switching lights at top and bottom of stairs

[Ouch77]

I'm in the process of having my house rewired, and one comment by my electrician has had me puzzled..

On asking for double gang, 2 way switches at the top and bottom of the stairs to switch lights at both ends (i.e. a pair of switches downstairs for upstairs hall and downstairs hall lights, and another identical pair upstairs doing the same), it was stated that 'nobody ever does that' and a single switch upstairs will be fine, to switch off the downstairs hall lights.

Am I asking for something odd? Is it just a Welsh thing? My old house was wired that way (not by me) cleverly with the switches sideways so you instantly new the top switch was for upstairs..

Overall I'm quite happy with the quality of work and attitude of my electrician, though I'm a little puzzled by his comments earler..

Thoughts and opinions please?

 

[riveralt]

On asking for double gang, 2 way switches at the top and bottom of the stairs to switch lights at both ends (i.e. a pair of switches downstairs for upstairs hall and downstairs hall lights, and another identical pair upstairs doing the same), it was stated that 'nobody ever does that' and a single switch upstairs will be fine, to switch off the downstairs hall lights.

It is unusual but not impossible to do. The norm is to have the upstairs light controlled by both the downstairs and upstairs switch.

Am I asking for something odd?

No just unusual.

Is it just a Welsh thing?

Not going to go there - tempted but no.

My old house was wired that way (not by me) cleverly with the switches sideways so you instantly new the top switch was for upstairs..

Now that is unusual. Would have been better to have http://www.qvsdirect.com/MK-Logic-P...t&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=weekly-feed

Overall I'm quite happy with the quality of work and attitude of my electrician, though I'm a little puzzled by his comments earler..

Thoughts and opinions please?

As I said it can be done but it will be more expensive because of the extra cabling involved.

 

[bernardgreen]

The extra cost is a length of triple and earth and the time to install it will not break the bank.

One down side for the electrician will be if you have the upstair light on one RCD and the downstairs light on another RCD as he ( she) will have to be more careful with the wiring and label the switches as having supplies from BOTH RCDs in the same component.

Having the lights on separate RCDs means a single trip will still leave working light(s) at one end of the stairs.

 

[RossR]

... will have to ... label the switches as having supplies from BOTH RCDs in the same component.

Have you got a regulation number for that requirement???

 

[OwainDIYer]

There are a lot of "nobody ever does that" things which would be quite useful if more people did actually do them.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[Ouch77]

a single switch upstairs will be fine, to switch off the downstairs hall lights.

So how are you going to switch them on when you're downstairs?

sorry, I think my original post might have been unclear.. The switch upstairs is supposed to be a 2way which works in conjunction with another 2 way downstairs to do the downstairs lights. The downstairs lights are only supposed to be switchable from downstairs.

I don't like this, so I've pushed for both up and downstairs lights to be switchable at both ends of the stairs, as stated earlier, the additional materials are barely worth getting upset over.

Just seemed odd to me that anyone would settle with just 'half a job' lighting in a frequently traveled, and potentially hazardous area such as stairs.

 

[echoes]

I have 2 way switching for both hall and landing lights. It's really useful to be able to switch on the hall light from upstairs, and save a trip downstairs at night to switch it off.

Since there will already be strapper cable for one light, it's not beyond the wit of man to have another, probably following exactly the same route.

When I first rewired my lights, I just planned a single switch for the landing, and was quickly told by SWMBO to have 2 way (eventually it was 3 way) switching for the hall light. She is not even Welsh.

 

[Ouch77]

I've got no doubts as to the usefulness of the setup, having enjoyed it for many years beforehand.

Bear in mind we've been living off a tenporary lashup of extension leads coming from the cupboard under the stairs for a month or so, being able to switch lighs from the wall will be a luxury in itself.

Thankfully I've chased lots of 20mm conduit into the walls for all the light switch drops, so changing some t&E for 3core isn't as much a chore as it could be.

 

[bernardgreen]

When I first rewired my lights, I just planned a single switch for the landing, and was quickly told by SWMBO to have 2 way (eventually it was 3 way) switching for the hall light. She is not even Welsh.

Our landing is quite large and we finished up with 4 way for the landing light. One at the bottom of the stairs and three close to three of the four bedroom doors.

 

[riveralt]

... will have to ... label the switches as having supplies from BOTH RCDs in the same component.

Have you got a regulation number for that requirement???

Not specifically on labels but the upstairs light in question should be on the downstairs circuit or vice versa otherwise 413.3.3 would be breached? Which I think is what Bernard was refering to.

 

[RossR]

Not specifically on labels but the upstairs light in question should be on the downstairs circuit or vice versa otherwise 413.3.3 would be breached? Which I think is what Bernard was refering to.

Doesn't that only apply to a circuit that is using the protective measure of electrical seperation? Otherwise you couldn't have both circuits terminated in the same CU without having barriers!

 

[bernardgreen]

There appears to be some " un-certainty " about having two lighting circuits fed from separate RCDs when the two circuits both present in the same back box.

One electrician re-wiring a nearby house insisted that there be two separate single gang switches as he could not put the cables of two lighting circuits in the same back box if the two circuits were fed from different RCDs. His reason was the CPC's from the two circuits could not be joined at the back box.

 

[riveralt]

Not specifically on labels but the upstairs light in question should be on the downstairs circuit or vice versa otherwise 413.3.3 would be breached? Which I think is what Bernard was refering to.

Doesn't that only apply to a circuit that is using the protective measure of electrical seperation? Otherwise you couldn't have both circuits terminated in the same CU without having barriers!

Yes I know - and I am struggling to find one. But to put one part of the lighting circuit on one MCB/RCD and the other on a seperated MCB/RCD seems wrong to me. Which is why in such circumstances I would try to incorporate both the upstairs landing and downstairs hall lights on the one circuit.