Lighting wiring question

[cujimmy]

My daughter has just moved house, and asked me to fit a couple of dimmer switches for her.

Simple job I thought, and to be fair it was, but I was most surprised by the wiring method.

When I took off the switch, there were 3 T&E cables in the box. One was L&N in, one was L&N out, and the 3rd one was to the light. there was a connector block in the wall box where the 3 Neutrals were connected together, and the same for the earths.

I'm used to seeing the all the connections being done at the ceiling rose, with only one cable going to the switch.

Is this some new wiring method, and why?

Seems a bit daft to me as there are perfectly good connectors in the ceiling rose so why use a block in the switch box?

Must use a fair bit more cable as well, I would have thought.

House is 2 years old, BTW


What do you think??

 

[TicklyT]

There's nothing very unusual about loop at switch wiring.
It can make it easier to install 'fancy' light fittings that don't have enough room for the wiring in a ceiling rose.
It caters for alternative switch technologies (remote control switching etc) that may require a neutral at the switch.
It also eliminates some of the possible capacitive coupling effects in switch drops that may cause problems with low energy lamps.

Depending on the individual house layout, there may be very little difference in the amount of cable used - sometimes it may even use less cable.

 

[Steve]

In my shed, I looped in at the switch for the outdoor light and the indoor light. So I had power in, and two switched feeds out. The reason was that the switch was right next to the consumer unit, and it would have used substantially more cable to loop in at the light fittings, and outdoor lights seldom have room in them for two cables.

 

[cujimmy]

Thanks, guys.

I can see that it works ok, but it just seemed strange to me as all the connections are at the ceiling roses in our house, which is about 20 years old.

Thanks again for satisfying my curiosity.

Jim

 

[harrison72]

its not an uncommon thing to a house in the 70s common in town houses but now you should have a double pole(DP) switch as it is bad practice to put a connector block in the back box

 

[electronicsuk]

but now you should have a double pole(DP) switch as it is bad practice to put a connector block in the back box

Quite frankly, that's a load of rubbish.

 

[spark1]

but now you should have a double pole(DP) switch as it is bad practice to put a connector block in

That would well and truly knacker him up on fitting the dimmer switches then wouldnt it ?

 

[ColJack]

nowadays there are is a lot more choice in fittings rather than the older houses that just had ceiling roses and pendants everywhere.
so looping at the switch removes the need to have extra connector blocks stuffed into the fitting..
it also makes adding new lights easier as you only need to fish a single T+E from the new light position to the switch and change the switch ( 1G to 2G, 2G to 3G etc.. )

 

[YorksSparks]

its not an uncommon thing to a house in the 70s common in town houses but now you should have a double pole(DP) switch as it is bad practice to put a connector block in the back box

That has to be one of the more unique loads of ****** we have heard on here!

 

[tonylec]

I've seen a double pole lightswitch in a branch of M&S, chuffin great iron isolator that switches the whole lot on and off - never seen one in a house though!!!!! - industrial retro! firemans switches all round

 

[Steve]

I've seen a double pole lightswitch in a branch of M&S, chuffin great iron isolator that switches the whole lot on and off -

They've not heard of contactors then?

 

[tonylec]

I think it's part of a staff fitness regime, nice late 1930s installation (shot to **** in other words) lead sheathing anyone!!!!

 

[Steve]

Nice. My shop, when the alarm is unset, a third of the floor lights come on. Then a company called Adam automation turns the rest on 5 minutes before we open. Nice of them. Big bank of contactors somewhere. Not found them yet myself.

 

[Spark123]

I think it's part of a staff fitness regime, nice late 1930s installation (shot to **** in other words) lead sheathing anyone!!!!

PILC?

 

[Paul_C]

but now you should have a double pole(DP) switch as it is bad practice to put a connector block in the back box

Would you like to explain why you think so?