Extra light fitting in new rooms

[Homesafe]

Hi, I want to fit a new light each in 2 rooms that have been partioned with single switches and also move an existing light to the new hall way ( just outside the new rooms) I could use the existing light cable for the hall light.

I havent done any electrical work in my house apart from putting a couple of sockets in from the ring main.
As I understand it the lighting circuit has LNE going to the switches and carrying on the loop to next light in the same way.
Have I covered basic or am I talking sh1te

 

[b21playa]

This may help

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37582

 

[Homesafe]

Well that was a good link , did'nt think of that, thanks.
I have a question tho.
When I am wiring these new switches and lights Can I feed the cables to the switches and lights first (may be obvious )and then make the connection to the junction box last/or first?
I ask this cos I want to spend as little time in the loft as possible, My skin doesnt take too well to the asbestos you see

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If the junction boxes are accessible yes, but I would try and avoid junction boxes and loop in at the lights and have switch drops from the lights to switch plates.

 

[Homesafe]

Whats the method proffesional electricians use ? do they use a junction box or just the plain ceiling rose for carrying the loop?.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

They avoid junction boxes if possible!
and loop in either at switch or at rose. I prefer rose but sometimes switch does it for me!

 

[Homesafe]

So , (bear with me please) I disconnect fuse for upstairs lighting, then I disconnect the light that I am gonna take the loop LNE from , then I feed the cable to the next light and drop down into the hole I made iin the ceiling and also drop cable down through the hole in the first disconnected light.
Then I run another cable from the new light hole to the switch come dowstairs and do all the connecting here ( ie. out of the loft)
long winded but am I right so far?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Sounds like a good plan!

Where the light fittings are going to be, run a twin and earth cable from the supply light on existing lighting circuit to each fittings hole. This is the loop cable which will supply permanent live and neutral to each light.
This will then allow you to drop for each fitting another twin and earth cable to your switches. This then gives you perm live at com at switch brown core and switch live blue (sleeved brown at L1 of switch.

 

[Homesafe]

Thanks for the heads up PB and playa, I will have ago and if it goes t1ts up I'll send you a post card from the hospital .
My main worry was the irritating insulation in the loft and how I could do most of the wiring from beneath, and you have just confirmed that I can feed the cables down and then wire up.
Thanks once again .
forgot about the light that I have to move

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Just follow this from light to light then at the last light you will have one less set of cables at Loop live, Neutral and Earth as this will be last light on circuit, so no next light to go to.
Remember to sleeve the blues going to switch at both light and switch, this identifies this as a switch live and the bare copper of the T&E is sleeved green and yellow.

Untitled

• PrenticeBoyofDerry
• 21 Nov 2011
• 7

Also keep the cable within the permitted safe zones.
Floors and Wall on link
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:installation_techniques

 

[Homesafe]

Well, I wired this up today and there was no permanant live at the roses, The switch was doing one 2way and one 1 way , if that makes sense.
I had a look in the switch and it had 3 cables with twin and earth into it,

so i took a permanent live to the new light from there, from the common loop and just put the neatrals together, is that a non-standard set up?
It worked fine.

 

[securespark]

Looks like you had the loop at the switch.

 

[Homesafe]

The only permanent live was at the switc, i was stumpt for awhile then i thought about it and took the live up from switc.
I dont know the reason they did that ,but its either summat to do with
The two way connection or its a short way of getting a live to both lights from one point.
Am talking sh1 te again arnt i?

 

[Homesafe]

Jokes aside, can you explain to me how the live was at the two gang switch.
Is this method used nowadays or is it an old method?
Thanks

 

[EFLImpudence]

No, it is actually a more recent way of wiring the lighting circuit.

Whichever is more convenient, it makes no difference - apart from the fact that ceiling roses have terminals for all the conductors while switches do not.

Either the supply is run to each light with cable down to each switch or

the supply is run to each switch with cable up to each light.