Led lighting - where is my limit as a person without any certificate.

[emillo83]

Hello everyone.

I need information from people who are more knowledgeable and I will appreciate your help. I have no idea and I can not find any information about the regulations for mounting LED lighting.
I would like to install minimally invasive LED stair lighting on a plug and play basis, but I have no idea how much I can do by law. Minimally invasive, I mean connecting the power supply to the socket and make the wiring in the aluminum profiles. I just wondering if I can do any wiring in the walls, or for example I can mount a box on the wall in which the LED power supply will be hidden, I have no idea where my limit is, how much I can do as a person without an electrician license.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[telectrix]

you need to be competent . there's no such thing as a licence for sparks in the UK. paper qualifications don't make you competent. the wiring regulations cover the fixed wiring, not equipment that is plugged in.

 

[Paul L]

If it is a system that's purely designed to be plugged in and physically wired into your fixed wiring system then you should be fine. Its no different really to plugging in any electrical appliance, just think of all the things we have plugged in around our tv and computer areas.
As Tel said you would need a degree of competence with running the cables safely etc. but if you're happy doing that then carry on.

 

[emillo83]

@telectrix @Paul L

Thank you guys for the quick reply.

I will do it according to the correct rules, it is about using the correct cables, positioning safely, everything as it should be. Thoroughly and neat. What if I want to put a 12v cable in the wall, from floor to handrail or similar, will it be come under regulations? And also mentioned cover box on the wall to hide the power supply and unit for wireless switcher?
Sorry for so many questions but I don't want to do it just for myself so everything has to be 100% well done and legal.

Cheers

 

[telectrix]

any able. irrespective of voltage should conform to regs. as in horizontal or vertical from and to accessories.

 

[emillo83]

any able. irrespective of voltage should conform to regs. as in horizontal or vertical from and to accessories.

OK got it but I have last question. Can I put a cable in the wall by myself and if I need electrician or any certificated person approval or checking it?

Cheers

 

[Paul L]

If it is a system that's purely designed to be plugged in and physically wired into your fixed wiring system then you should be fine. Its no different really to plugging in any electrical appliance, just think of all the things we have plugged in around our tv and computer areas.
As Tel said you would need a degree of competence with running the cables safely etc. but if you're happy doing that then carry on.

I just reread my post and i meant to say NOT physically wired into your fixed wiring system then it should be fine so sorry if this caused any confusion. Again, as Tel said you need to stick to the wiring zones as shown in the image if the cables are to be buried in the wall so that it doesn't cause potential future issues but with it being a plug in only system with its own approved size fuse then it should be fine for you to do it.
Any electrician will tell you that its all about complying with current regulations and will not give you a step by step guide to actually doing it without seeing it because every situation is different.

 

[telectrix]

OK got it but I have last question. Can I put a cable in the wall by myself and if I need electrician or any certificated person approval or checking it?

Cheers

YES, BUT PUT IT IN TUBE SO YOU CAN PULL A NEW CABLE IN IF EVER IT GOT DAMAGED.

 

[pc1966]

As far as I know, if it is the 12V stuff you are putting in, or stuff plugged in to a regular 13A socket, then you don't have any Part P building regulations to require a certificate, etc.

But you still must ensure it is safe. So that means following the best practice to avoid areas that might get drilled/nailed, and making sure it presents no risk of entangling anyone in the event of a fire if it is run along any likely escape route, stairs, etc (so cables, etc, must be attached at some points with support that is tolerant of fire, so metal clips, metal cable ties, etc) and using products of good quality (i.e. certfied for use in the UK/EU, for example, and not some dodgy eBay special with no or fake CE mark)

As Telectrix says, if you can put in conduit pipes, etc, it will make things so much easier if you need to replace anything, and depending on how that is done it probably avoids the whole cable-collapse in fire problem as by time a wall or similar has gone you are past caring...

 

[emillo83]

@telectrix @Paul L @pc1966

Thank you all for the clarification.
As I mentioned, I'm going to do it not only for myself (as long as there is interest), so everything must be 100% well done. My idea is to interfere with the building construction as little as possible and on the other hand, make the cables invisible as much as possible. Hiding the cable in the wall will be only in a special case, when it will be unacceptable to use an aluminium profile. Generally, all cabling will be hidden in aluminum profiles designated for it which will be attached along the baseboard.

Once again thank you for your help guys.
All the best!

 

[299Lighting]

Hi Emillo83,

Emergency lighting is a safety critical element principle of construction, and is required by law. As the others have mentioned, there is nothing stopping you from installing this, however if anything does go wrong (if there is a fire and this doesn't function properly and injury or death results) then you need to ensure you are capable of defending your position installing it yourself, rather than having a competent professional do the work.

For example, have you done lux level calculations with the proposed lighting, to ensure the light levels conform to the minimum requirements of BS EN 1838, and the wiring system conforms to BS En 50172-4? Do you know that the centre line of the escape route will have a guaranteed minimum light level of 1Lx at every point, and 0.5Lx off the centre line? Have you got direct light on every tread of the staircase? These are just a couple of requirements.


I don't mean to sound critical, its just such an important factor in building safety and often done very wrong. Even if nothing goes wrong, it can still be inspected by the fire authority and you can be prosecuted if the emergency lighting isn't suitable.

 

[Paul L]

I'm not sure they are using it as emergency lighting, from the OP i got the impression that it was for decorative purposes on stairs rather than emergency purposes

 

[299Lighting]

I'm not sure they are using it as emergency lighting, from the OP i got the impression that it was for decorative purposes on stairs rather than emergency purposes

Ahh - could be my bad then!

If it isn't for emergency purposes, then just ignore what I said! Thanks for flagging, Paul

 

[Paul L]

Ahh - could be my bad then!

If it isn't for emergency purposes, then just ignore what I said! Thanks for flagging, Paul

You are right about emergency lighting though. I do a lot of emergency light testing at the Schools i work at and it seems to be quite a misunderstood subject. There's a lot more to it than some people realise.

 

[emillo83]

@299Lighting Thanks for the warning.
My assumption is to install additional light, or as Paul said decorative light, I don't want to replace the original light (emergency) on the stairs.
By the way, everything looks nice in theory, and in practice completely different, a lot of staircase looks like a darkroom.

Have a good evening guys.