Live Feed to Lights : What would you do?

[clarkcbpo]

Hi all.

My wife an I are renovating an old house. It was rewired in 1971.


When I went to replace a triple switch outside an en-suite, I was met with a mess of wires. There is a live feed coming into the back of the switch, and the three wires going to lights (x2) and a fused spur for an extractor fan. Each of the connections in the switch (Com and L1) are linked with shorter wires, to connect up this live feed, so that each terminal has three wires going into it. It's a real spaghetti junction, and if I'm going to change it now is the time cos the en-suite is being ripped apart.

I can remove a plasterboard panel to get in behind. Should I put in a junction box there and have the live feed split there, so that I can keep the triple switch? This would mean six wires coming in behind the switch, but at least there'd only be two for each terminal.

What's the best way to sort this out ? Any ideas most welcome.

regards
Clark

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Why on earth are COM & L1 linked?

You don't need a JB to get to the situation of 1 or 2 conductors in the COMs and only 1 in each L1.

 

[clarkcbpo]

Hi, and thanks for taking the time to reply.

I didn't mean that Com and L1 are linked, sorry for the confusion ! What I meant was that all the COMs are linked to each other, and all the L1s linked to each other.

I've found a similar thread regarding a double switch, and it seems to fine to do it that way, but when you get to a triple, it really does make for aspaghetti wiring mess.

regards
Clark

 

[ban-all-sheds]

all the COMs are linked to each other

That's fair enough.

and all the L1s linked to each other.

Why? Is that it - they are just linked, nothing else connected to them?

The switches are all used as 1-ways, aren't they?

The result is a spaghetti wiring mess.

You don't need a JB to get to the situation of 1 or 2 conductors in the COMs and only 1 in each L1. Or L2 if you don't want to turn the switch around.

 

[SparkyNinja]

I put a 3g switch up today, which was on a single box. It had 6 t&cpc's totalling 18 cables to terminate.
I wouldn't have wired it that way myself, but I also wouldn't put in a joint box if it was deemed not necessary. I managed to get all connections in nice and neatley, and no pressure was on the cables when the switch went back.

 

[EdwardCurrent]

I suppose it could have been worse, 21 conductors is a remote possibility if wired by someone with a fixation for nightmare second fixing of switches !

Did you use a 47mm box out of curiosity ? Did the earths have to go in a connector block or was there enough room in the earth lug ?

Having said that, was it a chrome switch and should have had 19 ? !!!!!

Ed.

 

[RF Lighting]

What's the best way to sort this out ? Any ideas most welcome.

Just reconnect it as it is. Stop making work for yourself.

Joint boxes are a bad thing, and should be avoided where ever possible.

Having all the wires connected at the switch as it is now is the best way to leave it.

 

[SparkyNinja]

I suppose it could have been worse, 21 conductors is a remote possibility if wired by someone with a fixation for nightmare second fixing of switches !

Did you use a 47mm box out of curiosity ? Did the earths have to go in a connector block or was there enough room in the earth lug ?

Having said that, was it a chrome switch and should have had 19 ? !!!!!

Ed.

It was a dryline box, so there was a good depth. The CPC's went into the switch (Stainless Steel). Neutrals were conected in the back of the box

 

[sparkyspike]

Nothing wrong with 21 conductors in a box.

Probably not a good idea if you're using 1.5mm though!

And to answer the question, I would also leave all the cables in the switch box.

 

[Adam_151]

Leave them in the switch as others have said, nothing worse than loads of joint boxes, especially if you cnat get to them easily!

If the switch is full and in danger of causing a pressure fault, then by all means change the box for a deeper one, I like to use 35mm for switches when I've got about 5 cables comming in (could get it in a 25mm if I really had to, but I'd be forcing it back and I really dont like that)