Metal dimmer switch, earth question

[tchandlerk]

hi all, i have read through alot of posts before posting this and i just need confirmation. A couple of months ago i fitted a metal face dimmer switch in my living room but didnt attach the earth to it, would this be the reason it stopped dimming (just turned on and off)?

Anyway i brought a new one and read the instructions properly this time, which told me that metal face dimmers must be earthed. There are 2 red wires in the box which i connected to L1 AND C and the earth wire connected to the wall box.

My question is can i just unscrew the earth from the wall box and screw it on the dimmer switch? or get a seperate earth wire (1mm) like i read and connect it 2 both? this seems abit confusing for me as i didnt get any extra earth wire with the dimmer and havnt got any spare laying around.

Ive already fitted the new dimmer about half an hour ago and it works but i know i should have done something with the earth so im just leaving it off for now.

Also im wondering why i havnt got an electric shock in the past and now, how ive never fitted the earth, strange?

Please help me out when u can, so i can switch the light back on cheers

 

[Steve]

Connect the earth wire to the switch.

With metal faces accessories, theres a small risk that a wire can come out of its hole and make the switch plate live. Clearly this risk doesn't exist with plastic accessories (except the screws, which are by their nature connected to earth via the backbox).

When using metal faced accessories, the priority should be given to earthing the faceplate, if you can find any spare copper wire knocking about, link it to the backbox too, though IMO this is belt-and-braces.

And no this isn't the reason it would have stopped dimming. It was broken.

 

[tchandlerk]

hi, thanks for your quick reply, im afraid i still dont really understand it, i thought i could best describe it by illistrating it lol could you look at my pic and tell me if i need to do number 2 or 3, cheers

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/4299/lightingiv0.png

 

[RF Lighting]

Number 3

 

[tchandlerk]

hi RF Lighting, thanks for your input, would you not suggest number 2 then? and do u know why number 1 hasnt gave me an electric shock yet? cheers

 

[RF Lighting]

If I suggested number 2, I'd have written that

Numbers 1 & 2 are wrong. That is why I did not suggest them.


You have not had a shock from your existing setup through good luck, rather than from having a safe installation.