All Feeds at switch

ewok · Post by **ewok** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:07 pm

Someone please help,
I have been first fixing lofts with my boss and we take all the lighting feeds to the two way switch at top of stairs. Everytime I come to wire the switch I end up having a mental blank. I don't want to keep asking him as he is gonna think I have a short term memory problem

Do you put all neutrals together in connector block all feeds in and out in another block and the feed from mains to common with grey 3 core using brown and black as strappers with the brown and blue from 2 core that goes to first spot in loft?????

This drives me mad as I cannot seem to remember, I am fine with everything else loop in, junction box etc.But we change the way we wire lights all the time depending on where the easiest access is and what type of light fittings we use.

Rich-Ando · Post by **Rich-Ando** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 6:21 pm

to be honest i don't like the sound of any of that.

there isn't a reg against it but it's not common practice to do as you are suggesting.

why go wiring lives & neutrals to the landing switch? it doesn't make any sense.
if you are in a house where the wiring was done loop in live at the switches then i could understand you going to that switch for the live but generally you won't find the neutral there.
if the live is wired that way then you wouldn't actually take the neutral from the landing light to the switch either.

if it is wired "loop-in" at the light fittings then your feed for both live & neutral is easily taken from there.

however, if i somehow got your post totally confused then i apologise.
if you were actually asking which connection is the permanent live in a two way switch then the answer is: -

it depends on which way it was wired.

it can end up being C / L1 or L2

the most traditional way today is to bring a twin from the pendant to the switch and put them accross L1 & L2 then take a 3-core from the downstairs switch to the landing one and connect all 3 cores in the same order in both switches

ewok · Post by **ewok** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:04 pm

Cheers for the advice, mate,

I know it's not the conventional way but because its in a loft and the client generally wants spots (the bain of my life as I always get celotex down the cleveage. Itchy

)

My boss decided it's easier to put all the feeds at the landing switch, jb's would be a nightmare to find behind insulation, plasterboard etc. so thats why we do it

.

Everytime we come to second fix, I end up having a mental block and think is is a jb is a switch, is it a jb is it a switch,

generally confuse myself and walk away. In two years it's the only thing I can't get my head around, probably because I always let him do it.

Linzi

Rich-Ando · Post by **Rich-Ando** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:24 pm

ewok wrote: I know it's not the conventional way but because its in a loft and the client generally wants spots

My boss decided it's easier to put all the feeds at the landing switch, jb's would be a nightmare to find behind insulation, plasterboard etc. so thats why we do it .
Linzi

actually m8 i disagree.
tell your boss to look for the small 20Amp jb's. they fit perfectly through a whole for a spotlight.
that way you only need to take one wire from the landing light and one to a switch, the rest get wired at each fitting. each is accessible per light as well for future uses.

as for them being hard to find under insulation, not true m8, there should be a decent air gap around spotlights and as such, the insulation should not be on top of the lights so finding a JB is easy, pull the light out and the jb follows.

ewok · Post by **ewok** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 6:20 pm

actually I agree with you, but I guess that is the thing every sparks will have their own way of wiring lights, I have experienced the good the bad and just plain ol ugly on the job

We are parting company soon and as I have been with him now for two years and I would like some experience with other sparks to see how they work. I dont always agree with his practices but I guess being a trainee you just shut up and wire up :|

I have often wondered about spots in lofts, cos even though I cut a cavity in the celotex, sometimes the air gap between the plasterboard and roof just isnt big enough, the trannies must be cutting out all the time due to heat build up.

But if you make the holes too big the building inspectors in my area moan, makes you wonder how much general knowledge they have sometimes. Celotex isnt flammable is it??? Cant be.

I was wondering if something was gonna be added to the 17th ed about the number of spots in a building, especially as with this new energy efficiency drive going on, especially in lofts as you can feel the drafts rushing through sometimes.

I also do a lot of student refurbs which have to be fireboarded and even though we use fire rated spots it still creates a void.

I don't know some times I get a bit stressed about Building regs and the rules building control keep changing, but I would hate to think i had ever left an unsafe installation anywhere. You only have to look on rogues gallery to see the possibility of disaster. And I have seen it for myself first hand.

Linzi