Green earth sleeving Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[tooly]

Recently purchased a 1930 semi. started decorating and noticed the cables looked normal i.e. light grey insulation but the earth sleeves were only green and not green and yellow. from this information is it possible to approximately give a period in time when a rewire was done. thanks

[kbrownie]

Hi Tooly from this discription i'd be hard to guess, for loads of reasons the green sleeves could have been used much later after re-wire was installed or could have been taken from old installation and re-used.
The fact it is twin and earth and not singles would suggest it is not the original. Blue neutrals and Brown Line/live came in about five years ago, prior to that it was black and red.
Do you have an earth to the lighting circuits because about 40 years ago it was not done.
KB

[tooly]

Thanks KB for the reply, I have checked the rose connections, the cables are standard insulation with red and black wire and earth, connected with a lightish green sleeve. The same also at the light switch. At some stage in the very near future we will have an electrician move the switch position to the opposite side of the door and change opening position of the door. We intend also to add maybe 3 spots into the ceiling infront of fitted wardrobes also retaining the center light. As we are having this bedroom re-plastered and the old ceiling overboarded what would be the best spots to use and with the info about the cable do you see any problems. The spots will be independent to the retained center light. Thanks for your help. Tooly

[kbrownie]

Hi tooly,
There are calculation that can be made that wil calculate illuminance, but I don't see this as being a major factor in a bedroom depending on size of course. If I remember right it's 100 lx for casual vision. But that's a side issue!
It's really personal choice if it looks right is fit for purpose and installed correctly the jobs a good one.
As far as your current installation is concerned, hard to say. Systems should last about 50-60 years. But be inspected and tested at least every ten, really you should have asked for one before purchased it. When your electricain comes i'd suggest you ask him to do a periodic, he will charge you, but better safe than sorry.
KB

[Click-Sure]

Solid Green sleeving went out with the introduction of 14th edition regs in 1966, but as kbrownie says it could have been re-used from somewhere else, but if you've got it across the board, i'd consider that unlikely. Lucky you have a CPC on your lighting circuit!

If you're overboarding the ceiling I'd reccomend a fire-rated type downlight, you can put the clips in 2 positions, one for single board, one for double boarded (like a fire ceiling is).
However, just think of the amount of juice downlighters use, I'd often fit 8 or more in a room that managed fine with 2 60W pendant fittings, so that is going from 120W to 400W straight away!

[moggy1968]

this is where the new regs become a bit of a pain. if you want to move the lightswitch and new cabling is laid into the wall in chases you will have to RCD protect it, unless some fairly detailed requirements are met, so suddenly the simple matter of moving a light switch becomes a much bigger job.
The cabling you have found comes from at least 2 different timescales, one s the modern stuff (grey outer, brown and blue cables) the other is older

[moggy1968]

with regard to downlighters, you can now get some nice ones that take energy saving bulbs or you could use LEDs. you'll need more of them as the spread of light is much less, but they use a great deal less energy and are virtually maintainance free.