RE: Contemplating house rewiring - advice?

[Paul Gordon <paul_gordon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Which of course is easy to reconfigure IF you star wire everything...
- you can just make the appropriate connections back at the consumer
unit...

:-)


-----Original Message-----
From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of James
- SJ Computers
Sent: 24 November 2012 20:09
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Contemplating house rewiring - advice?

All lighting circuits do require a neutral (they wouldn't work if they
didn't have one). A standard ceiling rose has a loop in / loop out for both
line and neutral.

Standard lighting control (1/2 way / intermediate switches) don't have a
neutral as such. In domestic wiring you'd drop a standard bit of twin and
earth to the switch and utilise the neural of the pair as a switched live,
and sheath it accordingly, of course.

Regards

James

Sent from my iPhone

On 24 Nov 2012, at 17:59, "Alan Middleton" <yahoo@xxxxxxx>
wrote:

> I thought most HA lighting systems required a neutral which isn't the
norm in UK lighting. If that is true (and I'm not 100% sure) I'd concider
rewiring with one present.
>
> ----- Start Original Message -----
> Sent: Sat, 24 Nov 2012 14:06:24 +0000
> From: James Reed <james@xxxxxxx>
> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Contemplating house rewiring - advice?
>
> > Thanks Paul, this is very helpful.
> >
> > I can see that the star wiring may be problematic, particulary
> > trying to explain it all to SWMBO when there will be higher costs
etc.
> >
> > I will pursue the pink CAT5 idea as you suggest. So far as
topology
> > goes, I guess the idea would be to terminate as much as possible
of
> > it in a single place, but again thinking about aesthetics could
you
> > have nodes at each floor with links between them? I read the
Idratek
> > wiring guidance which seemed to suggest such a thing might be
> > possible. Again I want to try and put it in a way which makes it
> > easy for the sparks to follow as I imagine they won't have much
experience of this sort of thing.
> >
> > James
> >
> > On 24/11/2012 1:11 pm, Paul Gordon wrote:
> > >
> > > Yup, you've answered your own question pretty well James...
> > >
> > > To give yourself the utmost flexibility in your future
selection
> > > of what system to go for, if you both star-wire the mains
cable
> > > *and* run some control cable into each backbox as well, I
think
> > > you've pretty much allowed for any possibility.. and even if
you
> > > end up not using one or other cable, at least you have not
limited
> > > your options in any way, and cable is - comparatively -
cheap..
> > > (compared the HA modules you will eventually connect to
them!)
> > >
> > > Couple of thoughts..
> > >
> > > Star wiring the mains isn't the "norm" in the UK,
so your sparkies
> > > may be resistant to the idea... it will increase cable costs
-
> > > both in that you will use more of it - the ring main
topology was
> > > thought up to minimise the quantity of cable required I
believe, -
> > > and I think you have to uprate the mains cable you use... -
your
> > > sparks should know about that assuming they know their
onions...
> > >
> > > For control cable, even though you seem to have rejected
CBUS for
> > > now, you would still get benefit from using CBUS's pink CAT5
cable
> > > as your control wiring.. - it's not specific to CBUS - it's
just
> > > bog standard CAT5 cable on the inside, - but the pink outer
sheath
> > > is certified mains rated, so you are allowed within the UK
wiring
> > > regs to bring that cable into the same enclosure where mains
is
> > > present... - that is not permitted with "ordinary"
> > > computer CAT5 cable - which can be obtained quite a bit
cheaper...
> > >
> > > CAT5 cable at each socket and switch backbox shoud cate for
just
> > > about any wired HA system, although I believe there are a
few
> > > options available that require the use of their own
proprietary
> > > control cable.. personally I wouldn't give consideration to
any HA
> > > system that imposes that demand, but that's just me... - for
me,
> > > if CAT5 isn't good enough, then I'm not giving that system
my money...
> > >
> > > Paul G.
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>]
> > > On Behalf Of James Reed
> > > Sent: 23 November 2012 20:00
> > > To: UKHA_D Group
> > > Subject: [ukha_d] Contemplating house rewiring - advice?
> > >
> > > Hi
> > >
> > > I've just moved in to a largish victorian terrace. The
wiring is
> > > not in good condition, and as we are planning to stay for
some
> > > time I'm contemplating having the whole house rewired.
> > >
> > > I'm keen on home automation but haven't really got the money
(or
> > > the permission from HQ!) to install all the modules etc now.
I'm
> > > interested in a wired system such as Idratek (have looked at
Cbus
> > > but seems too expensive by comparison).
> > >
> > > I've got some electricians coming round, and basically what
I am
> > > asking is what sort of wiring would I need to give me
options in
> > > the future to add kit bit by bit? I was thinking that I
would need
> > > control wires run along with the mains cabling for the
lights at
> > > least - any suggestions how?
> > >
> > > ALso should I be considering 'star wiring' of the lighting
circuits?
> > >
> > > What I'm trying to balance up is making the most of the
> > > opportunities presented by a rewiring whilst keeping costs
as low
> > > as I can. I'm going to have a number of years of leisure to
> > > install modules etc, but
> > > (hopefully!) only one shot at the rewiring.
> > >
> > > I'd be really interested to hear views / opinions
> > >
> > > James
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> ----- End Original Message -----
>


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