Are these wires neutral?

[Stevieg2]

I'm currently in the process of running neutral wires around my house to all the light switches so that i can install some of these new wifi smart switches to control all of my lighting.
One of my light switches has a black and a blue wire connected together separately from the switch shown in the attached photo.

How can i tell for sure if they are neutrals?

 

[ferg]

Basic test equipment and basic testing skills will identify the wires.

 

[Stevieg2]

I've tried putting a multimeter to them and between live and the unidentified wires i get zero volts.

Basic test equipment and basic testing skills will identify the wires.

What would you suggest?

 

[ruston]

Time you have the switch off a tidy up would not go amiss

 

[Stevieg2]

Dug out an old multimeter with longer wires to test the continuity between the switch and the light. Turns out they are neutral.

Win for me as i don't have to run a neutral to this switch now!

 

[Silly Sausage]

I'm curious on how you are going to run Neutrals everywhere.
(without ripping your house apart! )

 

[Stevieg2]

I'm curious on how you are going to run Neutrals everywhere.
(without ripping your house apart! )

All the switches are on stud walls. Downstairs are close to the landing which I'm waiting to carpet and then upstairs I'm going to try running them down from the loft. Will be interesting to see if it is possible or not.

 

[Silly Sausage]

Ah, OK.
Trouble with stud walls is them damned noggins!

 

[westward10]

What type of wiring are you using for these new neutrals.

 

[Stevieg2]

What type of wiring are you using for these new neutrals.

1.5mm single core cable

 

[westward10]

They will require suitable enclosure/protection if they are not pvc/pvc insulated.

 

[Stevieg2]

They will require suitable enclosure/protection if they are not pvc/pvc insulated.

This should be ok.

 

[westward10]

Yes but not 16.0, you can get 1.5 though but can be hard to source.

 

[Risteard]

Yes but not 16.0, you can get 1.5 though but can be hard to source.

It's an off-the-shelf item here at wholesalers, though from what I gather is extremely uncommon in England.

 

[Deleted account]

This should be ok.

I've put a funny because I though you where joking. Now I've thought about it I'm not sure if you were!

 

[MJPD29]

It's an off-the-shelf item here at wholesalers, though from what I gather is extremely uncommon in England.

I actually thought it was on the shelf everywhere what do you do in England when you require it?

 

[Risteard]

I actually thought it was on the shelf everywhere what do you do in England when you require it?

AFAIK many contractors there would run a T&E with unused cores. Perhaps someone from England could clarify?

 

[MJPD29]

AFAIK many contractors there would run a T&E with unused cores. Perhaps someone from England could clarify?

Interesting, there also seems to be a lack of twin brown from what I've gathered on here

 

[MFS Electrical]

Interesting, there also seems to be a lack of twin brown from what I've gathered on here

Can get twin brown in Scotland ok but most of the wholesalers round my way need a few days notice to get it as it isn’t often used. Usually when you ask for it you get normal t&e and a lump of brown sleeving.

 

[Risteard]

Can get twin brown in Scotland ok but most of the wholesalers round my way need a few days notice to get it as it isn’t often used. Usually when you ask for it you get normal t&e and a lump of brown sleeving.

And here it's unheard of to wire switch drops in brown & blue.

 

[telectrix]

This should be ok.

16mm????you running lights or a cannabis farm?

 

[Sherlock ohms]

Im confused, you had zero volts from the perm live at your switch to your suspected neutrals at the switch, but continuity from the suspected neutrals at the switch to neutrals at your light? or were you testing from an unenergised switched live? hence no voltage at the switch!!!

 

[chris gray]

If it’s all 3 plate lighting it might be as easy to swap the switch leg for a 3c

 

[Toneyz]

Ah, OK.
Trouble with stud walls is them damned noggins!

Depends upon the switch hight if they are pre-Part M then they were usually above the noggins.
As Chris posted it would be easier to install 3 core & earth and use the old twin & e switch drop as a draw wire.

 

[EbolaSideRoom]

I was given a couple of rolls of sheathed & insulated single red & black and of sheathed & insulated single & earth a few years ago, virtually unused. They prove very handy from time to time - with the appropriate sleeving at the terminations, naturally...

 

[EbolaSideRoom]

Though in this instance I'd go with replacing the switch drops with 3C&E as suggested above.

 

[EbolaSideRoom]

And the first time I came across twin brown I asked a customer to pop to Poofix on a weekend to get 100m 1.5 T&E and they returned with 2x 50m reels “as it worked out a lot cheaper” - because it was twin brown! That made the feed on the lighting circuit interesting....

 

[Risteard]

And the first time I came across twin brown I asked a customer to pop to Poofix on a weekend to get 100m 1.5 T&E and they returned with 2x 50m reels “as it worked out a lot cheaper” - because it was twin brown! That made the feed on the lighting circuit interesting....

The last train brown I collected (yesterday) the wholesalers said "there's your 2.5 masquerading as a bit of twin brown"

For those unaware Irish Standard 201 cable has a full-sized and insulated cpc which gives the cable the appearance of the next cable size up for British Standard cable. (I stock both Irish Standard and British Standard cable.

 

[Toneyz]

Why do you have both?

 

[telectrix]

probablt because the BS is cheaper?

 

[Jymbob]

I ran neutrals to my upstairs switches from the loft. Pulling 3C+E with T+E worked perfectly for all but one which it turns out ran through a couple of really tight holes drilled through the stud frame.

Some choice words were uttered when the tape snapped, but on the bright side I'm now a lot better at using my access rods than I was before!

 

[Markyd]

would be nice to see an earth connected to metal backbox

 

[Risteard]

Why do you have both?

One for ET101 jobs and the other for BS7671 jobs.

 

[Risteard]

Why do you have both?

One for ET101 jobs and the other for BS7671 jobs.

probablt because the BS is cheaper?

There's about 30% in it!