UK domestic lighting circuit. - What the........ | Page 2 | on ElectriciansForums

Discuss UK domestic lighting circuit. - What the........ in the Domestic Electrician Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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About me.
Fastidious about wiring.
Degree in Mechanical Engineering, extremely good spanner monkey (rebuilt engines, gear boxes).
BUT I know my limits and what I am allowed to do according to Part P of the UK building regs etc.

Just been in the loft to do some tidying and found a right rats nest of the upstairs lighting.

It does not look like a typical domestic radial circuit, more Iike 1 feed from the CU and then a great big chocolate block connector that then feeds multiple radials in parallel.
The cables are not clipped to the rafters and most are buried under the insulation (I doubt that the blokes from EON thought about the need to consider the current rating when then cable is buried in insulation).
I was trying to tidy up the cables ready to actually clip them to the beams so that I'm not going to trip on one as I'm clambering about and found this massive clump of about 6 cables going into a massive bundle all wrapped up in electrical tape.

Has any one seen a circuit that splits out like this?

I'll rig up some festoon lighting from the ring main, turn off the lighting circuits and then very carefully un-wrap the big block and poke it with my multimeter.
I'm not going to re-wire the entire upstairs lighting circuit (I'd leave that to a professional) but I can at least make this not so dangerous and put it in a junction box screwed to a beam.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Totally normal housebashing technique of the 70’s and 80’s.

All cables from every light and every switch back to one central point. Clipped if you were lucky.

They didn’t think at the time that attics would have 100mm or more of insulation covering the cables.

Fault finding was easy…. IF the cables are still labled.

You’ll possibly find another joint box for the downstairs lights under the floor on the landing.
 
Finally sorted.
As expected just a big choc block wrapped in tape.
Radial feed, radial continue and three feeds to various lights.

The actual wiring aspect was dead easy just a right pain in the arse to get to.
Full PPE suit, mask, gloves…

All trimmed and fitted into a Wago box.
As I was investigating and I moved the cables the lights went out!! So defo not a safe installation.
 

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