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I want to install a light in my kitchen in a place that has had a spot light in the past.
The thing is, I just removed the 'baseplate' of the old light, and found that there are only two wires coming out of the wall (i.e. no 'earth').
Is there a safe way of installing a new, earthed light to the old wiring?
It's probably 12V then.
Check the voltage rating on the old spotlight.
Check the voltage rating on the old spotlight.
very bloody carefully, because if its actually a jerry-rigged 240v supply it will blow most multimeters.
Check the bulb spec for the old spot? Failing that, shut the circuit off at the breaker and use a proper connector to attach a known 240v lamp and see if it lights.
its not uncommen to have no earth running to a lighting fitting.
none of my light fittings have an earth wire. i thought that was normal ❓
What kind of lamp are you trying to connect? Ceiling rose' have an earth, but most downlighters i've ever seen don't.
Is it a light fitting, or a downlighter that fits into a hole in the ceiling?
A downlighter is considered part of a circuit and strictly speaking is a job for a spark. A light fitting is designed to be fitted to a rose, either mounted on the ceiling, or in the ceiling as a junction box, with an earth the live switch wire and a neutral.
just dont make the same mistake as me, and think that theres no power to the rose if you've turned the switch off 😳
As per TJ. It'll just be a switched live and a neutral. All of my light fittings are the same.
If you have to ask the question, then get someone in who knows what they're doing.
druidh +1
uhuh. *no* lights have an earth (ok, 99.99%). Get someone in who knows stuff.
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Given there are 250M+ yanks, that doesn't seem a high figure.
Given there are 250M+ yanks, that doesn't seem a high enough figure.
fify 😉
Given the fact that I'm an electrician, I find it quite worrying how many people are on here stating that their lighting circuits have no CPC's/earths.
All fine when you have plastic roses up, but the trend these days is for fancy metal light fittings, which must be earthed.
As mentioned before it's just lived switch. The neutral and earth will be above the ceiling in the main cable which goes to the ceiling rose. As per the diagram below but without an earth on the switch cable. Although as people have said if you don't know what you're doing get someone in. [img] 
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jeffl - that's what you see in your ceiling rose, or what you should see. That's not above the ceiling.
what colour are the cables and what colour is the outer sheath of the cable? is it a round flex or a flatter twin and earth type cable?
If there's no earth, you'll need to be using a plastic fitting. Metal housings need to be earthed
Sorry to be a bringer of doom but I guess you have a house from the 70's because they did not use a earth then
but alas since the 15th edition of the wiring regs all lighting MUST have a earth, why you ask well it is a safty circuit and no electrician worth his title will not touch your lighting circuit and if you had your house tested it would fail the Z's test and be condemed
Just get it rewired for your own safty and that of your family
Sorry to sound mellow dramatic but because you posted on here you do not know what you are doing ( as are alot of the above posters) please do not become a statistic get someone in