Attn kendor; detached to avoid a discussion in For Reference

[ban-all-sheds]

Neutrals at the switch tsk tsk!

What's wrong with that?

 

[Steve]

yes, i was going to ask that, but for reason ban just described i didnt ask!

 

[JohnD]

?someone mistakenly switching the neutral instead of the phase? or the neutral wire falling out of a terminal and giving the impression power is off and the pendant safe?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

?someone mistakenly switching the neutral instead of the phase?

Serves them right.

or the neutral wire falling out of a terminal and giving the impression power is off and the pendant safe?

That could happen anywhere...

 

[colport27]

Can anyone else remember the old wiring centres?, where every twin from a lighting circuit went back to the one junction box?.
Nah, neither can I, I just heard about them, cough cough.
With that system every single switch/light position went back to the one connection point, so if you wanted to muck about..........you could switch the lounge light on from the toilet switch and vice versa.
Is the method of wiring the feeds to switches with joint neutrals known as two plate?

 

[JohnD]

?someone mistakenly switching the neutral instead of the phase?

Serves them right.

or the neutral wire falling out of a terminal and giving the impression power is off and the pendant safe?

That could happen anywhere...

So, why the Tsk Tsk?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I don't know.

 

[Lectrician]

Nothing wrong with it at all. We had a subby working for us who thought it was awfull to do it - He wanted to fit double pole swiches if we did it!! ******. Nothing wrong with it - it is the best method these days!

All I would say is in grid switches with more than one circuit - keep them seperate - the amount of times I have seen all neutrals together in a thundering block........

 

[Har_vey]

I heard a theory that it was bad practice because there is no where to obviously terminate the neutral, hence the double pole switch request I expect.

Can't see anything wrong with it myself.

 

[kendor]

Sorry for the delay, Reason i said Tsk Tsk was that at one time it was bad practice unless of course the switch was double pole, although John's mention of switching neutrals is a good reply and i seem to remember that to be one of the reasons why you shouldn't do it.
Maybe i'm losing touch with the way things are these days but it seems so many bad practices are being accepted as the norm. Another bad practice seems to be the running of singles to switches, where we were always taught to make sure a return was included in the same sheath ie twin or multicore to switches to stop eddies. This has been discussed here before.
With Home Automation making more of a show these days i can understand the want for a neutral at the switch as a lot of those switches need it . I was just being a bit pedantic bas in saying what i did i suppose and should accept things have moved on though it still rub against the grain when i see it done as it was such a no no in my days as a contractor.

 

[plugwash]

i think the reason neutrals at the switch are becoming common is that JBs are frowned on for accessibility reasons and modern light fittings are even worse to loop at then a switchbox.

 

[BJS_Spark]

So Kendor are you going to edit your post in the 'For refernce' sticky as it is a bit confusing for people looking there for refernce material. After all that is what it is for, and not a discussion thread.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Actually the whole thread needs clearing out - extraneous stuff deleted, duplication removed, and some structure brought to it by splitting it into 2 or 3 separate threads.

If I ever find my roundtuit I plan to suggest a division of the spoils to admin/mods to implement...

 

[PompeySparks]

I see absolutely no problem with neutrals at switches - I'd like somebody to explain WHY it is 'bad practice' - sometimes the 3-Plate switch method can make life so much easier! Go on... once you try it you won't go back!

 

[securespark]

or the neutral wire falling out of a terminal and giving the impression power is off and the pendant safe?

Surely the live would still be live? Thus giving the impression power is on and the pendant is not safe to work on.