Monday, September 19, 2011

Light switch, bare wire help!?

Hi

I was just changing the light switch plate on the wall in my bed room and the sleeve on the earth wire has totally come off, so now there is only the copper showing. I can't seem to pull more of that wire down; would it be OK to wrap electrical insulating black tape around it and connect as normal? Would this still be safe? Thanks in advance (and yes I know, women should stick to the kitchen!!)

Rhianna x
Light switch, bare wire help!?
Dont worry Earth wires come like that. it's just a sleeve that you can buy, it's called a conduit. if you go to a DIY shop like homebase and just ask for a earth conduit. or if you dont feel comfortable saying that, just say a sleeve for the earth wire.



you could probably pull one off a old electrical appliance, or cable you have, but make sure it's the right colour, as in the future you might forget or someone else doing the electrics might not know.



Edit_



I like the was someones trying to tell you how to spell your name. lol
Light switch, bare wire help!?
ha ha davy b is not a fuse box!!!!! its a consumer unit muppet!!!!! hahaha

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You can connect it without the green sleeve if you wish.
I would get an electrician honey - coz if someone tells you it's ok on here and it goes wrong you can feasibly sue them....
It wld be safe but safer if u use an earthing sleeve. Buy from any good DIY store. Its about 拢1 per metre.
Yes RIHANNA (as it's spelt) you can leave the earth wire bare but it's not ideal, just tape it up nicely and ensure the other wires are fully 'home' in their terminals and no copper is protruding out. Make sure you connect the earth wire though.



*Sorry RHIANNA
You should be in the kitchen baking, not up step ladders....jeeez



Yeah, it's fine to put insulating wire round it. Earth leads aren't designed to carry current ordinarily, so it's fine.
Better than nothing however you can buy earthing sleeve at most diy shops very cheaply.
Yeah, that should be fine / temporarily. Also, I would use green/yellow tape not black insulation tape, because this could confuse someone who may change the light switches later on as black is the colour used for the neutral wires in household electrical wiring and the red is positive. You could even leave it bear as long as it is neatly tucked away from other terminals - but this wire could spring/stray when the plate is screwed back on the wall.



I don't mean to be patronising, but I take it you are switching the mains supply off before doing this?
The earth wire inside the cable in the wall has no sleeve. You just put some green/yellow sleeving on the bit that's exposed inside the switch box. So just push the sleeve back on. If there's not enough, you can buy some in Homebase or Woolworths. Using black tape is safe for now, but it doesn't comply with the wiring regulations. Someone in the future might think it's the neutral wire and connect it up wrongly.
Just put the earth sleeving back over the copper wire and reconnect it to the earth...the earth wire does not have the covering on it like the live and negative you usually cut your own from a roll and cover it
that bare wire is probily the ground wire it is twisted with many loops

? if so it was installed that way.

dont fool around with those wires they are live even if the swich is off (there at the swich).
touch it with your wet hands and see
The sleeve is not called %26quot;conduit%26quot; it is called %26quot;earth sleeving%26quot; see how easy it is. SWITCH OFF AT THE FUSE BOX BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!
This is what's profesionaly known as a bodge job! you seem to have your self in a pickle.

B4 proceeding I would be sure that you have issolated the switch on your fuse box. electrical tape is fine if you make sure the wire is completely covered and that it won't become uncovered again with time.

Good luck!
You've done what? run girl, run! - get to those hills and don't look back - hide yourself! - you've probably unleashed the hounds of hell! and Satan will be close behind, can't you hear he's riding crop?



Where's my tin foil cap mummy?
no you should not put black tape around the earth wire either go to asda / tesco and get some green and yellow tape for this job or get some earth sleeving from an electrical store tomorrow.

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