Neutrals At Switch

[jtizzard]

The Company i am working for wire there lighting circuits to the switch instead of the light!, Using 1.0mm T&E, now in the switch we put the neutrals in connectors (2 from the feeds, 1 from switch wire) and the cpc in the earth lug, unless its a paramount box and we also put tho in connectors, then the 3 brown cables we then connect in the switch like normal, we had a debate at college and couldnt find the answer to our question! Can you have neutrals in connectors in the back of a switch?

Cheers

 

[Spark123]

Yes, nothing wrong with doing it that way. To be pedantic, "neutral...., 1 from switch wire" doesn't sound right - I take it you mean the cable from switch to light?

 

[jtizzard]

well, the cable which is the switch wire has got a neutral cable at it, but we use brown sleeving to identify, we dont use twin brown, so i shouldnt o said neutal

 

[Spark123]

I'm getting confused now, you won't need to use brown sleeve if you are running all the cables to the switch (unless you're doing a 2 way of course.)

 

[securespark]

Yes, you mean the loop goes to the switch box. And the switched feed (what you call the switchwire) to the luminaire, also.

So, yes, the cpc's go to the box, the neutrals to a block, the lives to the common & the switch wire to L1 (in a 1W of course).

 

[Spark123]

Like this:
//www.diynot.com/wiki/_detail/...rics:lighting:single_way_lighting&cache=cache
(when I drew this ages ago, I drew the CPCs into a block and linked to the back box as I find the normal back box terminal poor)

 

[jtizzard]

yes, i dont know why i mentioned sleeving i confused myself, i only sleeve them when doing a 2way, using 3-core!

 

[luminaire]

Hope you're not using 16mm boxes- it'll be a bit of a squeeze with the neutrals in a block.

 

[jtizzard]

no no lol, 25mm boxes and 5a connectors, they all curl round nicely into the box, easier when using metal boxes because the cpc can go straight into the box's earth terminal!

 

[jockspark]

hi ask your college tutor i would be interested to hear his thoughts
you are being trained to do it by the book at college then have to learn this
method you must me confused i dont like this method but we wont go down that road again

 

[ban-all-sheds]

you are being trained to do it by the book at college then have to learn this method

Which book says it shouldn't be done like this?

 

[Click-Sure]

yes, i dont know why i mentioned sleeving i confused myself, i only sleeve them when doing a 2way, using 3-core!

I suppose I could understand that, but why, the three colours in three-and-cpc are all phase colours anyway.

 

[RF Lighting]

I've always sleeved the conductors of 6243Y cable when used for 2 way switching.

It might not be a regulation to do so, but I consider it to be good practice.

 

[flyingsparks]

yes, i dont know why i mentioned sleeving i confused myself, i only sleeve them when doing a 2way, using 3-core!

I suppose I could understand that, but why, the three colours in three-and-cpc are all phase colours anyway.

Yea but they are all the same phase so should be marked as the same (ie brown). Else someone could think there are 3 phases at the switch..

Also, I wire like this with neutrauls at the switch if I am putting in wall lights or downlights. I like only one wire where it could be fidley.

 

[Click-Sure]

Fair comment, you'd have to be pretty retarded to think there were 3 phases in a 2-way ligh switch, a dead short between 2 phases in all cases there!

But, I do see where you are coming from, and then theres the old neutral colour being used as a phase colour too

Anybody alse a little 4nal like me and uses sleeve to 'harmonise' old cables in switches such as when adding a 2-way to an existing light switch?