Switch in brick wall door opening

[Deleted member 112675]

Hello All

So the wife wants to put a switch in a patio door opening. Wall is a cavity wall. I couldn't see in section 7.3.2 of my onsite guide that it was expressly forbidden but equally I wouldn't know where the cable should be run to be compliant because the safe zone seems to assume the zoned areas are flat but if the cable was to go directly up it would go through the lintel and then move to become part of a different wall. (i.e. from the end of the wall in the doorway to in front of the wall when it gets above door height) Its a simple situation but hard to explain.

From a practical point of view I'd obviously rather I didn't have to drill through the lintel but if I run the cable just outside the doorway, I guess it wouldn't be compliant unless a fitted a blanking plate (not desirable) or 50mm deep into the wall (structurally not good).

The only "get out of jail" I can think of is that in the diagram of the room zones, the vertical end of wall 150mm zone straddles both sides of the internal corner shown. So maybe external corners (like in a door opening) also allow the zone to extend around the corner?

 

[Spoon]

Take a pic of the area and mark up where you are thinking of putting the cable..... My brain is too small to understand the above...

Oh and welcome to the forum mate.

 

[GBDamo]

If im reading that right, you want a switch on the reveal inside a door.

If so then the inside edge of the joining wall is not a zone in my mind as the edge doesn't run floor to ceiling.

With the light switch in place it.......

Forget it, this is a stupid idea, give her a talking to and stick it on the wall loke a normal person.

 

[Deleted member 112675]

Many thanks for the welcome and replies and sorry for complicated description. I'll had a pic asap. In meantime yes it is in door reveal.

I'll try and talk to her again about the position! Espeically as it sounds even if its done compliantly it would scream "diy" if its in an unusual position.

Problem we have is that space is very limited and idea was to have a cupboard right up to the door reveal thus covering any normally positioned swtich. Pic to follow....

 

[Deleted member 112675]

Red is proposed new position (although rapidly rethinking !)
Black is proposed end of new cupboard

As you can probably guess the cables were leading to an old switch. The mcb for that circuit has been switched off and removed.

 

[SparkySy]

I had this recently on a job and ended up putting a socket in lower down on the inside wall then drilled through to the switch position in the reveal from the chase for the socket. That way the cable was in the prescribed zone for the socket and back entry to the reveal switch if that makes sense.
Edit exactly like above but with a twin socket on the wall with the cables hanging from it!

 

[telectrix]

what is the switch for? why not fit a Quinetic.? that way no cables to the switc. you can even stick the switch on the glass.

 

[SparkySy]

@telectrix
Damn that would save some work! That is an excellent way to do it!

 

[telectrix]

@telectrix
Damn that would save some work! That is an excellent way to do it!

i do have my moments, even if they sometimes conflict with dementia.

 

[Deleted member 112675]

Two superb ideas - I'll read into wireless option a bit more before making final decision.

THanks so much.

For the record, and because I'd done it straight after reading Sy's reply, this is what I understand he did ?

 

[telectrix]

it's all here:

 

[SparkySy]

@sparkless2
That was exactly what I meant with the chase as per your drawing but the Quinetic switches are most excellent I can also assure you!

 

[Deleted member 112675]

@sparkless2
That was exactly what I meant with the chase as per your drawing but the Quinetic switches are most excellent I can also assure you!

Yes thanks for making me think about that option. I'm starting to lean against because I need to fit a second switch on the same wall but higher up. (I think DP or 3a FCU for a 100W external PIR lamp that is currently hard wired without any isolator into existing 5a lighting circuit) .
That said I could move the location of that somewhere else but there aren't that many options. Maybe the back of the new cupboard but I guess that's frowned upon too.

 

[Toneyz]

Is it that just the wife wants the switch there as if you are contemplating having the socket why the switch can't go on the same wall?

 

[GeorgeCooke]

Is it that just the wife wants the switch there as if you are contemplating having the socket why the switch can't go on the same wall?

There is going to be a cupboard there (post 4).What I don't follow is that the cupboard would also hide the socket!