DANGER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Bad ‘Electricians’
Regulations broken: BS7671:2008: 421.7, 526.5, 530.4.2, 559.6.1.5, 559.6.2.1, 559.6.2.2, 514.3.1

We thought it was time to write about light fixtures like the one pictured below as we see these again and again and again! The issue with this fixture is that of safety. These incorrect installs are done out of ignorance and nothing else but that will be of little comfort when someone gets killed!!! Either do it correctly or hire an electrician…a real electrician!

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In this case as with most other home made electrics like this we imagine the scenario to play out like this. Homeowner wants a new fixture. Homeowner goes to a local DIY shop which employs unskilled workers to give sound electrical advice on their own product. Homeowner gets poor advice on the fixtures that he DIY shop sells (of course it will work!). Homeowner pays at the till and takes the fixture home. Homeowner turns off the electrics without testing that the power is really off and then unscrews the original light fitting. Homeowner then looks at the connector strip in the ceiling rose and is presented with six wires pushed into a three section connector block that is most times molded into the ceiling rose back plate. The homeowner now has to figure out how to mount the new fixture which in most cases has only two terminals (a line and neutral) and possibly an earth lug.

So the decision in many cases goes like this. Disconnect the old light fixture, break away the plastic base of the ceiling rose and leave all of the wires in place, add a line and neutral wire and screw or push into new light fixture, don’t connect the earth wire and push everything tightly up into the new fixtures covering. Another favourite is to disconnect the existing ceiling rose connector, push the ends of the cable into a nylon style connector block which was already there incorrectly, push the connector block up into the hole where the wires come out and then fasten the new fixture to the ceiling. There are a few variations of these two methods but the end result is usually the same. The live cable in the connector block is open to the environment with nothing covering the bare copper wire or connector screw from accidental contact with persons, pets or the metal fixture itself which also includes the screws that go through the ceiling and into the floor above.

Fortunately the outcome in most cases is nothing. The light gets used and the light works. The worst case scenario however is that when the light fixture gets pushed up to the ceiling the connector get squeezed tightly in between the ceiling and the metal cover of the light fixture causing the live wire to make contact with the metal cover. The importance of the earth wire cannot be overstressed at this point! If the earth was hooked up the fuse of breaker would trip as soon as the power was switched on thus indicating a problem. If the earth isn’t connected then the fixture can go live and sit there for many years in wait until someone touches it and gets a shock or worse.

Knowing what you’re doing before you touch light fixtures has more to do with the act of wiring that anything the decorator self. Purchasing of cheap light fixture with push in connectors or very tiny screw type connector blocks will make for a tough job even for an experienced electrician. Purchase a fixture that has room for a proper connector block and always connect the earth  no matter how much of a pain it is. REALLY!!! The life you save may be your own, or your child’s or that of someone else!

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