ash_scotland88

Thanks guys. Had a thought today in work. The wall would be backed with wardrobes. Could always have the floor tor ceiling wardrobes fitted with plasterboard saving some space. Make "the wall" L shaped and have the part of the wall that runs the depth a standard thickness, creating the illusion of a wall. It's then all down to the construction of the wardrobes to create a secure frame for the boarding. The room is large but awkwardly shaped . The bed is currently in a corner (still enough room for bedside table etc) but the space left feel wasted. It's definitely a cad job to play around with possibilities

I can't seem to find it on my phone but anyone have the direct link for the white book that gives the build up specifications for the metal stud walls? I can find copy of marketing blurb but not what thicknesses, dB etc may be. Other thing, any thing thinner than than their 48mm range? Exploring possibilities of dividing up the bedroom to create a wardrobe/dressing area and doesn't need to be sound proofed.

@dpmiller it's doing when just measuring the extension lead. I've got a sign off from a spark when CU was upgraded and this was more in checking to ensure an earth was continuous where I was originally going to go. Might see if I can borrow one from work. Not sure if I read on here but for cable running through brick wall, but should I put in a plastic conduit? I understand why, protect twin and earth, but at 20mm it's a pretty big hole.

@tonyT going to do that for an outdoor socket. Well hopefully (not explored) come down the conduit under the floor and out at the some point as lighting exits from underground. @MJNewton just here testing the extension again. Before hand on the cable I was getting -20ohm (brass screw to brass screw on inside of plug/socket) when it settled.* The 20ohms was cable. On cupboard light I got -30. Reading this post I thought I would do your suggestion and probe to probe is -30. So no idea what's happening here. *Numbers start high (or is it lower when negative?) then settles. Closest I can find to my manual. Will download automatically FYI https://www.faithfulltools.com › ...PDF Web results Instruction Manual - Faithfull Tools I had in mind that it's not just 0-200 range reading but also some decimal point moving had to be done as well, so may be something like 0.2 or 0.02. ?

Cheers, guys. My understanding of my multi meter was that if it showed 1 reading was too high if it showed -1 then too low, lowest resistance setting is 200 and if I'm understanding my online manual this does from 0.1. Its a West169 if anyone is nosey. I closest I was able to get to a stable reading on just the extension cable was after scratching the earth pin on the plug and even then it was slightly changing. Sat around 18-20ohms. Further exploration, couldn't go up on in that service void. So next plan, take it from the light switch on the understairs cupboard as the original CU marked this as being linked with the front door and flood....oh how wrong. It appears to be on a circuit by itself, so will get that swapped over to the RCBO and will have to live with the light switch in there. But being smart/sensors shouldn't have a need to manually turn them off often. That saga and education continues. (If anyone is wondering why not direct to CU it sits centre of house, concrete floors below that section and don't have a clue how to get cables to it without ripping up half the floors)

Worked it out, was admittedly being an idiot. Done this, can confirm earth is present! Made up the extension lead for earth only. Tried testing the extension with my cheap multi, don't think it can measure low enough as it was showing -1* but noticed if I stroked the copper I could get it to show changing numbers. Also used the beep function and got a circuit. Plugged in the Martindale on socket to confirm earth is present there (again cheapish and just gives a a-b ,b-c, c-d earth reading). Used the earth-only extension and same technique (tickle and beep) as above confirmed earth was present in the lighting circuit. Also explored the service void route, no access from the crawl space so looked like we'll be going up it instead of down and coming out from the eaves from the attic. In possibly the most convoluted route to get a cable somewhere....

GAH, Just looked at all the bits, after sitting there for a week. Wiska 308 box Wiska 308 earth clamp bar And Tower SWA glands, the glands are too big for the box. Due to internal plastic webbing means the locking nut doesn't align over the hole to centre. As well as the earthing rings (don't know correct term) are too long for the clamp bar but that would have been an easy fix. Any one know a Screwfix / Toolstation / somewhere else shopping list? Cable is 4core 2.5mm to give an idea of sizing, I'm sure when I looked on a chart it's 15mm but could be wrong. Edit; misunderstood what I was doing. The glands screw into the box. But then with the earth clamp bar there isn't any thread left on top for the earth ring, so does the bar replace the ring?

I know they've been common, just my friend was saying not that common and overkill for residential use in his experience. Compromise was a high integrity board allowing a stand alone (or two) RCBO. Atleast I hope that's what's been installed, not looked beyond the outside yet but an RCBO is placed in ready to go. Also explored this evening that a service void is accessible from the bedroom above the front door. This is the bedroom where I've already been able to put a short twin and earth* from the front door light into the floor void. Tomorrow exploring the crawl space to see if the next route is down or up into the attic to get back outside. All this routing to avoid a cable along the front of the house! And at some point really should explore my presumption from the old CU markings that the light switch is on it's own circuit (along with the understairs cupboard light). *Will try and make it all one length when running in properly.

Spark (friend from previous company) said it wasn't something he had installed much beyond a commercial sense. I put forward my point I personally felt it was the way forward and would be a beneficial in the long run, and in work on rubber box distros any requiring any significant work we were rewiring to RCBO. Other half also didn't like the price increase and jumped on it being overkill for residential band wagon, but in hindsight I gave him too much credit for understanding different protection types... Anyway: We think it was the fridge freezer we inherited with house but never previously turned on, it probably reach a temperature and then tripped.

Interestingly (for me) an RCD tripped over night, but not the one protecting the circuit I was working on. And I was told installing an RCBO box was overkill for a residential property....

