switching lights at top and bottom of stairs

[flameport]

Multiple lighting circuits within a single enclosure is perfectly acceptable, and actually very common.

Most houses with separate up/down lighting circuits will have this.
So will the vast majority of shops, restaurants, factories and so on.

 

[bernardgreen]

Which is why in such circumstances I would try to incorporate both the upstairs landing and downstairs hall lights on the one circuit.

But that could leave the entire staircase in darkness after a single RCD has tripped.

 

[riveralt]

Which is why in such circumstances I would try to incorporate both the upstairs landing and downstairs hall lights on the one circuit.

But that could leave the entire staircase in darkness after a single RCD has tripped.

Indeed it could - I guess , as you said, the only solution is make sure that someone working on these particular lights is aware that they need to switch both MCD's off before working on the switch. Just doesn't feel right thats all.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

One electrician re-wiring a nearby house insisted that there be two separate single gang switches as he could not put the cables of two lighting circuits in the same back box if the two circuits were fed from different RCDs. His reason was the CPC's from the two circuits could not be joined at the back box.

But he was (presumably) quite happy for them to be joined at the CU.

Define "electrician" in this case....

 

[riveralt]

But that could leave the entire staircase in darkness after a single RCD has tripped.

In learning mode here..... So lets say we have a split load board with two RCD's one protecting the upstairs and one protecting the downstairs.
Also say that we have a switching arrangement whereby the upstair landing and downstair hall switches are capable of operating each others lights as the OP requested.

Would one or both RCDs trip if there was a fault on this part of the circuit? Will it depend on the length of each circuit and/or the distance back to the board?

 

[MrTinker]

Only one RCD would trip, on which ever circuit was at fault, as there are two separate circuits, just in the same enclosure, unless the fault was say from the live on one, to the neutral on the other, but I can't quite see that being very likely

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I've always thought it's a good idea to have the landing light on the downstairs circuit.

If the upstairs circuit is lost, you've still got a light on the landing.

If the downstairs circuit is lost you can probably create enough light by opening bedroom/bathroom doors to find your way downstairs without going A over T.


And/or, of course, remove many potential worries and mitigate regs-contravening risks by using emergency lights - they don't all look like this these days....

 

[Ouch77]

I've always thought it's a good idea to have the landing light on the downstairs circuit.

If the upstairs circuit is lost, you've still got a light on the landing.

If the downstairs circuit is lost you can probably create enough light by opening bedroom/bathroom doors to find your way downstairs without going A over T.

That's exactly the setup I had in my old place, upstairs light on the downstairs mcb, and downstairs light on up.

And/or, of course, remove many potential worries and mitigate regs-contravening risks by using emergency lights - they don't all look like this these days....

But I thought the 'industrial look' was fashionable at the moment?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Oh well - you'll be wanting one of these at each end of the stairs then...

Galvanised conduit fixed to the surface of the walls means a lot less making good as well.

 

[OwainDIYer]

Oh well - you'll be wanting one of these at each end of the stairs then...

I'd be wanting one where the screw-heads lined up properly ...