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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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    Chris Pearson:




    Dbat:

    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?






    If the records are kept in their proper place, which is within or adjacent to the DB (514.9.1), how do they get lost?


    And please somebody, tell me why a competently constructed installation should become faulty? ?


     




    Lol... I think that it is still a rarity to find a complete set of distibution 'details where they should be' in a domestic environment. They don't just get lost, they are disgarded as being junk paper.( remember the advice given for 3 month test interval for RCDs).


    Within the last week, I went to switch my 2-way hall lighting and found that one of the strappers has become disconnected, an intermittent RCD trip. The electrical rewire was done about 5 years ago.


    Legh

Reply
  • 0

    Chris Pearson:




    Dbat:

    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?






    If the records are kept in their proper place, which is within or adjacent to the DB (514.9.1), how do they get lost?


    And please somebody, tell me why a competently constructed installation should become faulty? ?


     




    Lol... I think that it is still a rarity to find a complete set of distibution 'details where they should be' in a domestic environment. They don't just get lost, they are disgarded as being junk paper.( remember the advice given for 3 month test interval for RCDs).


    Within the last week, I went to switch my 2-way hall lighting and found that one of the strappers has become disconnected, an intermittent RCD trip. The electrical rewire was done about 5 years ago.


    Legh

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