Opening Pandora's Junction Box

[Andy Burns]

That website makes it look like it's only a concept for a product, rather than an actual product ...

[ARW]

Well I cannot find the 6 way one anywhere. However the 4 way one is here

[Robin]

Or even just a couple of DECT cordless phones with intercom facility. I don't know what modern radios are like but I especially like the ability to have the phone on speaker so I've both hands free when I'm (keen to stay!) on the roof.

[Andrew]

Are those cone-shaped thingys at the bottom right 'wire nuts' ?. Are they even allowed over here ?.

[Mike Humphrey]

Yes, that's one option I've considered. Assuming that most of the cables are redundant, as seems likely, it should be possible to fit everything into one of those. Has anyone used them and has any experiences to pass on?

Mike

[Robin]

US ones may not be but there's similar

[harry]

You must have very low standards. Junction boxes should only appear where there has been modifications to an installation.

A new installation should have none.

[Nightjar]

There is nothing wrong with using junction boxes, provided that the access to them is not 'significantly impaired'.

So no loop-in ceiling roses then?

[ARW]

Again, rubbish.

There is nothing wrong with using junction boxes for lighting circuits on a new installation as long as the jb's are accessible. I recently helped a friend rewire his non earthed lighting circuit and as the existing cables were in conduit it was easier (no walls to chase and very few floorboards to lift) to cut the conduit at appropriate places around the landing area and install junction boxes in the airing cupboard. This also made refitting his lights much easier as there was only one T&E at the fitting.

[John Rumm]

Nonsense spoken with such authority...

That really does depend on what type of installation it is. Sometimes a junction box is the most appropriate implementation - especially with lighting circuits as is the case here.

[John Rumm]

Perhaps all harry's lights are hard wired in a radial with no switches?

OK luv, who's turn is it to go to the CU to turn off the bedside light?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Harry obviously lives alone.

[John Rumm]

Perhaps he has a bedside mirror?

[ARW]

I have never used one but I would have no hesitations whatsoever in using one.

A further thought. You say there are more switch drops at your existing JB than there are lights in your house.

Well it might be worth checking behind a few light switches for spare/unused cables - maybe someone has removed wall lights, or heaven forbid changed a 5A socket into a 13A socket.

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , John Rumm escribió:

Someone has to kiss him goodnight.

[John Rumm]

Now there is a mental image I did not need...

[Fredxxx]

Thanks, that does look much neater than a series of 4-way junction boxes.

[Andy Burns]

Surprised they don't do a version that has power in/out plus three or four sets of lights with two-way switches, to cater for bedrooms with wall and ceiling switches.

[dennis]

Something else harry has wrong.

[Mike Humphrey]

And the answer is... a lot of them do nothing.

So, I replaced the live terminal with a terminal strip - one wire on each. This made it pretty easy to find the incoming power, then link each cable in turn (with much up and down to the CU to keep turning the power off and on) to find out what it powered. For four of them, the answer is "nothing" - so that's eight cables that can be removed completely. The rest are all labelled and connected to some temporary terminal strips while I wait for my junction boxes to arrive:

(a slight cheat, I haven't reconnected the loft lights yet).

Having discovered that the bathroom lights have multiple pointless junction boxes, I've decided to rewire them. I'll also tidy up the wiring to the dining room at the same time. So I've got three Surewire boxes on order - two multi-light ones for the downlights in the bathroom and dining room, and a 4-way single light one for the rest. These will be on a board on the rafters so I can get at them, rather than buried in the loft insulation. Photos to follow when it's done, though it might be a while.

Now I'm just wondering what else may be lurking under the loft insulation...

Mike