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What is the best way to wire ceiling lights?

Arran Cameron
The ceiling rose junction box with its loop-in wiring is now really showing its age and is no longer a practical (or even safe) installation for most residents who wish to install fancy light fittings. It is still, however, the most common arrangement for new build houses and rewires, probably as the result of the electrician's training and how they consider it to be the norm or they cannot think of (potentially better) alternatives.


So, what is the best way to wire ceiling lights? Should neutral wires be taken to the switches or not?
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    Arran Cameron:




    Sparkingchip:

    Lively jubbly! If nothing ever goes wrong with the circuit.


    How on earth do you fault find on a circuit installed with concealed junction boxes?


    Let not beat about the bush and say that installing a lighting circuit using concealed junction boxes is a stupid idea.


    Andy Betteridge 




    Concealed or inaccessible?


    I have no objection to concealing technical things in buildings, providing that labelling or documentation exists to identify their location, but I am strongly opposed to making things inaccessible like floorboards nailed down hard over central heating pipe joints or electrical cables.


    Surewire junction boxes are MF but I strongly believe that whenever they are installed they must be reasonably accessible even if it's below a hatch in the floorboards.


     




    Thats fine until a few years down the line when such records have been lost, and some poor electrician is struggling to fault find on a lighting circuit with only one cable at each light and switch. Then he's got to play russian roulette taking up carpets and boards to guess where this mystery central box you've installed is hidden under the floors. Any such box needs to be easy accessible and to easy to find. Even in a loft you'll be up and down the ladder alot disconnecting circuits to break down the fault, so whats the real benefit?

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  • 0

    Arran Cameron:




    Sparkingchip:

    Lively jubbly! If nothing ever goes wrong with the circuit.


    How on earth do you fault find on a circuit installed with concealed junction boxes?


    Let not beat about the bush and say that installing a lighting circuit using concealed junction boxes is a stupid idea.


    Andy Betteridge 




    Concealed or inaccessible?


    I have no objection to concealing technical things in buildings, providing that labelling or documentation exists to identify their location, but I am strongly opposed to making things inaccessible like floorboards nailed down hard over central heating pipe joints or electrical cables.


    Surewire junction boxes are MF but I strongly believe that whenever they are installed they must be reasonably accessible even if it's below a hatch in the floorboards.


     




    Thats fine until a few years down the line when such records have been lost, and some poor electrician is struggling to fault find on a lighting circuit with only one cable at each light and switch. Then he's got to play russian roulette taking up carpets and boards to guess where this mystery central box you've installed is hidden under the floors. Any such box needs to be easy accessible and to easy to find. Even in a loft you'll be up and down the ladder alot disconnecting circuits to break down the fault, so whats the real benefit?

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