Landing Light

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Hello

Quick question when doing a new build or rewire which lighting circuit do you usually feed landing light from up or down . I've always done it from downstairs so if upstairs lighting trips you have light at top of stairs and clearly stated this at consumer unit but mate of mine says other way round so mister diy doesn't come along and turn off upstairs circuit thinking because fitting is upstairs must be on upstairs circuit. Though my way was the norm . Just wondered what others do.

Why are we assuming Up & Down are the norm???

What about Front & Back...

Or

Left and Right...

so there is always some lights on each floor if a fuse trips???

:C

 

[batty]

You may be right but I will not take that risk and have always fitted a dedicated circuit for smokes on rewires.

 

[BES]

Why are we assuming Up & Down are the norm???

What about Front & Back...

Or

Left and Right...

so there is always some lights on each floor if a fuse trips???

:C

All good ideas. Suppose up and down just always done it thay way.

 

[Sharpend]

Smokes always on dedicated circuit, as specs says lights to what ever is convenient, providing it's all labelled correctly then shouldn't cause a problem.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

I fit a dedicated circuit for smokes if you read the smoke instructions certain lighting cannot be used on smoke detector circuits even if that lighting is not on the circuit when you fit it it may be at some time in the life of that circuit.

Are you confusing PIR detectors with smokes ?

 

[batty]

Depending on how many lights I will generally put at least two circuits on each floor.

 

[Zeespark]

BES, why not wire the hallway lights (up & down) on their own circuit? do what Pro Dave says about swtiching from either end, put a switch fused spur in downstairs, and run your smoke detectors off of it? :innocent

Andy Guinness

 

[batty]

No it definitely says in smoke detector instructions.

 

[BES]

Always do upstairs lights on upstairs circuit, downstairs lights on downstairs circuit, if more than one circuit in switch then label inside saying more than one circuit present. Its the consumer you need to think of, upstairs means upstairs to them, so downstairs does not include upstairs to them.

If the switch is messed around with you would hope its an electrician who knows what he's doing, if not the label should explain.

Understand what your saying but customer just as likely to change switches for nice shiny ones even with label may not isolate both circuits . I always state at cu that mcb isolates both downstairs lighting and landing light and2w switching

Mcb for upstairs lighing NOT landing light.

 

[batty]

I am sorry but unless your a competent you shouldn't be changing switches anyway and if they are not competent they can always switch the consumer unit off anyway.

 

[BES]

I am sorry but unless your a competent you shouldn't be changing switches anyway and if they are not competent they can always switch the consumer unit off anyway.

Yeh but how many diyers out there think they are competent and will not pay a spark to change a light switch. I agree with you but the real world s vast majority of house owners think they are more competent than they really are. Don't really think either way of wiring lighting switched from two floors of property is incorrect both ways have their hazard either a light fitting upstairs isolated from downstirs circuit or a switch downstairs isolated from upstairs circuit and maybe switch contanting two circuits with seperare isolation.

Thanks for replys.

 

[Evans Electric]

Being devils advocate......if you expand on your theory then you should also have a downstairs light fed off the upstairs circuit?

TBH I just wire them whichever way is more convenient.... you cannot safeguard against the numptie that comes in after you, so long as you've labeled the circuit correctly then you've done nothing wrong

Love it !!  Could also have half the upstairs plugs on the down circuit in case that trips :innocent

 

[BES]

Love it !! Could also have half the upstairs plugs on the down circuit in case that trips :innocent

Which ciruit do you usually use ?

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

I would say putting smoke alarms on their own mcb is a bad idea, since if the mcb trips or the customer turns it off no more smoke alarms after the battery (if fitted) has expired, BUT if its on a lighting circuit if the mcb does trip they may not notice at first, but when it gets dark and there are no lights then they will investigate.

Since hard wired interlinked smoke alarms use a 3 core and earth why not feed them all from the same light (or the lighting mcb) and run the cable throughout the house (up and down)

As for the db at the bed head, who honestly has a db meter to check?

 

[BES]

I use radio linked smokes which only require a feed from nearest light fitting , no cable between smokes. Thats one of the reasons I feed landing light from downstairs circuit so if  smoke required on landing all smokes on same circuit as well as eliminating having two circuits at one switch at bottom of stairs if 2g switch.Just wondered how others done it . Obviously label cu that landing light and switch is on downstairs circuit think this is better than putting a label inside at bottom of stairs switch stating both circuits need to be isolated which you would only find after you have removed switch :C  

 

[NozSpark]

Why would you need to keep RF smokes on the same circuit?

I just dont get it :shakehead

 

[BES]

Why not ?

 

[NozSpark]

Well, if they're on the same circuit then you may as well hard wire them and save on the RF bases

 

[BES]

How about labour and cable ?

 

[batty]

I would say putting smoke alarms on their own mcb is a bad idea, since if the mcb trips or the customer turns it off no more smoke alarms after the battery (if fitted) has expired, BUT if its on a lighting circuit if the mcb does trip they may not notice at first, but when it gets dark and there are no lights then they will investigate.

Since hard wired interlinked smoke alarms use a 3 core and earth why not feed them all from the same light (or the lighting mcb) and run the cable throughout the house (up and down)

As for the db at the bed head, who honestly has a db meter to check?

Well if you are daft enough to switch a circuit off, not here the beeps every so often and not notice the green light not shining then perhaps you shouldn't be around as you don't have an ounce of common sense.