help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multimeter

[robert0881]

i live in an old house 1850s and i would like to check if my lights are earthed with a multimeter. not 100% sure of how i go aout testing the ground and neutral wires. reason for this is, i would like to fit brass switches and a couple of metal ceiling lights if everything is ok.

thanks for your input

 

[Farmelectrics]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

personally if it were me i would have a full eicr carried out for my own peace of mind could be a good couple of hundread pounds well spent

 

[kingeri]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

Is there physically a cpc (earth wire) in the lighting circuit(s)?

 

[robert0881]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

yea earth wires are there.i was told a while back to test between live and earth and earth and neutral just not sure what volts i should be seing between these?

 

[kingeri]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

I'm assuming you're not an electrician. Really, this requires a continuity test, something that should be done by a spark. In my opinion.

 

[A&S Electrical]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

You need to have it all checked and reported on (DICR) YOU MAY WELL HAVE CONTINUITY BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THE EARTH IS GOOD !!! to protct yourself in more ways than one do nothing till it is checked professionally!!!! if someone gets injured/shocked you can be prosecuted if you mess!!!!!!! be sure be safe and let a qualified spark check it and advise you IMO

 

[trev]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

When you say multimeter are you talking about one of these little meters with voltage tester continuity bleep or a proper multifuntion calibrated test meter?
If it's the former my best advice is to stop what you're doing mate and if you're not an electrician, get one in. It shouldn't be prohibitively expensive and may save a lot of heartache for your family.
Post up your approximate location and I'm sure one of us will be able to help you

 

[robert0881]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

no im not an electrician but im fairly handy. my experiance of electricians isnt good and lets just say ive taken for a ride more than once. big jobs is fair enough but the little jobs i can manage. the wiring upstairs is old style. on one of the lights upstairs im getting 240 live to neutral. 240 live to earth and zero neatral to earth. and on the other im getting the same the only difference is the live to earth one i dont get 240 i get nothing. so basicaly im assuming there is perhaps the ground on one of the lights isnt connected

 

[telectrix]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

sounds like a break in the cpc or just not connected in a fitting. i think you've gone as far as you can with the knowledge and equipment you have. call in a sparks. as said before, post your location and 1 of us may be close to you. should not cost a lot to sort out.

 

[A&S Electrical]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

what is your definition of 'old style'? I think you should stop and see if anyone on here can help you!!! Safety is paramount it may well be a simple job but if you dont have the correct tester and the knowledge of how to use it you cant be sure! How many lighting circuits are there and how many lights on each circuit?

 

[robert0881]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

well house is 150 years old and prob has had a rewire at some point but more than likely 30 or 40 years ago. when the house was rebuilt. the switch in question has 1 light and two switches. earth hasnt been connected to the pendant thats fitted and having opened up both switches earths arnt connected to either of the switches at the wall they have been cut back. they work ok but i was planning putting a big light above the stairs.
this is the circuit that when i test hot to neatral i get 240
hot to earth i get nothing and earth to neautral nothing. am i right in assuming that this circuit isnt earthed as im getting nothing from hot to earth. might try connecting the earths tomorrow as it will be dark soon and i dont want to do this with a torch.

 

[truckster]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

The earths may have been disconnected because there is a fault on the circuit, I've come across this before. If you reconnect all the earths be prepared for a bang! As said above you need the right test equipment to make sure that the earth is actually up to the job.

 

[trev]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

As Telectrix says, it sounds like you have a broken CPC there. However, this could have been broken deliberately by a previous DIYer to get round a fault and reinstating it may also reinstate the fault which could result in someone getting hurt or killed. Only a full test of this circuit prior to it being re energised will tell whether it is safe to do this. It's obviously your call whether or not this gets done.
I appreciate that you may have been a victim of some unscrupulous operator in the past but that doesn't mean we are all out to stiff you, Tesco have overcharged me once or twice but I don't now avoid all supermarkets.
The electric chair which was once very popular across the pond worked on 10 amps, you're messing with 5 or 6.
I'm not trying to belittle you, patronise you or mock your skill level here mate it's just that one of the jobs of the forum is to advise the non electrician and sometimes that has to be "Get an electrician" no matter how unpallatable that may be

 

[A&S Electrical]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

i can only reiterate what the guys above have said, if it has been cut to reinstate the circuit then it will go bang when you reconnect and re-energise. this may not be the case but id be happier if you were to find out the safe way not the hard/wrong/potentially fatal way!!!! im sure you can get help and not get stiffed. remember you dont have to have the work done if you feel you are getting stiffed you can as for another opinion, your safety counts more than that !!!!!! Let me know the outcome ???

 

[parker56]

Re: help please on testing ground and neutral wire on lighting circuits with a multim

please take the advice given & call a spark in,it's alot cheaper than the cost of a funeral.