Hi, I have a question regarding earth when installing two single sockets. I have installed the first socket successfully, but for the second I notice that there is only a live and neutral ( i.e. no seperate earth wire ). Can I simply connect the earth to the first socket's earth wire?
Question regarding earth when installing two single sockets
- Thread starter milmber
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Hi,
Sorry. Best I explain a bit better. There were two seperate faceplates next to each other. One contained a connection for a washing machine (which I turned into a standard single socket). The other faceplate, sharing the same recess, was just a cover with no socket.
Both these faceplates share the same socket recess, with only 5 wires instead of 6 from the mains. I.e.:
live 1
neutral 1
earth 1
live 2
neutral 1
Sorry. Best I explain a bit better. There were two seperate faceplates next to each other. One contained a connection for a washing machine (which I turned into a standard single socket). The other faceplate, sharing the same recess, was just a cover with no socket.
Both these faceplates share the same socket recess, with only 5 wires instead of 6 from the mains. I.e.:
live 1
neutral 1
earth 1
live 2
neutral 1
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Hmm, sounds a bit odd?
Are there two white or grey cables with each of the live/neutral/earth coming out of them? If so, maybe the missing earth has been chopped off short. You might be able to strip back the pvc sheathing to find it...
SB
Are there two white or grey cables with each of the live/neutral/earth coming out of them? If so, maybe the missing earth has been chopped off short. You might be able to strip back the pvc sheathing to find it...
SB
Pics are a bit large, bit you should be able to make out the detail:
http://homepage.mac.com/milmber/files/sockets1.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/milmber/files/sockets2.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/milmber/files/sockets3.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/milmber/files/sockets1.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/milmber/files/sockets2.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/milmber/files/sockets3.jpg
Idea, have they shoved both earth wires into the one sleeve? I can't see a grommet there in the hole either 
.
My only concern there is that both of the cables appear to be different sizes, what is the smaller one for?
.My only concern there is that both of the cables appear to be different sizes, what is the smaller one for?
Are they connected to anything, given there was only a blank there before? Could it be meant for a fused spur unit? The cables that are supplying the socket look quite a lot bit bigger, what size fuse/mcb is supplying it?
Not 100% sure, but I suspect that the cables supplied a boiler ( which has been moved ) or washing machine. To tell you the truth I'm only confident up to the point where I see neutral, live and earth. Anything more is out of my league.
I figure I'm going to have to have a proper electrician look at this.
Thank you for the help and quick replies.
I figure I'm going to have to have a proper electrician look at this.
Thank you for the help and quick replies.
WTF?
That is very very very bad advice.
We do not know anywhere near enough about this setup to be making stupid suggestions like that.
If it were a ring then the set of cables which are not connected to anything would already be live, and this still doesent explain the missing earth.
That is very very very bad advice.
We do not know anywhere near enough about this setup to be making stupid suggestions like that.
If it were a ring then the set of cables which are not connected to anything would already be live, and this still doesent explain the missing earth.
Wow ....another messy one
Yep as mentioned by RF above, DONT connect those sets of wires together.
You MUST get a profesional electrician in,as a number of things can be going on here and only proper testing will show the truth.
My opinions are
1) If the socket is on a radial,then at one time there may have been a fused connection unit where the now blank plate is sited ,that fed the thinner wire.
2)You may indeed have the socket connected to a ring circuit but your socket is either a spur or it is supplied by a junction box under the floor boards and as above there was once an FCU where the blank plate is now.
3)The FCU (if there was one there),was supplying EQUIPMENT that was SELV and the `electrician` who wired it up has chopped back the earth in the thinner wire so it wasnt connected by mistake (ive come across this in lighting circuits and its bad practice but not un-common).
4)Worst case is someone has tried turning an old radial circuit into a ring and has completed the ring in a thinner wire than the radial (which will show if you look at the wires going into the top of the fuse/mcb protecting your socket circuit,I.E one thick wire and one smaller one )
Yep as mentioned by RF above, DONT connect those sets of wires together.
You MUST get a profesional electrician in,as a number of things can be going on here and only proper testing will show the truth.
My opinions are
1) If the socket is on a radial,then at one time there may have been a fused connection unit where the now blank plate is sited ,that fed the thinner wire.
2)You may indeed have the socket connected to a ring circuit but your socket is either a spur or it is supplied by a junction box under the floor boards and as above there was once an FCU where the blank plate is now.
3)The FCU (if there was one there),was supplying EQUIPMENT that was SELV and the `electrician` who wired it up has chopped back the earth in the thinner wire so it wasnt connected by mistake (ive come across this in lighting circuits and its bad practice but not un-common).
4)Worst case is someone has tried turning an old radial circuit into a ring and has completed the ring in a thinner wire than the radial (which will show if you look at the wires going into the top of the fuse/mcb protecting your socket circuit,I.E one thick wire and one smaller one )
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Whatever it was, it looks like the 2,5 was the feed, and the 1,0 was the outgoing circuit. As already advised, check to see if you can find the origin of the 2,5 and destination of the 1,0.
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