Two earth wires - fitting new pendent light - help!

[cheekydollar]

Hi all,

This is my first attempt at DIY on light fittings and really want to make sure i'm doing everything 100% correct before electrocuting myself!

I have taken down my old light fitting, which was metal, and i'm putting up a new one which is fully insulated.

The old light fitting had a black sheath with the live and neutral inside, and the earth was connected to the metal casing up to the rose on the ceiling.

After removing all of this i have noticed on the ceiling rose that there are two earth cables coming from the ceiling which are both attached tot the role. The earth and neutral are attached to the block on the ceiling.

Can anyone tell me why there are two earth wires? Am i safe to simply remove the live, neutral, and one of the earth wires and simply attach to the new block in my new lamp fitment.


The first photo is what i am faced with now, and the second shows how it was attached with the old fitment.

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• cheekydollar
• 4 Mar 2014
• 1

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• cheekydollar
• 4 Mar 2014
• 1

Your help is much appreciated!

Best

Cheekydollar [/img]

 

[Aragorn84]

No idea why its been done like that, but you should connect both earth wires to the new fitting.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Are the cables singles? If so they both may have a CPC/Earth within the sheath.

 

[cheekydollar]

Thanks, so is it OK to attach both earth wires to the same connection point in the new box?

Prentice - i dont know what singles are...!

the new fitment simply has a black tube to feed the wires too which leads to a white box with the three screw to attach the wires.

 

[JohnW2]

Are the cables singles? If so they both may have a CPC/Earth within the sheath.

Is it possible that the lighting circuit was originally wired in cable which didn't have CPC and that the two G/Ys we're seeing are part of a 'CPC daisy-chain' subsequently added to provide each fitting with a CPC?

Kind Regards, John

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

This a single and CPC/Earth with black core colour, you could have a single red and a single black each with the CPC/Earth (which have both been sleeved to indicate they are earth)

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• PrenticeBoyofDerry
• 4 Mar 2014
• 2

The logical thing to do would be to reconnect as found, if you were replacing with fittings that require an earth connection, the safe thing to do would test that it exists.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Is it possible that the lighting circuit was originally wired in cable which didn't have CPC and that the two G/Ys we're seeing are part of a 'CPC daisy-chain' subsequently added to provide each fitting with a CPC?

It is something we cannot rule out and a fair point.

 

[cheekydollar]

Hmm I am a little more confused now than when i started!

The original fitting was class I but the new one is class II so i cannot rewire it the same way anyway.

Any ideas?

 

[Aragorn84]

Are you saying the class 2 fitting does not have a connector block location for the earth wire?

If it does have a connection point, then connect both earth cables to it.

If it does not, then connect the two earths together with a choc block.


The two earths MUST remain connected together.

 

[cheekydollar]

Hi,

The new fitting has a plastic block for connecting 3 wires - earth, live, neutral.

What im saying is that the old fitting which was class I has the earth wire connected to the metal casing, which you wouldnt do with class II as far as im aware!

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

And your confusion with that lies where?
Just connect the two CPC/Earths to the terminal supplied for them.

 

[cheekydollar]

I'm only confused with all this talk of CPCs to be honest!

From the sounds of it I can simply remove the wires from the ceiling rose and attach directly to the new block with both earth wires attached to the earth terminal.

...I think!

Cheers

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

CPC= Circuit Protective Conductor. That is the correct term for conductors you keep calling earth wires.

As you say the CPC/Earth wire are refitted to the new fitting and terminated within the earth terminal supplied on the fitting.

 

[cheekydollar]

OK - thanks for explaining.

Really appreciate your help!

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

No worries, happy to help.