light switches

[hamster123]

Hi I want to fit a 6 way switch to control garden lighting. I have one set of 240v lights linked to the switch with standard cable. The other 5 sets are leds max 9w per set. Can i use 2 6 core .75mm cables from the box where they leave the house to the switch?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Could not say for sure.

The minimum size of cable will depend on teh size of fuse/circuit breaker that applies to the circuit.

 

[hamster123]

Hoping to run all from rcd spur. Could change fuse from 13a to 5a.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Better at 3amp

 

[hamster123]

ok 3 amp. The .75mm wire should be ok then? Thanks

 

[Taylortwocities]

yes

I hope the cable to the exterior is suitable for the environment

 

[ban-all-sheds]

hamster - what sort of cable is the 6 core .75mm² you want to use, and how will you install it outside so that it is protected from environmental and mechanical damage?

You say you have "one set of 240v lights linked to the switch with standard cable" - what sort of cable is that, and again, how is it installed so that it's physically protected?

Why do you want so many cores from the box where they leave the house to the switch? Surely you only need separate sets of conductors on the outgoing side?

How do you plan to allocate all of the lives, neutrals and earths between 12 cores in 2 cables?

What do you plan to do to ensure that your work complies with P1 of the Building Regulations?

Do you intend to seek Building Regulations approval for this work?

 

[hamster123]

hamster - what sort of cable is the 6 core .75mm² you want to use, and how will you install it outside so that it is protected from environmental and mechanical damage?

Gorgi 6 core control cable. It wont be outside it will through the wall from the box to the switch. Everything outside beyond the box will be low voltage.

You say you have "one set of 240v lights linked to the switch with standard cable" - what sort of cable is that, and again, how is it installed so that it's physically protected?

These are wall lights on the main lighting circuit. 1.0mm T&E in trunking

Why do you want so many cores from the box where they leave the house to the switch? Surely you only need separate sets of conductors on the outgoing side?
I want to switch the five sets of lights individually.

How do you plan to allocate all of the lives, neutrals and earths between 12 cores in 2 cables?
There wont be any neutrals. 5 lives, 5 switched lives and 2 earths.

 

[Taylortwocities]

How do you plan to allocate all of the lives, neutrals and earths between 12 cores in 2 cables?
There wont be any neutrals. 5 lives, 5 switched lives and 2 earths.

No neutrals????, how will the lamps light up, then?




PS 230V AC is Low voltage.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Gorgi 6 core control cable. It wont be outside it will through the wall from the box to the switch.

Ah.

You see when you wrote

Can i use 2 6 core .75mm cables from the box where they leave the house to the switch?

You were describing cables, from a box, leaving the house, and going to a switch, i.e. the switch is away from the house.

Everything outside beyond the box will be low voltage.

(First - please read this: //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:voltage-bands)

You say that the switch comes before the box (what is this "box"), which is why you need the multi-core cables to run from the switch to the box.

So what is the switch switching? If it's ELV after it, where does the ELV come from? And how can the same switch also be controlling 230V lights?

These are wall lights on the main lighting circuit. 1.0mm T&E in trunking

Are they inside or outside?

I want to switch the five sets of lights individually.

Yes, but see my question about what the switch is switching.

There wont be any neutrals. 5 lives, 5 switched lives and 2 earths.

What would be really useful would be a drawing, showing all of the cables, the switches, the box, the voltage sources, the lights, the length and position of the cables and so on.

And you forgot to answer these:

What do you plan to do to ensure that your work complies with P1 of the Building Regulations?

Do you intend to seek Building Regulations approval for this work?

 

[hamster123]

Thanks for the advice.

I am trying to comply with the regs so here's a bit more info to base your help on.

I should have said a 6 gang switch not 6 way.

The three outside wall lights are existing and will use the last gang on the switch - so they are kind of seperate.

The other 5 gangs i want to use for the garden lights.

The supply for the garden lights will run from a rcd spur off a ring main (fitted with a 3 amp fuse - thanks Taylortwocities).

It then runs down the inside wall, about 1.5m and through the wall to a alto ip65 box (the box).

In the box i have used a 5 amp connector block to split the lives and neutrals.

The neutrals then go direct to the led drivers and the lives to the 6 gang switch and back to the drivers

From the drivers the elv (thanks again for the correction) cables come out of the box and off into the garden.

From the box back through the wall and to where i want to put the switch is approx 5m.

i dont want to use loads of cables hence the original question about the 6 core .75mm

Does that make sense?

Sorry dont know how to get drawings on here!