Anyone had experience with MK grid switches?

[Bobby10]

Hi, Was thinking about fitting MK Grid switches in my kitchen. I have fridge and washing machine named switches.

Trouble Im having as they are on a kitchen ring. So wiring them is an absolute pain in the butt.

So I have the supply wires 1 in and 1 out.

Then the load wires 2 out.

I take it I will need to connect the supply together to maintain the ring?

So that would mean having 5 x 2.5mm cables in the rear.

They have supply at the tops and load at the bottoms. Then a small 2.5 connecting the supplies.

Not to mention all the earths.

The screws on them are not very robust either. Perhaps need tiny fingers and a lot of patience?.

Due to space and the fact that all wires are in the walls I cannot see a solution but to try fit them.

I could get 2 x 13A fused spurs and make my life a lot easier. Wife wants the grid switches though. They do look nice but are a pain to wire. 35mm back box with 2 grid switches.

 

[flyingsparks]

Yes they can be quite fiddle to get them to fit, however I am a bit confused why you have 5 cables? Surely only 2 in into the supply (the ring) and then one out (load).

 

[sparkwright]

Yes they can be quite fiddle to get them to fit, however I am a bit confused why you have 5 cables? Surely only 2 in into the supply (the ring) and then one out (load).

2 switches.

2 feed cables.
2 load cables.
short link between the feed side of the two switches.

I'd recommend you use a deep 48 mm back box, to give yourself maximum room.

I daresay it can be done with a 35 mm...

 

[OwainDIYer]

just dress the cables nicely.

I've got 6 x 1.5mm T&Es in a plaster depth single box behind a 2-gang lightswitch with no probs.

 

[DaftPunk]

48mm deep box and you can quite easily fit either a 2.5mm ring or 4mm radial supply and 4 x 2.5mm outgoing cables onto a 4 gang grid switch.

 

[phatboy]

Do you not have fuse modules in the grid? If not, you must only have a single socket attached to each output. This may well be the case, but just to be sure.....

 

[JohnW2]

Do you not have fuse modules in the grid? If not, you must only have a single socket attached to each output. This may well be the case, but just to be sure.....

A valid point/question - but, since we are told that one switch is for a fridge and the other for a washing machine, I think it's probably reasonable to assume that each will be connected to only one socket (for the appliance in question).

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

You are aware the switches are connected and push in after the metal grid is fitted.

The earth wires can be dealt with first and sited out of the way of the switch entrys if possible, and the grid fitted then the other cables dressed neatly so the cores just protrude enough through the now fitted metal grid, fit one switch at a time and click back in.

some cheap cable cutters bevel the copper excessiely when cut, the squarer the coppers cut, the better two cores seem to fit as the terminal holes are quite shallow

 

[JohnW2]

...then the other cables dressed neatly so the cores just protrude enough through the now fitted metal grid, fit one switch at a time and click back in.

Indeed - that's the method which makes life easiest for oneself.

However, for any accessory, but particularly grid switches/modules, life gets a bit more difficult for those who (like me) were brought up to always leave enough spare conductor to enable it to be trimmed and comfortably re-terminated at least once, if necessary in the future. "..so the cores just protrude enough..." at the initial installation doesn't really satisfy that. However, I don't think many people think like that any more (despite the fact that some terminations suffer much more 'interference' than they used to, in the name of 'testing')

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

However, for any accessory, but particularly grid switches/modules, life gets a bit more difficult for those who (like me) were brought up to always leave enough spare conductor to enable it to be trimmed and comfortably re-terminated at least once, if necessary in the future. "..so the cores just protrude enough..." at the initial installation doesn't really satisfy that. However, I don't think many people think like that any more (despite the fact that some terminations suffer much more 'interference' than they used to, in the name of 'testing')

Absolutely, I too like to leave some slack for retermination, however im more used to lighting grid banks and stranded singles and find theres usually space to leave a bit of a loop before just protruding through