We are having our existing elderly 6ft fluorescent fittings changed for dimmable 1500mm T5 fittings in our Village Hall. Being an old 16th century building we are also trying to get rid of all surface fixed cables that have appeared over the years at the same time by installing a large box trunking all the way round the hall at high level. This will not only be a mounting point for new led strip lights and up/down lighters but also enclose a new ring main, supplies to the stage lighting, BT and network cables, PA speaker cables and the Hearing loops well as the new lighting controls.
The electrician has already advised that we need to have separate compartments in the box trunking to keep the mains cables separated from the low voltage which I was aware of. However now we have started doing some pre-work we have discovered the exiting elderly wiring it is to say the least unconventional with four circuit breakers but everything running on a single neutral. His recommendation is to start from scratch installing new supplies in plastic conduit up the roof trusses. This was always in the plan as these would have contained the control wires for the dimming ballasts. The main feed and switch wires were going to be the original wiring installed in the ceiling.
My questions are:-
1) Can the control wires (which I belive are low voltage) be enclosed in the same conduit as the feed and switch wires, or do they have to be kept separate as with data cables?
2) To provide isolation could you use double insulated cable for the control wires and put them in with the feed or is this still a no no?
If they have to be kept separate this means two lots of conduit up each roof truss which will look ugly and defeats the object of removing surface fixed wires and cables.
The contractor is a good electrician and does things by the book but is a bit old school and may not be up to date on some of the newer thinking.
Any advice would be appreciated.
The electrician has already advised that we need to have separate compartments in the box trunking to keep the mains cables separated from the low voltage which I was aware of. However now we have started doing some pre-work we have discovered the exiting elderly wiring it is to say the least unconventional with four circuit breakers but everything running on a single neutral. His recommendation is to start from scratch installing new supplies in plastic conduit up the roof trusses. This was always in the plan as these would have contained the control wires for the dimming ballasts. The main feed and switch wires were going to be the original wiring installed in the ceiling.
My questions are:-
1) Can the control wires (which I belive are low voltage) be enclosed in the same conduit as the feed and switch wires, or do they have to be kept separate as with data cables?
2) To provide isolation could you use double insulated cable for the control wires and put them in with the feed or is this still a no no?
If they have to be kept separate this means two lots of conduit up each roof truss which will look ugly and defeats the object of removing surface fixed wires and cables.
The contractor is a good electrician and does things by the book but is a bit old school and may not be up to date on some of the newer thinking.
Any advice would be appreciated.