Kitchen lights

[harrier]

I have just installed a new kitchen a wish to add under cupboard lights. Ideally i would like to control these lights using a main room switch. Currently i have a single gang light switch controlling the ceiling lights and wish to turn this in to a double gang switch to control the kitchen cupboard lights as well. However, i cannot have a feed from the lighting ring, so is it possible for me to take a fused supr from the ring main, fitted with a 5amp fuse, then take the feed up to the main kitchen light switch then on to the cupboard lights. Can this be done or will it cause a safety problem having one side of the light switch still live fed from the 13A ring main.
Cheers.

 

[breezer]

it should be two one gang switches

 

[plugwash]

i take it you can't get above the ceiling

you should not have 2 cuircuits in the same enclosure without warnings

what i would be inclined to do is

join the lighting cuircuit cables to your light together in a chockbox which you can then slip into the ceiling viod

then use the old switch cable to carry power to the light from your 3A fused spur off the ring

 

[breezer]

not a good idea

 

[plugwash]

why not?

 

[breezer]

as you said you should not have 2 cuircuits in the same enclosure i know you mentioned with out warning, but come on this is a diy forum, how may people do you think will get a proper label made and securly fixed.

as my late fater would have said, ther is nothing so permanent as a temporary job

 

[plugwash]

i then went on to suggest running both lights off the ring as the soloution to the 2 cuircuits in one enclosure issue

where is the problem with this?

 

[breezer]

there isnt, but that's not the way it reads.

i would also suggest that is not practicable in this case, since if has as he put it i cannot have a feed from the lighting ring, that implies he can not get to the celing light cables either, if he could then the supply would be no problem

 

[AdamW]

Yes, but if it is a rose fitting, there is a T&E going from the fitting to the switch. This is the cable Plug suggested using to power the ceiling light. The suggestion was to remove the cables from the rose, connect the two lighting circuit cables together and shove into the ceiling void (which you could do with the rose down, just).

I admit I had to think about it for a minute. The only thing I would have against Plug's method is that people generally assume all lights are on a dedicated lighting circuit.

However, you will obviously have to do some wall chasing to run the cables for these new lights: will it really be so much hassle to get access to the ceiling at the same time? Cut a couple of holes in strategic locations with a holesaw. Keep the disc that is cut out. These holes need to be just big enough to get a JB into the ceiling void, and in locations so that you can run cables into the wall to the lights and down to the switch. Replace the discs you cut out by cutting a square piece of plasterboard/wood just big enough to go through the hole. Put a piece of string though a hole in the middle of this square, slot it through and glue it in place with e.g. PVA. Now glue the right disc back in the hole, lining it up carefully (I assume you have an artexed ceiling).

 

[breezer]

but the origonal poster said However, i cannot have a feed from the lighting ring, which as i mentioned implies they have no access to any of the ceiling (dont ask me why)

 

[plugwash]

there is a big difference between being able to run in a new cable and being able to make changes at a fitting

my plan only involved the latter

 

[harrier]

HI !

Thanks for all your replys to this problem. To clear up the confusion of access to my lighting circuit...... Basically i have two ceiling lights in my kitchen, controlled by one switch. The main lighting ring enters the one of the ceiling lights which, inconvieniently is on the far side of the room with a wide expanse of artex ceiling in the way, not to mention the joists run against me so feeding a new cable thro would be a bit tricky. The other kitchen light then comes off this main one which is near to my kitchen. Im assuming from what you have said that A) using a spur to one side of a switch is not allowed B) Ripping my ceiling down and doing a new re-wire to light ring (not really practical) or C) Feeind power to the ceiling lights from a fused spur from the ring main thus eliminating the 2-circuit problem on a double gang switch.
Thiking about this im sure that powering both celing lights and cupboard lights in this way should be a fairly easy thing as i have access to the cable, and just enough room above the cieling rose to pop in a junction box to join the light ring. If i do this, then im assuming that a clear label will have to put inside the light switch telling people that it is feed from the main ring NOT the light ring ?
cheers C