Loop in method for Lighting Circuits

I carry 13 amp plugs on my van as stock, on Monday I went to do some odd jobs at a church that is being renovated, during the day I replaced three plugs.


Two were on some of the builders 110 volt tool transformers and the third one was on the church hearing aid induction loop system, just straightforward undemanding electrical maintenance work.


Normally no one will throw an appliance away because the moulded plug needs replacing, they will buy a replacement plug that normally comes with a fitting instructions card attached to it. Yet large numbers of people seem incapable of following simple instructions and fitting a replacement plug.


Yet somehow we are supposed install fixed electrical installations that any untrained person can maintain or alter when there are so many people who cannot understand the instructions packed with plugs or included with an appliance telling them how to correctly wire the two or three conductors in a flex into a plug.


So long as the lighting circuit is installed correctly with the conductors correctly identified by colour I am not going to beat myself up worrying if a DIYer will understand how it is wired.


Having said that I usually aim to just present a switched live, neutral and CPC at light fittings, but if it ends up with a permanent live at the light fitting as well, so be it.


I have been caught out working on existing installations where there has been a permanent live from one circuit in a light pendant and ceiling rose set with a switched live from a different circuit, that was just silly. However no one should be surprised if there are two or more circuits running through a multi-gang light switch.


Indeed I have worked on lighting circuits where there are lives which are red, black, brown, blue, grey and yellow, whilst neutrals are black and blue. All you do is over sleeve everything in brown and blue as appropriate then connect them up before putting a sticker on the consumer unit warning there are mixed colours.


You certainly do not start worrying about if a DIYer will understand how a four gang light switch box is wired when the back box contains a rainbow of colours, particularly as there could be lights with single switching, two way switching or multiple switching using intermediate switches along with presence detectors, timers, photo cell switches and so on and forth connected through it.


It is up to the DIYer to get up to speed or leave them alone.


Andy Betteridge

I carry 13 amp plugs on my van as stock, on Monday I went to do some odd jobs at a church that is being renovated, during the day I replaced three plugs.


Two were on some of the builders 110 volt tool transformers and the third one was on the church hearing aid induction loop system, just straightforward undemanding electrical maintenance work.


Normally no one will throw an appliance away because the moulded plug needs replacing, they will buy a replacement plug that normally comes with a fitting instructions card attached to it. Yet large numbers of people seem incapable of following simple instructions and fitting a replacement plug.


Yet somehow we are supposed install fixed electrical installations that any untrained person can maintain or alter when there are so many people who cannot understand the instructions packed with plugs or included with an appliance telling them how to correctly wire the two or three conductors in a flex into a plug.


So long as the lighting circuit is installed correctly with the conductors correctly identified by colour I am not going to beat myself up worrying if a DIYer will understand how it is wired.


Having said that I usually aim to just present a switched live, neutral and CPC at light fittings, but if it ends up with a permanent live at the light fitting as well, so be it.


I have been caught out working on existing installations where there has been a permanent live from one circuit in a light pendant and ceiling rose set with a switched live from a different circuit, that was just silly. However no one should be surprised if there are two or more circuits running through a multi-gang light switch.


Indeed I have worked on lighting circuits where there are lives which are red, black, brown, blue, grey and yellow, whilst neutrals are black and blue. All you do is over sleeve everything in brown and blue as appropriate then connect them up before putting a sticker on the consumer unit warning there are mixed colours.


You certainly do not start worrying about if a DIYer will understand how a four gang light switch box is wired when the back box contains a rainbow of colours, particularly as there could be lights with single switching, two way switching or multiple switching using intermediate switches along with presence detectors, timers, photo cell switches and so on and forth connected through it.


It is up to the DIYer to get up to speed or leave them alone.


Andy Betteridge