Old House - Where's my lighting junction box?

[Eh_Dinna_Ken]

Hi - I live in a maisonette and need to find my living room light live loop. The occupier before me had installed spot lights which went back to the socket system, which obviously isnt safe so we have removed that. Trying to reinstate the main living room light now and cant find the live loop which comes from the fuse box. The house is wired on a junction box system (i think) as opposed to the modern loop approach. I think if I find the junction box that serves the living room then I can get the light wired up as its supposed to be. However, I cant find the junction box. Have knocked numerous holes in my ceiling (the underside of upstairs neighbours floor) and have found steel conduit which goes from my light switch to the ceiling rose, however there is at least one circular box which leads off another conduit in the direction of my bedroom on this conduit.

Do you know where the oringinal junction box would/ should have been located?

Is it likely that the circular box which is at the junction of the steel conduits contains the connections/ junction box?

I am totally lost with this now so any help is much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Steve]

There is no standard. Keep looking. By the way, if there is a flat above you, you should keep any disturbance to the fire barrier ceiling to a minimum. This includes spotlights - they should have had fire hoods fitted.

 

[sparkwright]

What is at the centre of the ceiling?

Traditionally, in a conduit the system, the live loop would be at the light switch and the neutral loop at the rose. What wires are at the switch?

 

[sparkwright]

Was this room always a living room?

If it was once a bedroom the rose could have been near the window.

Or, if it is a large living room two lights could have been fitted.

Or, could just wall lights have been fitted?

Is this conduit box you've found flush with the ceiling then? Sounds like it may be what you have been looking for. Generally, conduit boxes are accessible and are usually where the light point goes.

 

[martinxxxxxx]

You need one of those joist/pipe/electricity detector things. Available at most hardware stores for about £20. then just follow to conduit. Some are rubbish though (mine is). But for steel conduit you could be OK

Martin

 

[starspark]

A lot of the older houses i work in and in my own house originally the lighting circuit junction box is normally on the landing upstairs for the downstairs lights and just inside the loft hatch for upstairs lights!!But in all honesty it could be anywhere!!!

 

[Taylortwocities]

There is usually one for each floor with a fuse for each.

The junction box for the ground floor lights will be under the upstairs floor. Quite often it is under the landing floor/at the top of the stairs.
Follow the wiring from one of the downstairs light switches and it will lead you to it!

The upstairs lighting junction box will probably be in the loft somewheres.

You may have problems if its an older house that has been split into flats as the junction box may only be accessible from the other flat.

 

[starspark]

beat ya to it taylor!!

 

[sparkwright]

Are these steel conduits continious? With single core cable in them?

Or have the steel conduits been cut, with twin flat cable running through them?

When you say circular boxes do mean steel conduit boxes or plastic junction boxes?

 

[Taylortwocities]

beat ya to it taylor!!

There's speed
And there's quality

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The occupier before me had installed spot lights which went back to the socket system, which obviously isnt safe

It's not obviously unsafe at all. How had it been done?

so we have removed that.

What did you do, exactly, to "remove" it?

The house is wired on a junction box system (i think) as opposed to the modern loop approach.

1) It's no use thinking/assuming, you need to find out for sure, which is going to be a bit of a hassle given your installation.

Is this a purpose built maisonette, or a conversion? Are there others like it? It may be that local electricians have worked on them, and know how they were wired.

2) There's more than one way to use junction boxes - you can run a loop through a series of them, and just take switched live, N & E to each lighting point. The fact that you don't have a loop at your lighting points doesn't necessarily mean that you have a single large wiring centre lurking somewhere. (But do listen if people say that a conduit system definitely or probably will have).

Is it likely that the circular box which is at the junction of the steel conduits contains the connections/ junction box?

Have you taken off the lid and looked inside?

The Bosch DMF 10 Zoom is a pretty good detector.

 

[martinxxxxxx]

The Bosch DMF 10 Zoom is a pretty good detector.

I found them on google