Lamp without a protective conductor / grounding: what to do?

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Power cable: three phases

Table of contents

  • The PE connection
  • protection classes
  • Connect
  • safeguards

Many antique lamps are true gems. However, they often lack the connection for grounding or grounding. the protective conductor. However, under certain conditions, they can be safely connected.

video tip

The PE connection

A PE connection means the connection for earthing. It is needed to divert the current from a conductive body such as the housing to earth. This is to prevent the body or the housing itself is live and if you touch it you can get a sometimes life-threatening electric shock. If, on the other hand, no metal-conductive body can penetrate to the outside and thus not be touched, then no protective conductor is required either, which would divert the current to earth. The big question is whether this is actually the case with a lamp without a PE connection.

protection classes

Protection classes in electrical engineering

electrical devices or Equipment is divided into three protection classes. Protection class 1 devices must be connected to the protective conductor. If, on the other hand, it is a device or around a lamp of protection class 2, earthing is not required. Equipment in this protection class does not usually have a PE connection either, since it already offers a high level of protection through reinforced or provide double insulation of their housing.

Tip:

With modern lamps, the protection class must be specified. For protection class 2, the associated symbol consists of two squares one inside the other.

With old or however, antique equipment often lacks this important identification or has been lost over time. With these lamps you should therefore proceed as follows:

  • check whether there is a PE connection
  • check if the housing is made of a conductive material
  • check whether there is contact from a current-carrying cable to the housing

A notice:

If the housing is not made of metal but, for example, of plastic, you can assume that the lamp corresponds to protection class 2 and does not require grounding.

Connect

Let's assume that there is equipment in protection class 2, i.e. it has no PE connection. Three cables protrude from the ceiling to which the lamp is to be attached.

Power cable colors

Each of these is one

  • blue cable
  • brown cable
  • a green-yellow wire

The green-yellow cable the green-yellow connection is intended for the protective conductor. On the other hand, this protective conductor connection is missing on the lamp. Consequently, only the blue and the brown cable have to be connected. But what do you do with the green-yellow cable? Preferably the following:

  • Wrap the stranded wire at the end several times with insulating tape
  • the insulating tape is intended to prevent possible contact with a conductor
  • Then roll up the cable as loosely as possible and hide it in the light housing without a connection

safeguards

It goes without saying that the power should be switched off for all connection work. If individual cables are still live, touching them can result in life-threatening electric shocks. cause severe burns. In order to be able to avoid this at all costs, you should protect yourself before starting work and personally check whether the current flow has actually been switched off. In addition, a lot of care is required later when insulating the green-yellow cable. Insulation must always be positioned to prevent possible contact with a live conductor. Otherwise, such a contact could lead to a short circuit. If the cable comes into contact with a conductor, a so-called ground fault can also occur. As a result, the circuit breaker (FI switch) in the house or triggered in the apartment and would be very difficult to switch on again.

author Home editorial office

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