Wiring centre madness

[Tronjob]

Another example of mad wiring. The 3 port valve on our heating has come to the end of its life. Having taken the lid off the 'wiring centre' to connect in the replacement I found this madness.

Untitled

• Tronjob
• 8 Apr 2014
• 1

Unsurprisingly there are two groups of green/yellow wires. One set is the actual CPC, the other is the return from the tank stat. Even taking careful note of the existing wire positions and swapping them out one at a time I was still doubting myself and triple-checking that I'd not inadvertently connected the earthed heating system to the mains!

This also appears to be an example of 'how many types of cable can we used in one box'. There's twin and earth, three-core and earth, 3 core flex, 5 core flex, and even a (redundant) couple of pieces of 6241Y single and earth tucked away in the back of the box. Are all heating systems wired this badly?

Oh, and not forgetting the hole through with all of the cables pass through into the back box. It was blatantly made using the combination of a screwdriver and a hammer.

 

[OwainDIYer]

That's quite neat, compared to some.

 

[AndyPRK]

Fairly normal.

I don't like to keep one side of the connector for the valve only to make it a bit simpler to swap them.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Its always nice to see the switched lives with their proper brown sleeves on. Especially that green/yellow conductor

The subject of this topic //www.diynot.com/forums/electrics/niceic-allows-use-of-green-yellow-conductor-as-live.398766/

 

[JohnW2]

Its always nice to see the switched lives with their proper brown sleeves on. Especially that green/yellow conductor

Indeed! - maybe the sleeving is absent because the perpetrator just couldn't decide whether the sleeving should be brown or red, and therefore thought (s)he would avoid potential confusion by using neither

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

OK, lets have a straw poll. Has anybody ever seen a heating wiring centre with the switched live conductors properly identified?

(You are not allowed to vote for your own work)

 

[Steelmasons]

Unsurprisingly there are two groups of green/yellow wires. One set is the actual CPC, the other is the return from the tank stat. Even taking careful note of the existing wire positions and swapping them out one at a time I was still doubting myself and triple-checking that I'd not inadvertently connected the earthed heating system to the mains.
.

Maybe it was time to call a professional in that case.

It's quite clear where and what those cables/cores are switching , a sleeve here and there would be good although lazy bastad springs to mind.
Using 3 core flex for cyl stat control gets my goat every time , especially so when used on a Y plan.

 

[JohnW2]

OK, lets have a straw poll. Has anybody ever seen a heating wiring centre with the switched live conductors properly identified?

Yes, I have, but ....

(You are not allowed to vote for your own work)

Now you've gone and spoilt my answer

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

Has anybody ever seen a heating wiring centre with the switched live conductors properly identified?

If you count YY cable ( black with numbered cores ), red sleeves and circuit diagram with core numbers in the wiring centre then yes I have.

 

[jeff the gasman]

The trick is to cut the thick black wire and then replace each conductor like for like. No stress and it all looks neat when the cover goes back on.

 

[SimonH2]

OK, lets have a straw poll. Has anybody ever seen a heating wiring centre with the switched live conductors properly identified?

Does having every conductor fitted with a number sleeve, and a wiring diagram showing every junction box* etc count ? it even worked properly (Y plan) after I corrected the wiring (British Gas install). They probably didn't do it right because the way they used the conductors meant there wasn't a spare for the "DHW Off" signal from the controller - there were enough conductors, it was just the way they'd used them.

* Including the hidden one (where the boiler used to be) where the T*E plus 3C&E at one place changed to 2x T&E at the other end.

(You are not allowed to vote for your own work)

Oh, apparently not

 

[EFLImpudence]

I would question the need for sleeving in such a wiring centre.

The regulations state that the conductors should be 'identified'.

Therefore a diagram or number system would do this.


Plus of course,
with one terminal full of G/Y wires and another full of Blue and/or Black wires,
anyone not realising that all the others, of whatever colour, are Line should not be doing the work.

(Before anyone says "What about harmonised three-core + E?", in such a system the Black should be used for Neutral.)

 

[JohnW2]

I would question the need for sleeving in such a wiring centre. The regulations state that the conductors should be 'identified'. Therefore a diagram or number system would do this.

I suppose that depends upon what you mean by 'a number system'. The regulations (514.3.1) require that each conductor be identified by colour (insulation or sleeving) OR lettering/numbering - with no other options. A 'diagram' alone would therefore not seemingly be compliant.

If your 'number system' involved attaching/writing numbers on each conductor (in a manner compliant with 514.5.1) then I agree that it would be compliant.

Having said that, I would not personally be very comfortable (even if it were compliant) to have unsleeved conductors with insulation colours (e.g. brown or blue) which did not correspond to their normal meaning, even if they were 'identified' by numbers - if that is what you are suggesting.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

514.1.1 begins: "Except where there is no possibility of confusion,...".

I maintain a wiring centre with obvious CPC and Neutral terminals is such a situation.
Indeed, so is a light switch containing no neutral wires.

 

[AndyPRK]

I can't see why yellow wires need sleaving red myself