Old bakelite switches, roses and wooden pattresses

[Chri5]

Is there anything wrong with be asked to fit a customers collection of older bakelite switches and light roses ?

Edwardian refurbishment and they'd like to use old switches and roses in 3 receptions.

This sort of thing:-

With the lack of ceiling rose I'd wire down to a back box behind the wood switch pattress for loop in / out since the ceiling isn't an option.
I'd then make a note on the site docs to clarify where to LNE loop in out junctions are.

On a side note the picture aren't exact, but taken off the web from here

http://www.periodhouseshops.com/frameset.htm

If like me you've thrown 100's of items away, don't look the prices are scary.
I must have chucked away £10k over the years, as an example

.............

............


Wait for it..............


Its £40

 

[Spark123]

Not so much a problem with roses but are the switches the ones without retaining screws, where the front just spins off giving access to live terminals?

 

[wingcoax]

Looks to be the one with a threaded ring in the centre.

 

[sparkyspike]

I'm assuming that the replacement bakelite accessories on this site have a BS number. I'm also assuming that the original 1920s ones don't. I'm pretty sure that fitting accessories without the relevant BS number will not comply with BS7671.

Have a look at 537 in the red book.

 

[flameport]

New fittings which look like old ones - no problem.

If they insist on using original old fittings, one safe option is to wire the switches and light fittings to a central relay cabinet.
Lights at 230V (since the rose is just a cover, no electrical parts).
Switches from a SELV supply (12V AC), the switch operates the relay coil, the relay contacts switch on the light.

An alternative is to fit the old wall switches with no wiring to them, so just for appearance, and install a remote control system which will be used to control the lights.

All this will significantly increase the cost, but if they want old stuff, it is already an expensive job anyway.

 

[ColJack]

how about a round fast fix box at the back and put the connectors in there?

 

[sparkwright]

or a conduit besa box or a metal architrave box may be useful.

 

[bernardgreen]

There is a restored house near here where dry liner boxes are fitted behind the wooden pattresses for switches and roses. The terminations of the cables are in choc blocks with flexibles to the terminals in the switches and roses

The switches with screw off covers have had a small hole drilled and tapped to allow a grub screw to lock the cover from rotating.

 

[Chri5]

As always thanks all

 

[SUNRAY]

New fittings which look like old ones - no problem.

If they insist on using original old fittings, one safe option is to wire the switches and light fittings to a central relay cabinet.
Lights at 230V (since the rose is just a cover, no electrical parts).
Switches from a SELV supply (12V AC), the switch operates the relay coil, the relay contacts switch on the light.

All this will significantly increase the cost, but if they want old stuff, it is already an expensive job anyway.

Did exactly this in a grade 1 listed building

 

[bernardgreen]

Switches from a SELV supply (12V AC), the switch operates the relay coil, the relay contacts switch on the light.

It would be better to use a 12 DC supply for the relay coils as over time AC relay coils can develop a low level humming sound which could become instrusive in an otherwise quiet room.

DC also allows some diode logic.

For example

Switch A operates relays 1 ( stair light ) and 2 ( hall light )
Switch B operated relays 1 ( stair light ) and 3 ( landing light )