Question about T&E and spotlights

[EFLImpudence]

It's fashion - a very strange thing.

Just imagine people watching Peaky Blinders and thinking: "Oh, lovely. I must get my hair cut like that".

 

[bernardgreen]

In the dark ages 3/0.029 ( now rated at 11 amps ) was often used for power sockets and protected by a 15 amp fuse. Quite probably some installers would prefer to use the same drum of cable for both lighting and power rather than lugging two reels of twin cable around the house. ( or 4 reels of singles )

 

[securespark]

In the 80s,many sparks preferred to use 1,5. I don't know why, I always argued 1 milli was fine. It was almost as if you were a cissy if you used 1 milli.
I once said to my boss, why not use 2,5?

He said don't be stupid!

He did not understand my point....

 

[sparkwright]

Why do so many people use oversized 1.5mm2 cable for lights?

There was a time, not that long ago, when people thought 1.5mm2 cable on the lighting circuits meant a 'superior job'.

But as you indicate, totally unnecessary and needlessly expensive.

I seldom use 1.5 mm2 (or 4.0mm2) T+E because I can usually use smaller and cheaper cable to do the same job.

 

[JohnW2]

I seldom use 1.5 mm2 (or 4.0mm2) T+E because I can usually use smaller and cheaper cable to do the same job.

I would say that there are a good few situations in which 1.5 mm² would be a smaller and cheaper (and adequate) cable in situations in which most people seem to feel the need for 2.5² mm.

With the latest change in the regs, we can now even consider using 1.0 mm² cable in some situations in 'power' circuits !

As for 4.0 mm² cable (which, for what it's worth, I personally find nicer to work with than 2.5 mm²), I personally don't think enough consideration is given to using it for unfused spurs from ring finals - but, of those here, only EFLI and myself ever seem to mention/suggest that.

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

With the latest change in the regs, we can now even consider using 1.0 mm² cable in some situations in 'power' circuits !

Which is what we were taught on the C&G course in the 80s: we learnt that if the circuit wasn't excessively long, we could specify 1 milli for an immersion circuit.
Then later (was it the 16th Ed.?), the regs banned 1 milli for "power" circuits (whatever TF they are.....).

 

[Taylortwocities]

Then later (was it the 16th Ed.?), the regs banned 1 milli for "power" circuits (whatever TF they are.....).

My thoughts on “power” circuits exactly. Any circuit where current flows is using power. So is that all circuits then?

I don’t remember seeing it specified in the definitions section of the good book.

 

[crystal ball]

In the 80s,many sparks preferred to use 1,5. I don't know why, I always argued 1 milli was fine. It was almost as if you were a cissy if you used 1 milli.
I once said to my boss, why not use 2,5?

He said don't be stupid!

He did not understand my point....

When I was rewiring council estates in the 80s 1.5 was always specced, never knew why.

 

[securespark]

My thoughts on “power” circuits exactly. Any circuit where current flows is using power. So is that all circuits then?

I don’t remember seeing it specified in the definitions section of the good book.

The only thing I can think of is that it is an archaic thing - a throwback to when there were "power" circuits and lighting circuits.

Power circuits being those that fed "plugs" ( ) and immersions, cookers and such like.

When I was rewiring council estates in the 80s 1.5 was always specced, never knew why.

Yeah, same here. You weren't a real electrician if you used 1 milli.
Shrug......

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

I was given advice many many years ago by a friend's electrician father, that electricians always did lighting in 1.5 because if you were wiring a house you usually needed some 1.5, and you could get away with wiring lighting in 1.5, so you only needed to take 1.5 and 2.5 with you. I followed his advice and wondered why it was so difficult to get two 1.5s into a lighting fitting.

 

[Taylortwocities]

In the good old days, you were wiring to traditional ceiling roses/pendants. Terminals on those were sized for 2.5mm².

Today’s weeny offerings are made for much smaller conductors and (often) only one of those too.

 

[winston1]

I was given advice many many years ago by a friend's electrician father, that electricians always did lighting in 1.5 because if you were wiring a house you usually needed some 1.5, and you could get away with wiring lighting in 1.5, so you only needed to take 1.5 and 2.5 with you. I followed his advice and wondered why it was so difficult to get two 1.5s into a lighting fitting.

Well that was silly wasn’t it.
An extra of 1.0 would not be a problem.

 

[winston1]

When I was rewiring council estates in the 80s 1.5 was always specced, never knew why.

Councils are well known for wasting rate payers money.