'Last man out' switch

[s6stu]

Afternoon all,

I've started a job last week in a cricket club and been asked to take over from another sparks who did the first fix. He has since disappeared and no one can contact him, which has proved most unhelpful, namely in figuring out what he had done and ensuring that there are enough cables for what the client wants.

One of the clients requests was a 'last man out' switch, whereby all the lights in the premises could be switched off, via one switch at the main entrance. To achieve this the original sparky installed a 1.5mm t&e from the main entrance, directly to the fuse board. There will be 4 lighting circuits on different phases, so is there a device or perhaps a series of relays, that would enable all the lights to be switched off via one switch. I've not heard of such a device, but can see how it would theoretically be possible. The other point to note is that there will be emergency lights, so simply interrupting the supply would then result in the batteries being used to power the lights all the time, while no one is in the club.

As I said, the first fix sparky has gone AWOL, but he must of had an idea of some sort to make this 'last man out' switch, just not sure what that is. Just to mention, apparently he is an actual electrician who's been doing it for years, not some bloke from the pub.

Anyway, I would appreciate anybody's thoughts and I appreciate the sun is shining so not expecting quick replies :cool4:

Thanks in advance,

Stuart

 

[Silly Sausage]

A 3 phase/pole contactor should do nicely.

 

[s6stu]

Can this be used with a single t&e as installed at the moment, to turn off 4 circuits?

 

[Thefailsafe2012]

Yes it can, like Archy says a contactor is what's needed here!

 

[Mr Mark Sparks]

You can have as many circuits as you have poles on contactors
for that matter you can have the control twin controlling as many contactors as you need as for emerg lights remember to take the un switched live from the live side of your contactor poles

 

[Knobhead]

This was for another job on here. Replace the two way switches with a single switch. Use a 4 pole contactor. One pole per lighting circuit.

 

[MDJ]

School boy stuff TBH

 

[Knobhead]

A lot of the drawings I've done for this forum are as you say "schoolboy stuff", but needs must.

Saves a lot of explaining .

 

[pennywise]

I quite like using retractive switches and latching contactors.

 

[MDJ]

A lot of the drawings I've done for this forum are as you say "schoolboy stuff", but needs must.

Saves a lot of explaining .

I meant it in regard to the OP rather than your valued reply M8

 

[Knobhead]

I quite like using retractive switches and latching contractors.

Latching contactors make a good system for multi point switching. There’s only one switch so why go to the expense?

 

[telectrix]

or there's an easy way, it's wireless


Mr Bean - Going to Bed - YouTube

 

[Knobhead]

I meant it in regard to the OP rather than your valued reply M8

I know you didn't Mike.

Having a brother that became an electrician when I was eight years old, contactors really were school boy stuff for me. We built a test rig in the garage for me to play with. The rotten sod used 240V contactors.

 

[pennywise]

Latching contactors make a good system for multi point switching. There’s only one switch so why go to the expense?

Not to much in it really, just prefer them, just energising them once or twice in the day rather than keeping the coil on all the time it might increase the life expectancy, Again just my opinion a normal contactor in this instance would be perfectly fine and should give years of service .

 

[telectrix]

i'd have given you 415V ones to play with. :sweatdrop: :21:

 

[Knobhead]

We built a 15KV Jacobs Ladder. Mum gave us both a thick ear when we blacked out Corrie.

 

[Guest55]

I quite like using retractive switches and latching contractors.

most 2 / 3 way domestic lighting in france uses this method.
quite a nifty way of doing it actually.
thumbs up

 

[Knobhead]

And people wonder why I hate the French, they are more advanced than this benighted isle.

The term CCU could then be given a legitimate definition as a Control & Consumer Unit. All the control units are available to fit a CU, do we uses them?

 

[pennywise]

most 2 / 3 way domestic lighting in france uses this method.
quite a nifty way of doing it actually.
thumbs up

I work in France quite a bit so pick up some habits lol.

 

[High Tower]

We built a 15KV Jacobs Ladder. Mum gave us both a thick ear when we blacked out Corrie.

i would love to have been a fly on the wall for this one!

 

[D Skelton]

If you're wiring it as per Tony's diagram, as you have emergency lighting you will need a seperate 4 pole contactor with its coil wired directly and unswitched in to the overcurrent protective device for the control circuit to cover the four permanent line feeds.

 

[Marty203]

I think you need a contractor not a contactor, if you dont know how to carry out this work you must be a 1st year apprentice, I dont know about you guys in the UK but our emergency lights have to be on a seperate cir with a test module (contactor and timer) so they can be tested every 6 months, if they were on the normal lighting cir you would have to power this down as well for about 3 hrs