HELP! is my metal ceiling light live?

[Aaron b]

I assume they just meant three plate or two plate...

The old method above of switching the neutral isn't allowed. The thread of a ES light would be live and they are iffy enough as is.

Across two roof spaces I've fed each bank of lights from the switches before. I needed an extra core to carry through the neutral. It looked different but was essentially just two plate.

 

[Carolina]

So it's not allowed that's reasonable. It'd be dangerous for the user even with all modern protection elements. ES and SES are over a hundred years old so yeah they have their disadvantages, but we're stuck with them because they're simple and cheap to manufacture.

I forgot to mention that if that method is used to switch high wattage fixtures say a chandelier with 6x100W bulbs the switches will eventually wear down due to the arcing. Or at least that's what I know.