Earthing

[Gethy]

Hi,

Can anyone help with the following?

We are having the kitchen replastered and we have bought some new fancy lights from IKEA (Plug), the lights have no connector for an earth.

Can i use the lights?

If so what do i do with the earth?

Thanks

Gethy

 

[plugwash]

all earths should be joined with chock block within the fitting

 

[Gethy]

all earths should be joined with chock block within the fitting

The block inside has only a (L)ive and (N)eutral.

Thanks

 

[plugwash]

so you get another chockblock and use it inside the fitting to connect the earths

also if it's loop in wiring you will need one to connect the permanent lives to the switch cable

 

[Gethy]

Sorry for my Noobness

Inside there is no earth wire.

 

[plugwash]

how are you installing theese lights

if it is im place of an existing fitting there will most likely be 3 wires

two cuircuit cables and a switch cable

as can be seen all earths need to be joined and the permanent live needs to feed down the switch wire so you will need a peice of terminal block with 2 ways to do this (you buy the stuff in strips and cut off the number of ways you need)

if you are planning to put more than one light in on one switch link them with normal twin and earth joining and terminating earths in terminal block

if you want them joined to the exiting light then just join onto that with normal twin and earth with the live and nutral goining to where the light flex goes atm and the earth joined to all the other earths

if you are doing a new install from scratch then you will need to put in a new switch cable and either
1: put your light in the existing cuircuit cable and wire as above
2: reroute existing cuircuit cable to new position and put in a new cable to complete the lighting cuircuit then wire as above
3: branch off the lighting cuircuit cable and wire as above
4: wire from a socket to a switched fcu (useing 2.5mm cable) and then from the fcu onto the new lights and fit a 3A fuse in the fcu

 

[BR]

ok, your new lights are double insulated and therefore require no earth connection. This is perfectly acceptable. join any earth wires which are already in the ceiling together using a separate connector block 'choc block' , wrap insulation over this tuck it out of the way (i.e. up into the ceiling)

If possible, look to see what wires you have connected to the existing ceiling rose in your kitchen, so as we can determine what kind of a lighting system you have so as to tell you what else you have to do.

How old is the house?

 

[plugwash]

br the chock block should be placed inside the fitting with the block used to conenct to the light

taping it ad tacking it into the viod is not acceptable

 

[Gethy]

I am doing a straight replacement for the existing lights, there is a live in with earth, and two other wires (NEUTRAL?) both with a single cable.
Both lights have independant switchs, that only activate the respective light.

The house is 30 years old, older than me

 

[BR]

br the chock block should be placed inside the fitting with the block used to conenct to the light

taping it ad tacking it into the viod is not acceptable

It depends on the individual circumstances. I agree that terminating the earths inside the fitting is neater and leaves the earth wires clear to see should the fitting be replaced in the future.

However, many of the new light fittings do not allow for this, due to the fact that the connector blocks are installed in plastic junction box's for example. and what if a loop in lighting system is in use? All fitting into the light unit? Rarely.

 

[BR]

I am doing a straight replacement for the existing lights, there is a live in with earth, and two other wires (NEUTRAL?) both with a single cable.
Both lights have independant switchs, that only activate the respective light.

The house is 30 years old, older than me

Please clarify this,

you have a single cable with 3 wires and an earth?

Where are these connected to?

 

[Big_Spark]

Something the BSi should address..

 

[Gethy]

The house is 30 years old, older than me

Please clarify this,

you have a single cable with 3 wires and an earth?

Where are these connected to?

1st light has

One Cable has live and earth.

One Cable with black cable

One Cable with black cable

3 separate wires in total

These go to one wall switch.

2nd light has

One Cable with Live and earth

One Cable with black cable

These go to one wall switch

Both lights have independent switchs, but are on same ring.

Thanks

 

[BR]

any chance of a photograph?

 

[Gethy]

Yeah no problem, just recharging battery on digi camera, 5 mins tops.

How do i post a pic?