{"id":1286,"date":"2026-10-18T07:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T04:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2026-10-18T21:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T18:42:12","slug":"rozetka-iz-zazemlenniam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/rozetka-iz-zazemlenniam\/","title":{"rendered":"Socket with or without earthing: the difference and which to choose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sockets with and without earthing look almost identical. The difference lies in the metal contacts on the sides of the socket recess, which are connected to the protective earth conductor. It is these contacts that protect against electric shock if the insulation in an appliance is damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How earthing works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In modern wiring, three wires run to the socket: live, neutral and the protective earth conductor \u2014 usually green-and-yellow. The casing of a washing machine or oven is connected to earth through the plug. If the insulation inside the appliance is damaged, the current will flow to earth and the circuit breaker or RCD will disconnect the circuit \u2014 instead of the current passing through a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which appliances need earthing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All appliances with a plug that has metal earth contacts: washing machine and dishwasher, fridge, oven, microwave, kettle, water heater, iron, computer. They need a socket with earthing<\/a> \u2014 in Switch Point collections, this is the main type of socket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a socket without earthing will do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The socket without earthing from Ultra Slim Series is designed for appliances with a thin plug and no earth contacts: chargers, lamps, small gadgets. It is compact and matches the style of the collection. But the main sockets in a flat must be earthed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to tell if your wiring is earthed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • In new builds, the wiring is usually three-core, with a protective earth conductor.<\/li>\n\n
  • In older buildings, there are often only two wires: live and neutral.<\/li>\n\n
  • Look inside the back box: a green-and-yellow wire is a sign of earthing.<\/li>\n\n
  • The most reliable way is to ask an electrician to test the circuit and measure the earth resistance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Why you must not join earth to neutral<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Sometimes, to “get” earthing, the earth contact of the socket is connected to neutral right in the back box. This is dangerous: if the neutral breaks, voltage can appear on the casing of your appliances. The right solution is to run a protective earth conductor during the renovation \u2014 and until then, to install an RCD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    RCD \u2014 a second level of protection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    An RCD (residual current device) or an RCBO disconnects the circuit if it detects current leakage. It is installed on the circuits for the bathroom, washing machine, water heater and kitchen sockets \u2014 in many cases, this is required by regulations. Together with earthing, it is the best protection against electric shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Socket with a cover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The socket with earthing and cover shields the openings from dust and dirt when it is not in use \u2014 handy in the kitchen, hallway or on the balcony. The same model is also available in Ultra Slim Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Can I install a socket with earthing if the wiring has no protective earth conductor?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Physically, yes, but then the earth contact is not connected to anything and protects against nothing. It is better to run three-core wiring \u2014 especially during a major renovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Why a socket needs an earth contact, when a socket without earthing will do, why the earth contact must never be joined to neutral and how to tell if your wiring is earthed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1302,"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions\/1302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/switchpoint.com.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}