Electrical Wiring

Hi all,

My front door opens on to a very small hall with stairs in front. I want to install a light pendant above the door. At the bottom of the stairs is a double light switch which is for the light at the top of the stairs and for a external light by the front door.

Under the floor above the hall I have located two cables which come up directly from above the switch below. One cable goes off in the direction of the stairs while the other goes towards the outer wall and I assume down to the external light.

I would like the new light to come on when the external light is turned on. Do I just cut into the cable for the external light (power off of course) add a juction box and run a cable for the new light off it to the ceiling rose? If so how do I wire the junction box?

Anthony

Reply to
number1hatfielder
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There is a problem with your question based on the policy that applies particularly to electrical wiring, that if you don't know anything about it, you shouldn't be doing it.

After all if one of us gives you advise and whether the advise is wrong or you implement it incorrectly, then the advisor is responsible and if there is a fatallity or serious injury, could be taken to court. We are all traceable through our ISP's. You do have to be 'competent' to undertake electrical wiring in any form, and those of us on the Forum who can do wiring, can justify our 'competence' in one way or another.

There will of course be contributors who will offer you advise on the basis that if some sort of guidance is not given you will undertake it anyway and possibly kill yourself, or someone else, if left to your own devices. That is their risk.

In my opinion you are showing yourself as being not competent to undertake a dangerous task and should get an electrician to do it. An alternatively is to avoid making any of us responsible and get yourself get an appropriate DIY manual or book on wiring from the library, etc.

Rob

Reply to
robgraham

Very unlikely; it would be hard to show anything other than a very weak 'duty of care' when making a usenet posting, and the injured party would have to show the poster was negligent. The poster could claim the reader showed contributory negligence in relying on a usenet posting for technical advice.

Bullshit. The Building Regulations Part Pee explicitly do not require any form of "competence" in domestic electric wiring.

But wouldn't the library then be responsible for lending out the book?

Owain

Reply to
Owain

Probably. You need to ascertain that this *assumed* cable is in fact a switched live and neutral to the external light.

L, N and E in parallel.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

There is a fair chance that a wire from s switch will be just a switch wire - i.e. one wire live permanently, and the other live when the switch is on. This alone will not get you a working light - you need a neutral as well.

If you place is wired using the conventional "loop in" method, then you would need to take your power from the ceiling rose or junction box that serves the excising light that you want your new one to be slaved to.

Something like:

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be a starting point to get a feel for how it works.

Reply to
John Rumm

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