Safely split ceiling lamp for three bulbs.

Avo Mk8 · Nov 8, 2022

Spools said:
(Ground cable is essentially “not used” for all light fixtures in the house)

That is not the case in the UK. Regulations require the ground to be fed to each ceiling box where there will be a light. Then (in general terms), if a householder puts a metal light fitting up, they can connect the earth terminal on the fitting to the ground wire.
If any of your lights have a ground terminal then it should be used.
So if there are ground wires in your cables/conduit they should be connected together in a Wago just as the live and neutral will be.
I don't know what your regulations are on earthing, but it is a safety feature that you shouldn't ignore if it's supposed to be there!

And PS swapping N for G in your schematic is correct

Spools · Nov 8, 2022

Makes sense.
In my truck, everything is always grounded.

Here, the ground cable is accessible, but hasn’t been used in any light fixtures in the apartment to date. As I’m the example of this unit here:

[ElectriciansForums.net] Safely split ceiling lamp for three bulbs.

Spools · Nov 9, 2022

Cool. Just got 25 pieces for 12euros. Good stuff:

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/dp/B0107SYYGU?psc=1&smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

Spools · Nov 10, 2022

Alright - Lamps arrived. They have grounds.
Can I just connect their grounds to the ground in the ceiling *assuming that's grounded on the other end?

brianmoooore · Nov 10, 2022

Spools said:
*assuming that's grounded on the other end?

You're working under Austrian rules, but in the UK that assumption needs to be checked with the appropriate test equipment.

Spools · Nov 10, 2022

brianmoooore said:
You're working under Austrian rules, but in the UK that assumption needs to be checked with the appropriate test equipment.

I'll have to ask my Austrian buddy. Thankfully I have my mulitmeter 8,000 miles away in my LA storage unit.

But regardless of UK or Austria, is it common to plug G to G the same way you plug L to L and N to N when using push connectors for lamp fixtures in ceilings?

brianmoooore · Nov 10, 2022

Spools said:
is it common to plug G to G the same way you plug L to L and N to N when using push connectors for lamp fixtures in ceilings?

Yes, the grounds can be joined together in the same way as the lives and neutrals. The only difference is that the connector for the grounds isn't required to be inside an enclosure, like that for the lives and neutrals, but would normally be enclosed with the others.

Spools · Nov 11, 2022

brianmoooore said:
Yes, the grounds can be joined together in the same way as the lives and neutrals. The only difference is that the connector for the grounds isn't required to be inside an enclosure, like that for the lives and neutrals, but would normally be enclosed with the others.

Interesting. I guess my next concern is the enclosure you're speaking of.

I don't have an enclosure for the Wago connectors.
I have an enclosure from the ceiling naturally for the extension cord I'll be connecting.

But once I get to the drift wood/lamp I've made, I was just going to neatly tuck the cabling out of sight (it hangs way overhead out of sight) Is it safe to just wrap the WAGO connector in electric tape?

Spools · Nov 15, 2022

Alright - tried to make it as clean as possible and it works great.
No housing for the WAGO connectors, but I wrapped em in a bit of electrical tape. What do you guys think?

James · Nov 15, 2022

Looks nice

NEEDS TO HAVE AN ENCLOSURE FOR THE CONNECTIONS.

Spools · Nov 15, 2022

James said:
Looks nice

NEEDS TO HAVE AN ENCLOSURE FOR THE CONNECTIONS.

Can you expand on the closure and why? What does the enclosure protect?

James · Nov 15, 2022

This article is pretty good.

Unsheathed Basic Insulation Outside Enclosure - Explained

Had a Landlord or Homebuyer Report & Received a Code For "Unsheathed Basic Insulation"? We Untangle The Mystery and Explain it in Plain English

www.electricblu.co.uk

littlespark · Nov 15, 2022

We don’t know Austrian regs… so the need for an enclosure may not be the same as it is in UK. but the fact you can get WAGOs suggests you can get the boxes too.

Avo Mk8 · Nov 15, 2022

Spools said:
Can you expand on the closure and why? What does the enclosure protect?

One of the principles of electrical safety is that no single failure should cause a hazard.
So cables have two layers of insulation, on the individual wires, and then a sheath over.
And when you come to join cables, you put all the single insulated wires in a box to provide the second layer of insulation, and this also means that if a live wire were to come out of a Wago connector, it would be contained within the box, and not be a hazard to someone touching it.
So in the UK it is mandatory to put wire joints in a suitable insulated box, including all single insulated wires, and anchor the cables.
You should not be able to see the single insulated coloured wires, or the connectors.
I imagine the regulations are the same where you are!

James · Nov 15, 2022

littlespark said:
We don’t know Austrian regs… so the need for an enclosure may not be the same as it is in UK. but the fact you can get WAGOs suggests you can get the boxes too.

OOPS, didn’t spot that the post related to Australia

the advice I have given is still sound, it would be safer if contained in a box.
however I can’t comment on the wiring regulations down under so it may or may not be a legal requirement.

littlespark · Nov 15, 2022

Austria…. Not Australia.

Spools · Nov 15, 2022

James said:
This article is pretty good.

Unsheathed Basic Insulation Outside Enclosure - Explained

Had a Landlord or Homebuyer Report & Received a Code For "Unsheathed Basic Insulation"? We Untangle The Mystery and Explain it in Plain English

www.electricblu.co.uk

Great read. Thank you.

So, everyone seems to be explaining the same thing which I now understand - regardless of a countries code, it appears to be a good practice.

In my apartment, I have plenty of exposed (unsheathed) cables hanging from the ceiling where we have not placed a nice lamp yet. So, if this were code in Austria, then it’s already a flag. Perhaps a C3 as the article explained as nobody is reaching up there to touch it without a ladder.

In my case, all of the unsheathed cables in their wago connectors are tucked away behind wood as seen in the photos. I’ve applied electric tape to not only identify which is which more easily, but to also further protect any cabling to accidentally become undone- which I believe the chances of that happening are slim to known as there’s no traffic up there. If anyone is touching anything it’s me in efforts of making it cleaner than it is.

Secondly, it’s surrounded by wood, so nothing is conducting electricity there should the unlikely event that anything come undone.

In conclusion, I believe it’s okay as it is, but I can be a bit obsessive over doing things correctly. So my take away from all your help is that despite the LNG connectors being close together, having them enclosed in a plastic housing unit so that no unsheathed cabling is visible, would make the wiring the most safe?

Spools · Nov 15, 2022

littlespark said:
Austria…. Not Australia.

Happens all the time. We don’t have an bloody kangaroos.

nicebutdim · Nov 15, 2022

littlespark said:
We don’t know Austrian regs… so the need for an enclosure may not be the same as it is in UK. but the fact you can get WAGOs suggests you can get the boxes too.

Although branded 'Wagobox', the enclosures we commonly use are from a British company, Connexbox (manufactured, I believe, with agreement of Wago). Not sure what enclosures, if any, are made by Wago themselves.

Safely split ceiling lamp for three bulbs.

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