Finding the cable linking house's 1st and 2nd floor light circuits?

[Frank]

Hi, Can anyone help me locate a lighting cable? It's an end-of-terrace house, built in 1900. It was rewired in the 1980s. I'm trying to find the wire that connects the ground floor lighting circuit to the first floor lighting circuit. Can anyone suggest where it is likely to be?

Here is a plan of the first floor (the floor where the up-wire must be located, somewhere in one of the walls):

is probably in the most logical place, but I'd like your opinions on where that would be. Unfortunately, the loft has been boarded over, so it's not quite as simple as looking ion the loft for wires coming up from below.

If it proves hard to locate, would an electronic cable-locator (cheap, hand-held type) be of any use for locating it? Is the wire likely to be in a chasing/conduit going downwards from one of the 1st floor light switches? The dual-gang switch on the landing may possibly have such a chasing for the wires that link that switch to the corresponding switch in the hall below.

Thank you very much for any help....

Frank

[Colin Wilson]

Is this for the flats - the same flats where the wiring was supposed to have already been seperated to allow them to be metered from the end of dodgy sub-mains ?

[Frank]

The lighting cirquits haven't been separated yet - but they need to be. That's why I want to locate the cable.

Frank

[Bob Mannix]

I have enough trouble locating cables in houses I'm in, never mind when I'm not even there!

OTOH, as it will be solid walls, the cable has to run up under the plaster. I would:

1. Look in the loft as it will emerge in a corner somewhere and feed the upstairs circuit.
2. Failing that, survey all the walls with a decent detector looking for a buried cable not near a socket switch etc.

[ARWadsworth]

All houses vary, but the most logical place near the landing light switch as this is the only switch that would require a chase into the plaster from above and below.

Adam

[Frank]

Thanks for the reply. Is there an easy way to distinguish it from the switch cable which may emerge from the same place and possibly look identical?

BTW, despite the age of the house, it does have cavity walls. It must have been one of the first.

Thanks again,

Frank

[Frank]

Thanks... That was the conclusion I came to, too. I will look there first. Is there an easy way to distinguish it from a light-switch cable? I suppose I could disconnect it from the ceiling rose it goes to, and see if any of the lights on that floor still come on...

Frank

[Frank]

PS. I can now confirm that the house has cavity walls and the re-wirers did use the cavities to route cables. I have found the cable coming from the hall light to the hall's ceiling rose; iit comes through a hole in the inner skin of brickwork under the landing floorboards. So my best bet might be a cable-detector, do you think?

Anyone recommend a cheap but effective one that can detect cables through 4" of brick and 1" of plaster?

Frank

[Frank]

PPS.. I can also confirm that the landing's ceiling rose has three cables coming from it: one in the direction of the landing light switch, one in the direction of Room1's ceiling rose, and one in the direction of Room2's ceiling rose. I guess that suggests that the cable doesn't come up along the same route as the landing light-switch cable...

Frank

Frank

[Tom Woods]

my council semi which looks as though it was also rewired in the 80's has the lighting link running up the inside of the cavity on the end wall.

[Frank]

Thank you. I suspect mine is running up the end wall cavity too (the bottom wall in my scan), somewhere... I must try and find my old metal detector...

Frank.

[Colin Wilson]

Who's going to be testing your wiring ?

(just a wild guess at you not being Part P certified)

[John Rumm]

Are you refering to the typical 2 way switching wire for the landing / hall light, or the feed wire for the whole upstairs circuit?

The former would probably run up from the hall light switch. The latter could be a number of places.

Sometimes I use a tone injector and inductive pickup wand for following wires through buildings from a known starting point.

[Bob Mannix]

I would think so if it's 1900. The only real way to distinguish is to see how they are connected in the first ceiling rose they go to.

[Frank]

The latter, thanks. I have just found it! It was fully visible, inside the airing cupboard! Makes sense, come to think of it...

Thanks (and to all) for the suggestions.

Frank