

quick irrelevant question?: why use pyro for normal wiring?

Quick conspiracy-theory answer: It was a council place, perhaps the contractors doing the wiring found they could charge the council much more (make more profit) by fitting expensive stuff? (And justify it by telling them it was much safer because it's fire proof)

It does seem a shame to take out the pyro and replace it with T&E - if there is a way to re-establish the Earth properly, I'd go that way, but then I hate to waste things!

Cheers,

Howard

 

[BJS_Spark]

Most old flats are wired in pyro and if you think about it it is a good choice as they normally have concrete ceilings and floors, and I would not like to do that chasing!!! Pyro is small and can be run surface as it is well protected and if installed neatly it can look Ok exposed.

 

[HDRW]

Most old flats are wired in pyro and if you think about it it is a good choice as they normally have concrete ceilings and floors, and I would not like to do that chasing!!!

Yes, that does make sense. I seem to remember my school was rewired in surface-clipped pyro - probably because all the floors were parquet, and the ceilings were about 15' high!

Pyro is small and can be run surface as it is well protected and if installed neatly it can look Ok exposed.

As long as bright orange goes with the decor...

Is there a way to terminate pyro into a plastic box safely? Can you use a tag under the nut to connect the Earth?

Cheers,

Howard

 

[BJS_Spark]

You can buy pyro sheathed in white and I believe also un-sheathed.
You can also buy pots which have an earth wire (single metal core which requires sleeving with green/yellow) bonded to the inside of the pot. They look very similar to the ones installed on the pictures in this thread and I wouldn't be surprised if on close inspection they have been cut off!!

Edit: Thinking about it they probably used to be proper pyro plaster depth metal boxes originaly and they would have had close over glands to earth the cable to the box and the earth for the socket picked off the box earth terminal. This means they probably weren't earth tagged pots.

Yes Howard you can banjo tag under a metal gland in a plastic box to pick up an earth much in the same way as with SWA as an alternative to tagged pots.