Metal boxes NO earth lug...

[Dustydazzler]

So, my brother just moved into a 1980s built semi and some of the dimmers werent working and some other stuff needed replacing like cracked sockets.
He wanted brushed chrome so being a fairly new build I though easy no problem...
Just dropped down a few of the dimmers , one of them being an stainless steel flat one.
All the CPCs have been cut super short about 2 inches long and wrapped several times around the fixing screw holding the box in the wall. no sleeve just bare cpc coiled around the screw..
None of the boxes have an earth lug what so ever and all are the same from the ones have dropped off.
Was there a time in the 70s/80s where metal boxes came bare with no earth lug ???

 

[R-fur]

I think all the boxes I fitted at that time had earth terms. sometimes it was just a tapped hole with a washer and steel screw.
What sort of earth readings are you getting?
If its ok I would get a length of stranded earth wire and crimp a ring terminal to it, then put the screw through the ring and back into the box.
A slightly better way would be to drill the box for a self tapper and screw the flying lead to the box. Sleeve the CPC and put it under the ring terminal.
Then recheck the earth reading.

 

[Dartlec]

Not sure on timings, but I've definitely run into boxes that have no earth lug attached. Possibly a cheap make used by the housebuilders to save pennies?

 

[Dustydazzler]

I have been back and checked and no earth lug what so ever , nothing , not even pounded flat or snapped off... nothing
just a plain box
I agree possibly a cheap load of boxes used on the entire estate

 

[Dustydazzler]

Not sure on timings, but I've definitely run into boxes that have no earth lug attached. Possibly a cheap make used by the housebuilders to save pennies?

Hi mate

got a set of knipex hybrids for sale in the for sale section if you might be interested ?

 

[SparkySy]

I have come across them before with no earth lug or anything to attach an earth too. These were probably early 80s houses, the boxes all had fixed lugs and were grey painted and not galvanized steel. I ended up sacrificing one of my tap drills to make a thread and put an m4 in as an earth point on them, luckily mist were between brick courses and the mortar was reasonably soft so chose my drilling point to suit!

 

[7029 dave]

What are you going to do, replace the boxes with new ones with earth terminal.

 

[Dustydazzler]

No chance , they are all plastered in and he just re-decorated throughout.

I will Tap the box with a 4mm hss bit then try to get a good connection with a besa box screw to the box.
Then attach the cut short Cpcs to this and take a fly lead out to the front plate.

 

[westward10]

If you are fitting metal plate accessories just extend the cpc to it, no need to fit a cpc to the box.

 

[7029 dave]

If you are fitting metal plate accessories just extend the cpc to it, no need to fit a cpc to the box.

yep let the lugs do the work

 

[Dave OCD]

We've just rewired the lighting in a late 1950s house and all the switch boxes were the black painted Crabtree type with no earth terminal and nylon plate screw lugs. The fixing screws were old slotted type plain steel and immovable so I drilled a new extra fixing hole, plugged then used a new screw with crimp lug and washer for the CPC. [Also took all the paint off around the new hole with an old file]?

 

[DPG]

. [Also took all the paint off around the new hole with an old file]?

Was it a -------

Edit: the forum has blanked out the name of the file that I put!!

 

[Dave OCD]

No it was quite easy really. ?

 

[DPG]

No it was quite easy really. ?

Brill. I'm glad someone got the meaning!

 

[Mike Johnson]

Illegitimate, see if that gets deleted?