Cable zones on a staircase

[smity]

I want to add lights up my stairs like this, never come across this before would wiring point to point be classed in a zone with it running on the stairs or will i need to bury it in conduit?

Thanks

 

[smity]

Thanks for all your input gents, much appreciated ??

 

[Devonchris]

I think I would go for something like this

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pack-10-MiniSun-Decking-Kitchen/dp/B00A4DQ93U


And fit them in the stair rail, say every other tread. Take the wiring down underneath. Far better option, particularly if you have a cupboard under like in the photo.

 

[Andy78]

I was talking about safe zones at the perimeter of a wall, that follows the edge regardless of the plane it is on, if you run under the staircase for instance you can follow the diagonal to 100mm and comply, above with the skirting takes you out of that zone hence my alternate take on this.

AFAIK the 150mm zones are formed from vertical corners and where the wall meets the ceiling, not lower wall perimeters where they meet a floor or rising staircase.

 

[Darkwood]

AFAIK the 150mm zones are formed from vertical corners and where the wall meets the ceiling, not lower wall perimeters where they meet a floor or rising staircase.

It is not defined though, different bodies reccomend their own policies, it is not just wall/ ceiling but a wall/wall meeting point so a plane or angle is not ever denoted thus shaped rooms that don't meet a box can follow the rules.

 

[Andy78]

It is not defined though, different bodies reccomend their own policies, it is not just wall/ ceiling but a wall/wall meeting point so a plane or angle is not ever denoted thus shaped rooms that don't meet a box can follow the rules.

I'll have to disagree I'm afraid. The wording of the reg says a zone can be "within 150mm of an angle formed by two adjoining walls or partitions." I don't see how this can apply to any other surface such as a floor or where a staircase covers a wall forming an angle. The underside of a staircase covered so as to form a ceiling I could see could form a zone, but not above a staircase as their is no partition.

I do agree that the zones described in 522.6.202 are not always square or fit into a neat "block" though and these zones can be sloped or a variety of combination of angles.

In the case in this thread I do agree that directly between light fittings would be a reasonable route to assume the cables take, but don't see that it would be currently compliant.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Could you not run cables from under the stairs, surface mounted underneath then vertically upto each light fitting?

 

[Ian1981]

The zones do definitely not include a floor area formed by a staircase as is the case for the bottom of a wall with skirting boards

 

[Darkwood]

I'll have to disagree I'm afraid. The wording of the reg says a zone can be "within 150mm of an angle formed by two adjoining walls or partitions." I don't see how this can apply to any other surface such as a floor or where a staircase covers a wall forming an angle. The underside of a staircase covered so as to form a ceiling I could see could form a zone, but not above a staircase as their is no partition.

I do agree that the zones described in 522.6.202 are not always square or fit into a neat "block" though and these zones can be sloped or a variety of combination of angles.

In the case in this thread I do agree that directly between light fittings would be a reasonable route to assume the cables take, but don't see that it would be currently compliant.

Where I suggest the topside may comply was if the staircase was boxed in IE a cupboard under the staircase which applies to many examples, that would then make the top side effectively the floor of the wall, only where the staircase is open plan would I say the floor remains under the staircase, in my opinion I see the staircase as part of the buildings structure and not like say a built in cupboard or a wall unit etc so if it is boxed in it effectively has the floor on its top side which then allows you a given small corridor to run cables up.
The issue with regs is they are simply guidance and do not cover all the scenarios of the real world so we can often end up in grey territory to which we seem to be here, so it is expected that views may differ as they do but it doesn't necessarily mean one is right and the other is wrong, only the IET could really give an answer here.. this is why I played safe earlier and suggested the better option that definitely does comply is SELV

 

[telectrix]

38 posts and nobody has suggested moving to a bungalow......

 

[Midwest]

Jees, talk about over complicating things. Its your house @smity, your staircase, you know the cables will be between each light, so would any other semi intelligent person. If the numpties can drill into a cable above a socket, what does it matter that technically its not in a safe zone. I'm with @darkwood.

 

[Simon47]

How about going vertically down behind the stair side rail (small white ovel conduit), and come out underneath ? Then you can transfer into surface mount, conduit, or trunking, as required or as the aesthetics allow.