I went to replace a security light for my grandparents this week. It's controlled by a switch next to the back door which is located in a small extension (c1985) just used as a breakfast area.
Before I started, I noticed that the 2 "light switches" in the extension are switched FCUs. Alarms bells immediately rang in my head and sure enough, upon pulling the fuse for the lighting circuit, both breakfast room light and outside light still worked.
I've had a bit of an investigate and I'm not happy with what I've found - the entire breakfast room is what I can only describe as a "cowboy-daisy-chain-spur-bonanza".
There is one double socket in the breakfast room, which is spurred from a single socket in the kitchen (on the downstairs ring) behind the frigde. This in turn runs to the "lightswitch" for the ceiling light and then on to the switch for the security light.
I submit that this is a Very Very Bad Thing™.
I'm unsure how to go about fixing this. Reinstating the socket onto the ring is no problem (or even leaving it as a spur once the lights are disconnected from it), but the lights pose a bit more of a challenge. The extension and the kitchen it backs onto are in a single storey part of the house with a flat roof so no loft access (possibly the reason for the bodge in the first place but still no excuse IMO).
Whichever avenue I go down I have 2 lights which currently source their power at the switch, so I need some directions towards creating a system which has the loop-in there (as I beleive is the case in some new-builds).
Thanks in advance for your help guys!
(P.S. Aware of P and all that but I'm going to fix this "last year", I'm more concerned with getting the right advice and doing it safely)
Before I started, I noticed that the 2 "light switches" in the extension are switched FCUs. Alarms bells immediately rang in my head and sure enough, upon pulling the fuse for the lighting circuit, both breakfast room light and outside light still worked.
I've had a bit of an investigate and I'm not happy with what I've found - the entire breakfast room is what I can only describe as a "cowboy-daisy-chain-spur-bonanza".
There is one double socket in the breakfast room, which is spurred from a single socket in the kitchen (on the downstairs ring) behind the frigde. This in turn runs to the "lightswitch" for the ceiling light and then on to the switch for the security light.
I submit that this is a Very Very Bad Thing™.
I'm unsure how to go about fixing this. Reinstating the socket onto the ring is no problem (or even leaving it as a spur once the lights are disconnected from it), but the lights pose a bit more of a challenge. The extension and the kitchen it backs onto are in a single storey part of the house with a flat roof so no loft access (possibly the reason for the bodge in the first place but still no excuse IMO).
Whichever avenue I go down I have 2 lights which currently source their power at the switch, so I need some directions towards creating a system which has the loop-in there (as I beleive is the case in some new-builds).
Thanks in advance for your help guys!
(P.S. Aware of P and all that but I'm going to fix this "last year", I'm more concerned with getting the right advice and doing it safely)