Light Fitting - I REALLY need help... im lost

[Chriscr]

So i decided to replace the light fitting in my bedroom as the one that was currently in place is plastic and old and i wanted something more modern and stylish.

Image 1, is the new fitting i got. 3 wires, Live, Neautral and Earth. Simple.

The problem is there is no earth wire dropping from the ceiling to connect it to the fitting..
The only wires i see is Live & Neautral..

However!
this is where it gets even more confusing for me.
When i took off the PREVIOUS fitting, there was earth wire connected to a screw, not on a metal plate but literally screwed on the ceiling

Image 2 shows the PREVIOUS FITTING (ignore the mess, screws where stuck and bend so i had to cut it/force it out..)

On image 2 you can see the earth wire connecting to the fitting, there was a screw there that screwd in the ceiling (small screw)

Image 4 is the ceileing with the 2 wires (the metal plate thing is just apart of the new fitting)


So what can i do? as there is no earth wire dropping from the ceiling what now? :/

im so lost at this point....
is it possible i can connect the earth wire to the metal thing i installed which is part of the fitting??
since essentially the previous fitting whenever they did it was basically that? (rental house)

 

[Chriscr]

The new fitting also came with these, im guessing its for extra safety for the wires.
Also the fitting is metal which is why i need to connect the earth wire.

 

[securespark]

The sleeving is heat resistant. What do the instructions say you should do with it?

As for the Earth wire attached to the ceiling it could have been screwed into a metal conduit box but that is unlikely.

You definitely need an earth wire to connect to your new fitting.

Either there is a conduit box in the ceiling or else hopefully there is a junction box or connectors where the blue and brown wires attach to the lighting cables.

You will need to investigate further in the ceiling void, which means you may well need to lift the boards above.

 

[winston1]

(rental house)

Before you go any further have you got permission from your landlord to change his light fixtures?

 

[Chriscr]

Thanks for the reply,

i also dont think it was screwed to anything to be honest apart from just the ceiling.
I will get in the attic which is right above my bedroom to see if i can find anything such as a junction box.

is there anything else i can do to fit it if there isnt? Can i buy something else that can make it possible to install this?

or do i have to buy a new fitting

 

[Adam_151]

Those conductors will go somewhere, until you find out where and if there is an earth available its diffuclt to advise further.

As to something you could buy? Drum of 1mm twin and earth to rewire it if you lighting cirucit doesn't have an earth at all

 

[SUNRAY]

Let's start by saying the cable in the ceiling is flex and potentially the wrong stuff, it should preferably be twin and earth.

As a landlord myself, my advice to you is STOP RIGHT THERE and contact your agent (or landlord if you have no agent) and ask for the current system to be corrected. You could say you got a shock when you changed a bulb or something.

This is obviously outside your current electrical knowledge [this is advice and not an insult] and adapting something which is already wrong is not an option. If something goes wrong both you and your landlord could be in trouble.

Personally I like it when a tenant contacts me before they make changes, I much prefer to fit their lights for them rather than sort out the botchery when they move out. Again this is no offence intended to you personally.

GET YOUR LANDLORD INVOLVED BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER PLEASE.

 

[bernardgreen]

Please take the advice from Sunray,

 

[SUNRAY]

Please take Bernards advice.

 

[aptsys]

Let's start by saying the cable in the ceiling is flex and potentially the wrong stuff, it should preferably be twin and earth.

Unrelated to the original post, but there is no reason not to use flex for fixed wiring other than cost. Outside of domestic wiring, flex is commonly used.

 

[SUNRAY]

Unrelated to the original post, but there is no reason not to use flex for fixed wiring other than cost. Outside of domestic wiring, flex is commonly used.

I do agree there is nothing wrong with flex per se and if you look at some of my other posts you may see that most of my work is outside domestics, however in a domestic situation AND IN PARTICULAR in a rented property it tends to be indicative of some sort of unusual and often horrible deviation from the normal practices.

I have offered my advice as a landlord who has repeatedly had to make good botched modifications on a fairly regular basis on my properties and similar properties on a paid work basis.ie:
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/why-i-hate-domestics.507103/#post-4197362
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/...m-and-why-i-dont-like-domestics-again.530968/ -

Seeing the 2 bits of flex and the way the original fitting had been cannibalised I truly hope the original poster is taking Bernards and my advice and in this instance I'll include Winston for his accurate question.

 

[crystal ball]

I would expect to see a bit of connector strip above the ceiling, I just swapped a light fitting in a similar situation, had to lift T&G boards in the loft to get to the mess created by some idiot, ten minute job turned into half a day

 

[SUNRAY]

I'd hope the see at least a bit of connector strip but far too often I've found the brass strips from the original rose stuffed up through the hole and if lucky possibly the remains of dried out plactic tape.

I would expect to see a bit of connector strip above the ceiling, I just swapped a light fitting in a similar situation, had to lift T&G boards in the loft to get to the mess created by some idiot, ten minute job turned into half a day