Is this the right way to set up my wall lights

[widow]

Ok so this is how i have laid out my wiring for my wall lights. A neighbour of mine had a quick look one day and told me he would pop a diagram through my door of how i should have the wires. Now he has done that but is now no longer here as he went to iraq on a rebuilding scheme.

sorry about the rough diagram i hope you can understand it

I guess i should add that i am hoping this is right because i have aready done it and plastered over the cables

See he is in the electric industry so i just went ahead and did it but now i took a step back and looked at what i have done im wondering how the switch is going to work with it being connected to the ceiling light aswell.

so if anyone could shine some light on this it would be great im just hoping its good news.

 

[ericmark]

Sorry but your diagram tells us very little.

In general most ceiling roses are junction boxes as well as points to hang lamp from and the "Loop" is always live so to take wall lamps from there would make sense.

Second to cable to the first switch in a two way system is like the cable to any other switch but the cable between two way switches would normally be 3core and earth.

Feed (line) and return (neutral) always go in same cable or you will get mains hum it items around the room.

All lighting with buried cables will now need RCD protection unless you use the special exempt cable like Ali-tube.

Cables must follow permitted routes i.e. vertical or horizontal from visible electrical item or in safe zones.

 

[widow]

Ok sorry i am really not at all clued up with electrics.

All the wire i have used is 2 core and earth.

All i can really tell you is that the blue lines represent the wire to the on/off switch the wall lights in the alcove on 1 switch and the 1 light on the back wall on another switch.

The yellow line comes from a ceiling rose in the next room which is under the stairs/downstairs toilet/electric meter and fuse box.

The red line represents the feed to all 3 lights?

I think i may have to wait for my neighbour to get back from iraq next year, He did say he will connect the lights up for me but isnt due back till march 2010!!

Also the wire runs vertical from where the light fitting will be then it makes its way around the floor and door frames behind the skirting. Is this right?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Also the wire runs vertical from where the light fitting will be then it makes its way around the floor and door frames behind the skirting. Is this right?

No! cables must never go behind skirting boards.
The wires should go vertically from the light/switch and be routed either in the ceiling or under the floor.

I think your neighbour has made it very diifficult for you to do.
The best way would have been for the live feed to go to the switch and then for the other cables to go out to the two sets of wall lights.

 

[widow]

Ok wow now im dissapointed with the neighbour, im not sure why he hasn't told me any of this!

Goin through the ceiling now would be harder to do as i now have fitted wardrobes that run the full length of the wall which is situated above the two wall lights on that one wall.
Plus the plasterer has put in some arches above where the wall lights will be.

so as i have a concrete floor downstairs the question is do i have any other options for routing this cable or am i screwed?

Thanks for all your help so far people.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I guess i should add that i am hoping this is right because i have aready done it and plastered over the cables

I'm afraid that no matter what you hope, that will have to be a much lower priority than doing it so that

a) it works

b) is not dangerous and illegal.

See here for how lighting circuits work:

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting

and here for details on the rules on concealed cables:

• http://www.voltimum.co.uk/files/gb/attachments/niu/l/attachments/c5-43.pdf
• http://web.archive.org/web/20061110111450/http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/concealedcables.pdf
• IEE article
• IEE Article on 17th Edition requirements for concealed cables.

See he is in the electric industry

That could mean anything.

Even if he is actually an electrician, depending on what his actual job is, and in what sort of environment, and how long he has being doing it, and what qualifications he has and how long ago he got them he may not, in the context of this type of job, be much more clued up than you.

Ok wow now im dissapointed with the neighbour, im not sure why he hasn't told me any of this!

At a guess, because he's not much more clued up than you...