Electrical test

[roasty]

Psst....
Psssst!

It's me Toasty, in disguise. (I cancelled my account months ago due to a disagreement in general discussion)

I've still been watching the electrics forum though.

Anyway, I have a couple of questions if you don't mind?.....

God, it's a long story....
We bought this house 8 years ago, before part P.
I had a very very automated house, wired it all myself, some time in 2004

Anyway... Essentially every socket, light, underflloor heating, central heating circuit, oven, fridge you name it... Was home ran back under the stairs.

I always anticipated moving, and now we are. Everything now works normally, having removed all the stage dimmers, din rail relays, serial cards, dmx, rs232, gsm modems etc..etc...very etc.... In fact, two kitchen tables full of general stuff!

I've reconnected everything now, but it means all the sockets in the house sprout from a number of large junction boxes on two separate upstairs and downstairs 16amp radials, but these are of course wired as a sort of star arrangement. All in 2.5mm t&e

The lights are essentially wired in the old junction box method, except that the junctions are under the stairs rather than close to the light fittings.

I'm on the iPad, but I'll post some pics when I can.... Trust me, everything is neat and tidy, and I've used good kit and most importantly taken care with the installation, but, I'm worried that a PIR or whatever our buyers have done might not have a tick box for the type of install I've done. I'm happy nothing is dangerous, in fact I'd argue it's very safe, not least as we have no ring finals, which I think is a good thing... But as its unconventional, what do you all think?

Thanks in advance!... I'll post some pics ASAP
Thanks
Dan

 

[RF Lighting]

By the sounds of it there should be no issues on an EICR, assuming everything tests out ok, but to be honest if I was eyeing the job up for the buyer I'd probably recommend that any non-standard circuits or even the whole house be rewired.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

It's unlikely you will get a tick in all appropriate boxes on a EICR, as there will be limitation to what can be inspected, so unless no major IP issues it would be down to the testing. Did you use MF junctions for reconnections.

 

[roasty]

All junctions are accessible under the stairs, currently just 30amp choc block in double socket boxes with blanking plates.

I've ordered WAGOs, but given that they are accessible I'm not sure which is considered better.

I'll find some pics...

Thanks all!

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If all junction are accessible, it is fine to use standard jointing/junction methods.

 

[SimonH2]

Document it, and label everything. Like most trades, there will be a proportion of people who if called out to it will take one look, be unable to comprehend what it is, do that "suck through teeth" that precedes bad news, and declare it'll all need to be ripped out and done properly.
From the description I can't see that there is anything any competent lecky shouldn't be able to deal with - but there are a not insignificant number of people who call themselves leckys but who don't really understand anything but conventional lighting circuits and ring final circuits.

Of course, that won't stop some buyers seeing something that looks complicated and deciding it must be wrong

 

[EFLImpudence]

Psst....
Psssst!

It's me Toasty, in disguise.

Wonderful.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

there are a not insignificant number of people who call themselves leckys but who don't really understand anything but conventional lighting circuits and ring final circuits.

And some not even those.

 

[securespark]

Why not 20A for the radials?

 

[roasty]

Why not 20A for the radials?

Fair point, I may swap the 16amp mcbs out for 20amp ones, I think I used 16s because of the relay ratings, but I honestly can't remember.

 

[roasty]

Thanks everyone.
The lighting junctions are done like this.... http://www.yourmiss.us/88ZOAc/

That's ok, right? (apart from the partially unsleaved bit of earth)

I've got a couple of these, one upstairs and one downstairs.

The socket junctions, however, with hindsight look a bit cramped....

 

[roasty]

The socket junctions look like this...

http://www.yourmiss.us/88HJJ8/

And

http://www.yourmiss.us/Sockjunct/

I think I might do these again, what do you think? Maybe bigger boxes with din rail terminals, one terminal per socket, rather than grouping them.

Oh, this is what it used to look like..... 30 relays, one per socket, all independently controlled via rs232.

http://www.yourmiss.us/88kO24/

http://www.yourmiss.us/oldha/

 

[SimonH2]

Yes, you were right to remove all that - your target market would have been an exceedingly small number of people with similar ideas to yours. But then, such minded people would probably want to do it their own way instead

I was once in an apartment abroad doing some network cabling. He had a whole "wardrobe" sized cupboard full of din rails and X10 modules - this photo is only part of it !

Untitled

• SimonH2
• 13 Mar 2012
• 2

Round the corner there is a marine grade inverter for backup power as well.
The owner did comment along the lines of not knowing if he'd added any value - I kept quiet, I don't think "I can't see anyone buying this place without budgeting to rip all that lot out and do it properly" would have gone down too well.