Neutrals at switches

[Guest 004]

Went to a job today, twin and earth, and it had been wired 2 plate, which of course meant that all the switches had the neutral taken to them.

WTF, if I had done that in my apprenticeship I would have been kicked off site.

Is this how things are done now, god I hope not.

 

[nickblake]

so am i at nearly 8 quid a perscription

£8.00 .................Free i wales

as for switch fed , untill lighting manufacturers stop putting idiotic connectors in there light fittings then i will switch feed , but only in wall lights etc where there is a risk of multiple cables being damaged by heat or crushed by the fitting , i way prefer and will always do loop in and out at the ceilings and JB where nessesary

 

[Guest 004]

ah another controversial thread started by yours truly, lol.

and on another note, who would use a fuseboard as a wireway?

 

[Guest 004]

£8.00 .................Free i wales

as for switch fed , untill lighting manufacturers stop putting idiotic connectors in there light fittings then i will switch feed , but only in wall lights etc where there is a risk of multiple cables being damaged by heat or crushed by the fitting , i way prefer and will always do loop in and out at the ceilings and JB where nessesary

agreed ))

 

[rmc86uk]

I rarely do any domestic but if I do the odd one then its loop feed at switches and loop neutrals at the the lights in single core PVC sheathed cable!

The firm I started out with used to use double pole light switches i.e looping a l + n at the switches then firing off a sw + n up to the fitting. I was taught that as long as they were double pole switches then it was ok but i haven't seen this method used since I finished working for them.



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[londonlec]

I find it hard to beleive that 'electricians' haven't seen this wiring method. Maybe they are armchair experts?

 

[aptsys]

I find it hard to beleive that 'electricians' haven't seen this wiring method. Maybe they are armchair experts?

Indeed. Very odd.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

86 posts and still nobody has said why it is bad practice??....Come on E54? ,MrEnigma? etc......What is the electrical reason why a N joint shouldnt be in a switch box?

 

[gnselectricals]

Nothing wrong with neutrals in the switch box, I generally prefer it due to amounts of spots and fancy light fitting that I'm installing. Easier & safer to wire at ground level and no need to jb in inaccessible positions at the light fitting

 

[peterb2428]

86 posts and still nobody has said why it is bad practice??....Come on E54? ,MrEnigma? etc......What is the electrical reason why a N joint shouldnt be in a switch box?

Perhaps there isnt any??????????

 

[nickblake]

Seen it loads of times pain in the butt if you need to add to the circuit you end up with a big star circuit tapped off jb's

 

[jeremy]

At college I was taught 2 methods; either take a SW/L and N to the fitting or a L and SW/L to the switch, whichever method is suitable for the application. If I'm wiring a light for a loft conversion why would I extend the supply to the fitting, probably on the same route as going to the switch, then come back again? I didn't have the benefit of an apprenticeship, but do try to apply logic to my actions and can't see why it's wrong to take a neutral to a switch position but if it is wrong, am perfectly ready to be educated.

 

[morph]

well if wiring a loft conversion
where will the circuit best be fed from? the switches because the supplies will run nicely under the floor up to the switches and then off to the fancy fittings that cant take 3 cables maybe ??

 

[Electricalserv]

Why haven't they made a switch that encorparates this then? If connector blocks are needed then obviously non of the manufacturers have picked up on the amount of sparks useing this method.

 

[IQ Electrical]

Why haven't they made a switch that encorparates this then? If connector blocks are needed then obviously non of the manufacturers have picked up on the amount of sparks useing this method.

Hager!

The wall switches feature a neutral loop terminal contained within the accessory. This allows contractors to complete the loop connection in the switch instead of in the ceiling rose to save extra wiring to the light fittings. Not only does this reduce cabling and the uncomfortable time spent working at ceiling level, but it also meets the needs of BS7671 since the connections are readily accessible for inspection.

 

[sparks1234]

If there's no need for a neutral at the switch

What a daft statement, look at it from a different point of view, there is no need for a permenant live at a ceiling pendant but its there.

Its just a different way of wiring, what can you fail it on?.....nothing.

 

[Guest 004]

who are hager? was he not in a cartoon or something,

a brand that i would not use, unless specified, hey who is specifying hager????

would love to see the 'better' brands do it though, that would close this argument for good!

 

[Electricalserv]

Personally I think its nonsense having so many cables in a small backbox. Especially when 2 & 3 way switching is involved. Just too many cables.

 

[IQ Electrical]

who are hager? was he not in a cartoon or something,

a brand that i would not use, unless specified, hey who is specifying hager????

would love to see the 'better' brands do it though, that would close this argument for good!

It's closed, case dismissed, the prosecution failed to turn up!

 

[VoltzElectrical]

how do i insert a photo?

 

[Guest 004]

What a daft statement, look at it from a different point of view, there is no need for a permenant live at a ceiling pendant but its there.

Its just a different way of wiring, what can you fail it on?.....nothing.

emergency lighting perhaps?