electric rewiring advice needed

27col

If the original posters hubby did not know that a ceiling rose is not normally dead until the mains are switched off, then he is obviously not proficient enough to undertake the fitting of the new light.
If the fitting has an earth connection and the instructions say that it requires an earth then, that is what it needs, period.
As a retired electrician I can empathise with the earlier poster about getting an electric shock. I was lucky as I was standing on the floor. If I had been up a ladder I could have been seriously injured by a fall. The whole point about getting a shock is that it is unexpected and catches you unaware. The other point to make is that if you are gripping a part of the fitting, the shock can tend to make your grip close up, so that you cannot let go.
I can remember that, at some time in the far distant past, being told that your first contact with a circuit that has been live should be with back of a finger. So that if you have inadvertently left the circuit live, your finger would be thrown off of the live part.
Even after 35 years I was always very careful to ensure that the power was off. You only need to make the mistake once, to spoil your entire life.

madjay

adaze wrote: »

Basically yes. I don't know what the regs state now, but in the future if you have any electric work done it may be a requirement to run an earth (or rewire).

shelovestobuystuff, I would say seek advise on your Electrics from an Electrician and not from the internet, as pointed out by others some information, like above is wrong and can give you a shock or even kill.

It does sound from what has be describe that your Electrics may need updating but at lease get it checked out.

shelovestobuystuff

Thank you everyone.We will wait until after christmas and then get the entire house re-wired.
Our buyers survey a few years ago just said electrics were mixed spec and would need updating eventually,they did not tell us the newest electrics were from the 50,s.
We knew the back of the house was live as I kept getting shocks off the washing machine drum when I was emptying it(that was fixed the very first time hubby got a shock after 2 years of me getting shocks) but I didnt realise the whole house electrics were so old.Yes we do have an old fuse box which needs different widths of fuse wire when something blows and the back of the house,kitchen,utility and a couple of extra rooms, is earthed by a yellow and green wire attached to a pole stuck into the ground.
Any idea of cost of re-wiring a big victorian semi with new fuse box etc?

adaze

Apologies :embarasse I thought I read doubled insulated in the post somewhere, evidentally not! Incidentally if it is double insulated then "I think" that you should not connect to earth as it defeats the point of it being double insulated.

If there is a symbol like this:



It "should" be OK to fit, but you are doing the right thing in asking an electrician. If the light has this symbol then, as stated by most posters it does need to earthed.



As ever if you are not sure you should seek professional help Or if your not going to do that read from as many sources as you can as everyone's not always right

ema_o

We have been given a ballpark figure of £3,000 for rewiring our 3 bed semi, not cheap, but we are going to get it done. Our wiring is from 50s or earlier as well, however it doesn't sound as bad as yours!!

If you don't have one already you can get a screwdriver that lights up if anything is live, they are only a few pounds. And definitely make sure the mains are off before going near any of the electrics, even with the screwdriver (this is just to double check!)

shelovestobuystuff

ema_o wrote: »

We have been given a ballpark figure of £3,000 for rewiring our 3 bed semi, not cheap, but we are going to get it done. Our wiring is from 50s or earlier as well, however it doesn't sound as bad as yours!!

If you don't have one already you can get a screwdriver that lights up if anything is live, they are only a few pounds. And definitely make sure the mains are off before going near any of the electrics, even with the screwdriver (this is just to double check!)

He did use one of those power meters with the two prongs to check first if it was live after switching things off but there must have been something wrong with it.He knows how lucky he was,he said that if he had not been wearing rubber soled safety boots and standing on an old wooden ladder(thats from the 1950,s too) he would have been fried instantly.
To be honest I dont think he would dare attempt it again himself anyway but the new fancy light fitting is well out of the way at the back of the cupboard under the stairs until we get the house totally re-wired next year.

Blackpool_Saver

I am very glad to read this