I'm "tapping into" the light above the front door, which is/will be rewire at the CU to its own RCBO. This circuit only (if the old labling is to be believed) was cupboard under stairs and outside lighting, where the only outside lighting is above the front door. As a side not if memory serves me from the old CU (rewirable fuses) the outside backdoor came from the "kitchen and back hallway" circuit- yes the old CU had about 3 pendant per circuit. Had a bad weekend of DIY where everything took longer and I dropped the light above the front door which damaged it (ceramic maybe), and upon inspection cracked slicing my finger. So confidence/ability has taken a knock. But thinking about it since my last post, if twin and earth is earthed at CU and there's an earth where the pendant is then by all purposes it should be earthed all way to CU...

Looking in the CU it's twin and earth to there, although in conduit it looks like it's all single core. The light switch that controls that light is earth to the metal back box.

Having a brain fart/doubt regarding earthing back to CU. Been able to get into the light above the front door. As in the picture. SWA will obviously terminated via appropriate methods in a junction box and connect to twin and earth back to here. Should this then go back to CU to provide earth protection? Should be the question cause you know, old house. https://postimg.cc/Wq7wYD8Y

Some places might view a WC up stairs as not providing a WC on a principal living level - Although I think this is more a Scottish reg along with future proofing a space for a shower.

@Temp there are nos two switches on the left. The furthest left of the three switches is now unused (middle of the five). There is now no longer a red wire connecting the two face plates. And don't worry I trimmed down the red wire on the left. Everything appears to be working as should.

We joke about tripping off catering unit supplies at the rubber box, easy way to get chatting to them for hopes of free food on events. I proposed with the advent of smart fuses we need a phone app to do it remotely.

Link again incase it's still too big. But my phone automatically resizes to fit the screen, but if your worried about data allowance hopefully this is less. https://postimg.cc/JDhTPxMJ Quick reading about shared neutral suggests that if that was the case the MCB and/or RCD would trip if they are wired under different ones. But this switch and upstairs (where other landing switch is) are under the same MCB and RCD, so that tripping won't happen - as the quick suggestive test. The fact that they are now wired under the same then the safety issue of thinking you've flipped the one switch to work on a light and only finding out otherwise when you get a shock won't happen in this instance. If I'm understanding correctly. Both of the switched have 2 neutrals going to (or is it coming from?) them, which I think I read is also suggestive of a not shared neutral, but I can't re-find this information.

So bought a 2gang switch to replace the single. Removed the link cable that goes from single switch to the three gang. Moved the front door over to the two gang and reused the link cable to provide power. 2gang is now front door and exterior flood. Landing appeared to have its own live feed so moved over the secondary link (old front door to hall) so it is now landing to hall. Everything appears to be working as should be, so to me this is suggestive of two separate live feeds to the two switches. All I can think of is at some point either old CU was marked wrong or come some switch rewiring they decided to make front door and hall come off exterior. Any-one want to way in on theories? Or tell me what I've done is wrong... (If I can find a free non sign up image hosting I'll link a picture)

I want a shed filled with bits and pieces to grab at random ☹️ Cheers guys. I get it now.

Is this still an expensive option? https://www.medlocks.co.uk/avenue-swa-junction-box-black-32a-5-terminal-earthing-plate-ip66 Or just this: https://www.toolstation.com/moulded-pvc-box-ip65/p91800 And https://www.screwfix.com/p/tower-brass-exterior-gland-kit-20mm-2-pack/25996?kpid=25996&ds_kid=92700055281954475&ds_rl=1249401&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv5uKBhD6ARIsAGv9a-zFC6YP_83l1uPAb1_uYxkQ3aCZwb5dmAHHEtFX2dO3fx042MPO7fEaAtafEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Guessing I would need some spare earth cable and crimps to link all earthing, and would small screws come as standard with the SWA glands?

Sorry about size. Didn't even think/used to screens auto scaling. Are others coming to the same conclusion as me, that they appear to be linked at the switches? Looking at the picture again is the switch on the right by itself?

Looking for help how to "decipher" this wiring. https://ibb.co/9v3q15V Left to right goes: Outside (front flood) Above front door Downstairs hall Landing Its a 1switch and 3gang switch side by side. The old CU had outside on its own separate fuse (paired with understairs cupboard) and the other lights on their own fuse, with other lighting too. New CU have the current lot in one fuse, along with some other lighting. And there's a 6amp RCD waiting for new path lighting. My thought was I should be opening the light switches and outside would have its own live feed and the other three switches their own live- because they were separate circuits from CU. But it appears to be live linked with the other switches, am I right in my understanding? Surely this would suggest original CU markings was wrong and outside is not on its own circuit? My plan was to take the wiring for outside at the CU and move it onto the 6amp RCD. Then swap the 1gang and 3gang to 2x 2gang. This would allow me to put the front door in with the 6amp RCD and "tap into" for new path lighting allowing current front door switch to control path and keep the flood on a separate switch. The light switches has completely thrown me.

@saveasteading cheers, I had similar unit at the old house but I want a path to come on all at once, not as the sensor is set off. And mains powered.

Lights finally ordered - yay! Still need to order the joints though. Need 4x 3way and 1x2way. Doesn't need to go underground, can be attached on the back of walls. So looking at: 1x https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/PRUBX02.html 4x https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/PRUBX03.html And some conversion kit as I presume the lights will come on 1.5mm HO7 cable, but struggling to find the suitable size.

Sounds like your in the same spot as me. I wanted a dusk to dawn light come on at 10% and then PIR activated to 100%, there are stand alone units but when it comes to the linked set HUE appeared to be the only/simplest solution.