Preparing electrics for plasterer

[altoids]

I have a plasterer coming out in the next week to plaster a porch, it has a porch light and light switch in it which I need to remove and make safe, then reinstate once the job is done. The house was re-wired a few years back and I know all down stairs light are on the same ring circuit.

Would it be sufficient for me to turn off the ring circuit, remove the light fitting and then tape/chocbox the bare wire ends until work is finished and then reinstate?

The plasterer will be in the house of two mornings, so I will be looking to switch the ring circuit back on between visits.

 

[ricicle]

I would prefer to use one of these or the like, rather than just taping over connectors:-
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CHOCBOX.html

Don't allow any wet to enter the box and make sure the plasterer does not slice any cables.

Can you not flush the cables in anyway ?

 

[altoids]

Thanks for the response, the cables are flush currently, was just looking at a suitable way to make the cable ends safe.

So Chocbox in a sealed bag of some sort to save any water getting in would be the way to go, would ensure the ring circuit for the light was off as well.

 

[riveralt]

You will need to ensure that you make a note of the way the wiring is currently connected/terminated to your lamp and switch and replicate that with the terminal block(s) then put into the chocbox(s).
Otherwise some of your other lights may not work when turn the power back on.

 

[altoids]

Thanks, would this still be an issue if the wiring was terminated in the chocbox for the duration of the work?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Read the Wiki articles on how lighting circuits are wired. They are not rings, and if you break the circuit, be it looped through the switches or the lights, then everything downstream of the porch light will stop working.

 

[riveralt]

Thanks, would this still be an issue if the wiring was terminated in the chocbox for the duration of the work?

Just to clarify - a chocbox is a plastic box (not waterproof by the way) that will hold (normally) a terminal strip - some have them built in.
So just make sure you provide some form of cover for the chocbox and I would leave it above the surface so the plasterer can see and work around it.
The important point regarding correctly terminating the existing cable is that depending on how the circuit is wired you may have a live/neutral loop in and out wiring system.
If this is not correctly continued via your terminal strip then lights after the terminal strip may not work.