Last post of 2022 , what a fudge

[Dustydazzler]

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Many countries have insulation on all the cores of all styles of cable, but US and UK are two of the main ones that use bare earth / ground conductors in our T+E / NM style general purpose cables. So then, when I watch a US-style switch or receptacle being pushed into its back box, I always fall to wondering why we sleeve our earth cores over here but they don't, when it's their fittings that have exposed live terminal screws for the ground wires to short out to, not ours.

OK, I know that the sleeving is for identification and not equivalent to normal conductor insulation, but in most cases it would stop a bare CPC shorting to any exposed live bits. And yet, all our live terminals and screws are recessed; you could rub the side of a bare wire all over the fitting without contacting anything except earth terminals and straps.

I guess it's just second-nature to all US electricians to guide things so they don't make contact.

 

[pirate]

He makes a point of saying he's working live, which sends out a poor message to "have a go" DIYers.
TBF, been doing that since I was a teenager!
(but I don't do it now!)
However, he does make one excellent point...don't use drywall screws! Why is it that wet-pants in UK use drywall screws for EVERYTHING?
Kev the kitchen fitter does the same.
My landscaper fitted all my decking and railings with the same screws.
They're all (a very rude word)

 

[nicebutdim]

Drywall screws are comparatively cheap, hence their widespread use in all manner of applications to which they are unsuited.

 

[Dustydazzler]

To be honest I use drywall (plaster board )screws for lots of things as I literally have around 10 boxes of them. The first companY that I ever worked for gave us boxes and boxes of them each month and I still haven't used them up yet and that was 20 years ago

 

[nicebutdim]

To be honest I use drywall (plaster board )screws for lots of things as I literally have around 10 boxes of them. The first companY that I ever worked for gave us boxes and boxes of them each month and I still haven't used them up yet and that was 20 years ago

Confirming my point