Two earths into one terminal

[westyuk1]

Novice question if anyone can help. I've bought a replacement switched spur socket for the shower. It is identical with two live and two neutral wires for feed and supply but it only has one earth terminal. The older socket has two earth terminals.

Is it safe to screw both the earth wires into the same terminal?

 

[securespark]

Yes.

 

[westyuk1]

Thanks! I've just done that. The shower turned on for a couple of seconds but then then it went off. No noise or tripped fuse switch. I changed the 13A fuse on the new socket, checked no bare wires and all terminals were secured tight but it happened again. On for a few seconds then the fuse has gone. Is it likely the replacement socket is faulty?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

What sort of shower is it?

What was the old switch like? Was it a switched FCU?

Why did you replace it?

If you've got an instant electric shower then there's no way you can put it on an FCU, and it's worrying to think you thought you could.

If it's a pump and it keeps blowing the fuse then either it or the wiring is faulty.

 

[rjm2k]

What shower is it? It's doubtful that it should be connected in the way you suggest but should have a dedicated circuit with the correct MCB/RCD provision. An 8.5kW shower will be 36Amps which is far more than your 13Amp socket can handle! What size cable is going to the socket/FCU?

 

[JohnW2]

What was the old switch like? Was it a switched FCU? Why did you replace it? If you've got an instant electric shower then there's no way you can put it on an FCU, and it's worrying to think you thought you could.

If it worked previously, and had been installed correctly, I suspect that the OP may have replaced an appropriate isolator switch with a switched FCU.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How could anbody be that stupid though?

 

[JohnW2]

How could anbody be that stupid though?

We've probably all known cases of otherwise very intelligent people who have done pretty crazy things in relation to a field with which they were not familiar. The stupidity is, I guess, in not recognising that a field is one in which one is ignorant (different from stupid!) and therefore in which one should not be meddling.

However, this is all speculative. Maybe there was an SFCU there before - in which case we are presumably being 'spared' some vital information.

Kind Regards, John

 

[westyuk1]

It shouldn't be a fused socket as mentioned. After digging out the old one it's a 45A DP cooker type switch. A stupid mistake through rushing, I've got a load little jobs to finish before I go back to work next week... Anyway thanks for the replies.

Will this suffice?

http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/electric...on-Single-Plate-Blk-Int-9373643?skuId=9674348

 

[Spark123]

Yes, it should do. Compare it to the old one first - if the holes are in different places and the wires short then it could be a pain.