Wiring Christmas lights

[breezer]

You can buy in most DIY stores a product called a weatherbox this has a 4 gang extension block inside

I was under the impression its only the box you get

 

[imamartian]

Each to their own, I have a 1.5kVA 24v SELV isolating transformer with a couple of 32A CEE17 ELV outlets (the purple ones) which then lead off to a couple of boxes outside with a number of the small barrel type DC power outlets on them. Obviously I don't use anything like the full load capacity of the transformer, otherwise the place would be lit up like a council estate.

Anything running on LV is hardwired to IP56 J.B.s with arctic flex, no bothers with individual overcurrent protection as the whole lot runs quite happily on a 3A fuse.

... this is my point exactly.... i'm a competent DIYer, yet what you typed above means virtually nothing to me..... and roughly one in every ten houses (my figures) has a plethora of lighting outside their house.... and i'd guess no more than 1 in 5000 people would understand the details in your post. Would that suggest that there's a lot of very risky wiring going on? And wouldn't we see far more fires? and news stories about unsafe wiring...?

 

[RF Lighting]

There is huge amounts of dodgy wiring going on.

The only reason we don't see more deaths / fires is because the majority of these supplies will either be plugged into or supplied from a properly wired socket with proper fault protection which will clear a fault before it gets to fire situations

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Only when more than 150W is used will Part L come in!!!!!!!!!

Err... what do you mean by that?

 

[mdbalson]

You can buy in most DIY stores a product called a weatherbox this has a 4 gang extension block inside

I was under the impression its only the box you get

With the Timeguard Weatherbox, you get a black 4 gang extension block, which is fixed inside the box with velcro strips.

See Here: http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/mdbalson/Xmas Lights 2008/DSC01030.jpg

 

[streetlighter]

Thats the one i was thinking of i used the 2 gang version in the summer to house the power supply for a water feature.

 

[tim west]

multiple connections of a temporary nature can be done with these twist on connectors along with cable ties.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...E3E02LECIE20OES1_nid=J3ZK6GJHX8beH8665PJ911gl

 

[ban-all-sheds]

NO THEY CANNOT!

 

[tim west]

AND WHY NOT?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They aren't CE marked.

They don't comply with BS 7671.

 

[tim west]

They are CE marked.

http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?6666660Zjcf6lVs6EVs666vX3COrrrrQ-

We used them for years at the BBC They are an approved connector with CE kitemark and when used properly make a robust and reliable connection both electrically and mechanically, they come in different sizes to accomodate different combinations of connection and in my opinion having used them for many years i'd trust them to a screw terminal connection anyday due to their vibration proof nature unlike a screw termination as we know can work itself loose needing periodic inspection and tightening which can weaken the joint over time necessitating the remaking off of the joint which due to cable length may involve a rewire.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Well - you learn something new every day.

Are we sure that the directives with which they conform, in order to carry the CE mark, are relevant to their use by unskilled people on LV electrical installations, and not, for example, only within manufactured equipment?

As an analogy- you'll find uninsulated spade connectors in some appliances. They may well be CE marked, i.e. they conform to whatever European directive(s) apply to them and their use, but that doesn't mean that it's OK to use them in house wiring...

 

[tim west]

Well - you learn something new every day.

Are we sure that the directives with which they conform, in order to carry the CE mark, are relevant to their use by unskilled people on LV electrical installations, and not, for example, only within manufactured equipment?

As an analogy- you'll find uninsulated spade connectors in some appliances. They may well be CE marked, i.e. they conform to whatever European directive(s) apply to them and their use, but that doesn't mean that it's OK to use them in house wiring...

They are designed to be applied by a twisting action(the wings allow for more twisting torque with the fingers so not at a manufacturing stage where the more common crimp type are used such as in flourescent fittings for example) agreed the application would have to be assessed and determined accordingly with maybe suitable enclosures or whatever.
The thing i like about them is the ease with which they can accomodate several conductors whereas a connector block can be cumbersome at times in doing the same job and unlike a connector block the joint is very well insulated making it very difficult to touch any exposed part.

I sometimes wonder whether the old ceramic type twist on connector has put a lot of people off using this newer type but as i said i think they are the dogs b*ll*cks maybe thats why we nicknamed them dog c*cks?