Cables and Zones

[Thomas Connolly]

Hi Gents,
Probably a very simple answer but I'm installing an outside light on a small porch The switch being just inside the door.
The light however, is about 600ml from the door on the outside, so if I drill straight through from the outside to the inside, once inside, the cable exit point straight in to the back of the light outside is going to be out of the zones.

I was just wondering how people overcome this issue? I thought about drilling at an angle so that when the hole comes through to the inside, it is by the switch but I think I'll need either x-ray vision or a hell of a lot of luck, or even both, to pull this off close enough to the switch to be within a 'zone'

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Use a lump of wood with a hole in it to bend the conduit, or make it up off site.
Doesn’t need earthing.

 

[Toneyz]

Use a lump of wood with a hole in it to bend the conduit, or make it up off site.
Doesn’t need earthing.

I can't see that happening especially when the electrician has just a days work wiring the house and is on another site the next day together with most domestic electricians/contractor not having one.

 

[Risteard]

And how would you earth the conduit with that being accessible?

Mount a BESA box - say a through box for argument's sake on the end of it in the roofspace and a stuffing gland on the other end. Bring the cables in with a 4mm^2 earth and lug that and connect to the BESA box with an M4.

 

[Toneyz]

Mount a BESA box - say a through box for argument's sake on the end of it in the roofspace and a stuffing gland on the other end. Bring the cables in with a 4mm^2 earth and lug that and connect to the BESA box with an M4.

No disrespect, but whilst it is a solution realistically I can't see that happening on the domestic wiring scene. Outside lights are usually taken from the local downstairs lighting circuit.

 

[Risteard]

No disrespect, but whilst it is a solution realistically I can't see that happening on the domestic wiring scene. Outside lights are usually taken from the local downstairs lighting circuit.

I've done it on a number of occasions in domestic installations.

 

[Toneyz]

I've done it on a number of occasions in domestic installations.

As I posted before your general development house bashing electrician is not going to be going metal conduit nor running the outside light from the switch on the ground floor all the way up to the loft. Sorry but this won't happen in the real world.

 

[GBDamo]

Bit left field but you could use an appliance plate at ceiling height in line with the outside light creating a zone in a line below.

Run the switch wire from this to the switch and back using the zone at the top of the wall and drop down to switch.

Then drop the switched live/N&E down from the appliance plate to the height of the O/S light and blast straight through.

 

[Bellendian]

I thought the safe zones only extended to the other side of the wall, when the wall is less than 100mm thick? Which is fine for internal partitions, but a bit tricky on an external wall. Can't remember where I saw that, so happy to be corrected....
In these situations I try to align the light and the switch, or go down the diagonal drilling approach.

 

[Toneyz]

Bit left field but you could use an appliance plate at ceiling height in line with the outside light creating a zone in a line below.

Run the switch wire from this to the switch and back using the zone at the top of the wall and drop down to switch.

Then drop the switched live/N&E down from the appliance plate to the height of the O/S light and blast straight through.

Do you mean some sort of blank plate?

 

[Toneyz]

I thought the safe zones only extended to the other side of the wall, when the wall is less than 100mm thick? Which is fine for internal partitions, but a bit tricky on an external wall. Can't remember where I saw that, so happy to be corrected....
In these situations I try to align the light and the switch, or go down the diagonal drilling approach.

I think we agreed that in earlier posts.

 

[GBDamo]

Do you mean some sort of blank plate?

Anything that will count as a zone creating accessory

 

[GBDamo]

Anything that will count as a zone creating accessory

Flex outlet may work.

 

[Toneyz]

So what you are saying is that if there is an outside wall light that on the inside wall if there is not anything to indicate the cable comes down the internal wall, not in a zone you would put a flex outlet or box with a blank plate in the wall. That's going to look great on a wall to have a random accessory plate there. A little way back I did post that I would consider installing a socket in line with outside lighting cable at least it wouldn't look out of place.

 

[Bellendian]

If anyone remembers that bloke BAS from some of the DIY forums....he used to go on and on and on...about this amongst everything else!
Safe zone is only formed by an accessory for cables serving that accessory...so the socket doesnt comply to the letter of the regs...however common sense suggests it would help things.
That said I got a call from a tenant the other day that couldn't work out why the electrics tripped when they put a mirror up....directly above a socket!

 

[GBDamo]

So what you are saying is that if there is an outside wall light that on the inside wall if there is not anything to indicate the cable comes down the internal wall, not in a zone you would put a flex outlet or box with a blank plate in the wall. That's going to look great on a wall to have a random accessory plate there. A little way back I did post that I would consider installing a socket in line with outside lighting cable at least it wouldn't look out of place.

Its a solution to a problem, never said it was perfect.

Picky sod