Stowing redundant cables

[Dave]

Our son wants me to re-wire his landing and lobby lights so that they come on with the same switch. At the moment the landing light has its mains fed into the downstairs switch and the lobby light is fed from the upstairs switch.

There are three sets of twin and earth to both switch points. The switch points are both twin switches, double throw. He wants a single double throw switch at each point.

By rewiring this set up I will end up with a redundant cable and as I am loath to remove it, on the grounds that it will be simple to revert back to original wiring, I was wondering if there is a convention of stowing the cable, that will indicate what it was used for originally.

Dave

[Broadback]

I write on the cable with indelible ink, and also leave a note wherever the cable is accessed, e.g. under the floor board. Boy do I need notes at my age!!!!

[Rick Hughes]

like other poster I have written on in Biro .. but find it fades after a couple of years. I have found the old fashioned brown card address tags tied on with a bit of string is great. DON'T be tempted to use masking tape and write on that with permanent marker... I did that to a very large number of cable runs ... when I came to do 2nd fix .. all had faded, most too badly to be read.

[Steven Campbell]

I write the details on normal white paper and then cover it in clear cellotape and a fix it to the cables. Saves so much time and head scratching.

[Dave]

I didn't want to suggest that, in case it would become a fire hazard in the future, but if no one comes up with a no no, then that is what I'll do.

By the way, I have posted before on the strange wiring in this house. The switched lives, using black insulation do not have a red sleeve on them. The earth wire has a white sleeve on it.

Dave

[Andy Dingley]

Pencil. Good for a few hundred years. Doesn't dry out if you leave the top off either.

[<me9]

I once discovered a multi core internal telephone cable (where a pair went between /every/ phone on the system, where an external extension had been made. The installer had made an excellent job (with tie on labels) of identifying the cores. Someone at some time had neglected to put the lid on the termination box.

The painters came along, and carefully painted both sides of the tie on labels. I had a right job some time later sorting out the wiring when extra facilities were required.

[Lurch]

On Thu, 05 Apr 2007 22:25:43 +0100, Dave mused:

The lack of red sleeving isn't too bad. IMO, if you unscrew a switch from the wall and don't know what the black cable does then you shouldn't be playing with it.

The white earth sleeving means an alarm fitter lived there.

[Dave]

Thanks for that. As I have said before, I am not one to burn bridges and the lack of red sleeving doesn't bother me. I am more worried about anyone in the future trying to sort out the wiring.

I didn't know that, but it does add up, as the house is alarmed and the standard of the alarm wiring is poor. i.e. Alarm wire comes out of wall about 2 inch above a paved area and the wire disappears underneath to a shed. I have no idea what it is contained in though. Probably just sand :-(

Dave