Is using the switch as a junction considered good practice?

[shockfreesince93]

Hi,
Building a house, but had to fire first builder and he took his electrician with him with only 2 floors done to first fix. Second electrician has put in loads of worn wires (bare copper!) which I have had to replace when I checked his work. Both were Part P (hmmm!). Muddling through with 2nd fix to get in before Christmas to be inspected by a very reputable electrician when finished.

Problem: 2nd electrician seems to have used switches as junction boxes, daisy chaining main feed from one to the next. Switches going live to light and all neutrals to a terminal block. I understand this works, but haven't seen or used it before. Massive down side the way he's done it is 8 cables to a 4 gang switch block. Also got to find room for a terminal block

Is this good practice?

P.S. If he has to do it this way, I don't understand why he hasn't just daisy chained 'C' terminals in the box leaving just one cable for L & N 'in' and one for 'out' to the next switch?

Cheers

 

[RF Lighting]

Yes it's perfectly normal to do this, in fact it's probably the most common way of wiring lights these days.

I don't understand what you mean about daisy chaining the 'C' terminals

Why don't you let your very reputable electrician do the second fix as muddling you way through really is not the way to do electrical work.

 

[Aragorn84]

I don't understand what you mean about daisy chaining the 'C' terminals

He presumably means if the "live loop" is at the switches, then there should only be 6 cables at the switch, rather than 8.

Loop in, loop out and the four feeds to the lights, with the live commons of the switch looped between each other.

At a guess, perhaps the additional two cables are for two way switching?[/quote]

 

[RF Lighting]

Oh I see. Yeah could be two ways, could be a feed to somewhere else, could be anything. This is where an electrician would be useful...

 

[Spark123]

Why are you meddling with someone elses work? If you have a problem then get the electrician back. That way you have some comeback from their competent person scheme, if you carry out work after them then you won't.
What do you mean by "worn wire"?

 

[sparkwright]

And what do you mean by '(bare copper!)?

 

[londonboy]

Worn wires? Did the electrician wear them to the pub?

 

[martinxxxxxx]

TROLL ALERT

 

[shockfreesince93]

OK guys, time to wind some necks in. I welcome constructive comments, but save the lectures and finger wagging.

Wires looked like they were stripped as dragged roughly through the building leaving bare copper in a number of places which would have at best caused a trip at 2nd fix or a potential fire later once boarded over. This by a qualified competant person. As for pursuing said incompetance through some tradesman's scheme, who has the time or patience for that. For every week I can't get the house finished I'm shelling out fortunes elsewhere anbd my experience of such schemes is that they end up as an a%#e covering scheme and are rarely worth the bother. I have wired numerous properties successfuly and had them all approved without any issue. My usual sparky doesn't work this far out and the locals haven't impressed so far.

I have managed to trace the cabling this afternoon and worked out what he was doing. All compliant if unneccessarily complicated. There is a two way connection which I neglected to mention and this accounts for one of the extra wires. Sorry miscounted. The extra wire is because he has decided to split the circuit in two driections from this switch and has a third connection direct to the consumer unit.

Thanks for confirming the validity of the system used and I have spent some time getting familiar with it. I was unimpressed with this now popular way of wiring lighting circuits and could see no benefit. However on reflection it does leave all the connections easily available without ripping up floorboards etc. I can see the merit but it doesn't half leave your switch boxes packed. I can't see any cost saving so does anyone else know other reasons why this method has been so universaly adopted.

Thanks again

 

[RF Lighting]

I was going to write a nice helpful reply, but I can't be bothered.

I think it's quite clear to everyone here you have no idea what you're doing with electrics, and you will not accept that this is the case.

 

[Spark123]

If you are unhappy with the electricians workmanship then get him back to fix it.
The obvious reason why looping at the switch is becoming more common is a lot of fancy new lights are a right pain to get 3 sets of wires in.

 

[sparkwright]

The worn, bare copper wires you describe certainly sound undesirable.

As already stated, with the trend for fancy light fittings and downlighters it is preferred to only have one cable at the light fitting, as wiring them up is easier. That's why nowadays the switches are fed, as you describe.

Years ago junction boxes were installed to give one cable at the light, and one cable at the switch. However, as the junction boxes weren't easily accessible, this made fault finding difficult.

Ideally, very deep back boxes should be used at the switch when looping at the switch. This will give maximum wiring space for all those extra wires and the neutral connector block, and also allow for dimmer switches.

 

[shockfreesince93]

That makes sense. My knowledge or lack of it is only based on circuits I've worked with. Never come across that as I've only used more old school lighting such as pendulums from a rose or string of spots from a junction box etc.. Never had to pack loads of cables at the lamp end.

 

[SaladFingers]

And what do you mean by '(bare copper!)?

Naked policeman?

 

[shockfreesince93]

All 25mm back boxes I'm affraid. Might have to hack the 4 switch out and replace the box, but a shame to mess up my new plastering. Think I'll get away with the others. cheers