# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  Rewiring Light Circuit - No Earth

## Remickz

Hi Guys,  
Working on my first house, removing walls and wall boards, so the lounge room and kitchen is a skelenton at the moment.
During this process, it seems a lot of my searches bring me to this site, so i thought i would sign up. 
My house would be late 70's Era, and all the lighting is twin core, active / neutral. No earth. 1mm wiring from the box.
Electrical distributors tell me you cant get this any more, and its only twin core + earth. I already have a 100m roll for another part of the house, so thats good. 
For the rewiring i will do, i have the cable from the front box coming into the entrance. From there the entrance light, lounge room lights, and kitchen lights are all going to be rewired with new wiring. 
Is it better to use my 2Core + E wire, and leave the earth cut and out?
Can i connect the lighting Earth circuit to the GPO earth circuit, and atleast know as far as i rewire (entrance, lounge and kitchen) the lights are earthed? 
Any reccomendations?

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## commodorenut

If you're running the wires for your sparky, leave them all in there, and he can terminate them all properly, and ensure there's a good earth bond to the circuit.

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## Remickz

I guess thats what i was asking, would they terminate too the other circuits earth connection?
Its all earthed to the same point, so i wouldnt see the problem, but if the earth should be connected to the GPO earth run, i am guessing it should be done a few points along with lighting wiring to provide a good connection. 
If it is suggested that new lighting cable is run from the power box to my current "start" point, then i will have a few dramas, and a wall that is plastered that i had not planned on cutting into, may have too.

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## greenhj

if youve had any lighting work/sweep fans etc fitted in the last 20 yrs you might find theres an earth already connected somewhere, since there must be an earth fitted regardless of whether its needed or not you might get lucky and simply need to race around inside the ceiling with a roll of single earth wire to connect your "new" lights to the earthing system. 
in a lot of older houses there is sometimes a bare earth running right through the roof space, you could try looking for that and then life is easier. 
failing that, you can probably get a single earth wire to the switchboard easier than trying to get a new T+E back to it. 
you cant really connect to a gpo earth, though ive seen it done.

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## juan

> Hi Guys,   
> Electrical distributors tell me you cant get this any more, and its only twin core + earth.

  I never have problem getting 2 core from Rexel.
An online search will find some at places like this. Cable Flat 1.0mm Twin TPS Red / Black Pvc / Pvc 100mtrs Sparky Direct - Online Electrical Wholesaler- Electrical Accessories 
I use 1.5mm2 for lighting and use 2 core for switch wiring only.

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## chrisp

> Any reccomendations?

  Several:  Firstly, the work by law, needs to be done by an electrician or under the supervision of an electrician.  You may be able to organise for an electrician to allow you to 'rough in' wiring (for them to terminate).New work will probably require an RCD to be fitted.Earthing, or the provision of earthing, is now the norm - and has been for quite a while.  I wouldn't go hunting out non-earthed twin cable.The switch wire (and any 'active') shouldn't be black (but it can be sleeved with another colour at each end).  I'd recommend sticking to the conventional red-white combo for the switch cable. 
If the installation is old enough that the lighting isn't earthed, it is probably a very good idea to get an electrician to give it a look over.   :Smilie:

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## Remickz

> if youve had any lighting work/sweep fans etc fitted in the last 20 yrs you might find theres an earth already connected somewhere, since there must be an earth fitted regardless of whether its needed or not you might get lucky and simply need to race around inside the ceiling with a roll of single earth wire to connect your "new" lights to the earthing system. 
> in a lot of older houses there is sometimes a bare earth running right through the roof space, you could try looking for that and then life is easier.

  Thanks a lot for that. 
The wiring has been run, and plaser was fitted on saturday.
So i currently have the twin core coming from the box, that will then join too the twin core + earth for the lounge room and kitchen circuit, and from that point on, the hallway and laundry circuit continue on with their non earthed twin core wiring. 
The question is now, do i leave the earth circuit unconnected, or do i find the point to connect it. There is the bare earth that runs across the house in the roof to the box, and that goes across the top of these two kitchen / laundry circuits, but my question is, how is connecting to this any different than connecting to a GPO earth? Its all earth?
And if i do join into this earth wire in the ceiling, i am assuming it should be clamped onto rather than cut and joined. 
Thanks a lot;

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