Lighting circuits
- Thread starter joccobd8
- Start date
Well I'll give it a go.
You need to identify where the feed moves from the ground floor to the 1st floor.
This run of cable then needs to be replaced with a new piece to your consumer unit, this is all assuming you have a loop in loop out arrangement!!!!
However, this sounds easier said than done and will depend on your CU having a spare 6A MCB, locating the CORRECT cable, lifting floor boards etc.
Why do you wish to change? Is your place in need of a full rewire any way?
I don't know what any of the other lads might suggest- eh fellas
You need to identify where the feed moves from the ground floor to the 1st floor.
This run of cable then needs to be replaced with a new piece to your consumer unit, this is all assuming you have a loop in loop out arrangement!!!!
However, this sounds easier said than done and will depend on your CU having a spare 6A MCB, locating the CORRECT cable, lifting floor boards etc.
Why do you wish to change? Is your place in need of a full rewire any way?
I don't know what any of the other lads might suggest- eh fellas
Thanks for you advice, I thought it didn’t sound that easy. I have got the necessary spares on the consumer unit to do it. The reason im looking in to this, is, because I need to add a couple more lights to the circuit, but I think the existing circuit is about up to its limit(supplying 12 lights at moment).
another thing to watch out for is hall/landing two way switching. For reasons I won't go into here it is a very bad idea to take the live from one circuit and the neutral from another (this is known as a borrowed neutral) but a lot of hall/landing two way switching systems take the live feed for the landing light from the hall light. This is fine if they are on the same circuit but not if they are on seperate circuits.
It may be easier to leave the existing lights on the circuit they are on and put the new lights on a new circuit.
It may be easier to leave the existing lights on the circuit they are on and put the new lights on a new circuit.
by the time you're replaced half of them with energy-saving lamps (as you should) you will find the loading is very low.
Apart from saving lots of money, it will save you having to clamber up and change bulbs much in future. CFLs last for years and years and years.
Apart from saving lots of money, it will save you having to clamber up and change bulbs much in future. CFLs last for years and years and years.
Unless they are switched frequently.
urban myth
See "Which" report Nov 2007
Switching on and off
We also check that the bulbs stand up to being switched on and off frequently since this was a problem for the previous generation of low-energy bulbs.
We switch the lamps on and off in cycles of 3 minutes on and 5 minutes off for a grand total of 20,000 cycles, the equivalent to switching on and off 10 times a day for 5 years – a harsh test.
Example:
General Electric Electronic T3
Price: £3
Score: 75%
The bulbs have a claimed lifetime of 6,000 hours or about 6 years. They easily exceeded this claim, and almost managed our stringent 8,000 hour milestone – offering an impressive 2 years more light than promised. They stand up very well to being switched on and off frequently too.
Switching on and off
We also check that the bulbs stand up to being switched on and off frequently since this was a problem for the previous generation of low-energy bulbs.
We switch the lamps on and off in cycles of 3 minutes on and 5 minutes off for a grand total of 20,000 cycles, the equivalent to switching on and off 10 times a day for 5 years – a harsh test.
Example:
General Electric Electronic T3
Price: £3
Score: 75%
The bulbs have a claimed lifetime of 6,000 hours or about 6 years. They easily exceeded this claim, and almost managed our stringent 8,000 hour milestone – offering an impressive 2 years more light than promised. They stand up very well to being switched on and off frequently too.
OK John thanks for the info, but it does say it was a problem for previous generations of low energy bulbs.
I had a cheap Wilko lamp under the stairs which failed after less than a year - obviously being under the stairs it was switched rather a lot, and probably never got time to warm up properly. Though it was instant start.
I had a cheap Wilko lamp under the stairs which failed after less than a year - obviously being under the stairs it was switched rather a lot, and probably never got time to warm up properly. Though it was instant start.
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