Brass lights no earth

[Dazza1976]

Hi All,

i have a lady that's wants some old antique looking brass wall lights fitted, but they have no earthing terminal on them. Would it be acceptable to solder an earth conductor on them, as she doesn't want them drilled under any circumstances ?

thanks in advance for your help

 

[Richard Burns]

If they have no earth terminal it is possible they are class II if the lamp holder is fully insulated and the cables do not pass through the brass.
You say "antique looking" so if they are modern fittings they should be marked up as class II if they are.

As regards soldering it may be difficult to get a mechanically and electrically secure and solid joint that meets the durability requirements of the regulations, but if you can get such a joint then it should be OK.

A lot of fittings use a lugged washer on a construction or fixing point that may be easier depending on the design of the fitting.

 

[Marvo]

Is a lugged washer on a fixing point allowed? Earthing points according to our local regs must be permanently fixed.

You'd probably need a butane pencil torch to get them hot enough to solder, the heat won't stay local and is likely to cause discoloration of the brass not to mention melt any insulation in the vicinity. A small hole somewhere on top where it won't be visible and a 3mm clinchnut inserted from the outside so it doesn't protrude would probably look a lot better.