Lawless and Grommet

21
Jun

Posted by admin

DANGER OF THE WEEK AWARD

Bad Electricians…

It is important to point out here that anybody who pushes low voltage cables (240 volts AC) through metal back boxes or metal light fixtures should always use PVC grommets; and here’s why!

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Many years ago someone mounted this fluorescent light fixture in a kitchen We are on site to give the house a total re-wire. It is also fortunatel that we were the ones to touch the fixture while the electrics were turned off at the consumer unit. Had anyone been touching this fixture it is a good bet that it may have been live! As can be seen in the photos there are several issues.

Issue one is that the PVC sheath that should shroud, and is a first level protection for the conductor inside, has not been pulled through to the inside of the fixture. Subsequently the conductors are being squeezed directly between the ceiling and the metal fixture. The conductors themselves (red & black) are at risk of being sliced into by the sharp metal edges. The damage to the old insulation can be seen by way of the copper conductor showing through!

The second issue is that even if the PVC sheath had been pushed through into the fixture it was still being sandwiched between the sharp metal edge (they are VERY sharp) and the ceiling. The pressure of screwing the fixture to the ceiling along with the movement of the fixture while mounting it is usually enough to cut the cable.

One more issue is that none of the light circuits were earthed. So if this fixture had become live there was not necessarily going to be a quick disconnection coming. Certainly not the way I would choose to test my heart muscle! So as always, the impending accidental death that we stopped was set up many years in the past by somebody who didn’t know any better or just didn’t care.

There should always be a grommet pushed into the knockout (the hole) to allow a cable to be safely pulled through and further allow for the safe movement of the cable during second fix when the cables are stripped, tested and finally connected to their intended destination.

Category : Awards

Have you experienced problems having a kitchen appliance installed?(polls)