Putting connections in the wall

[Steviecuk]

Hi all.

Just a quick one if I may. I am currently about to fit 3 gang smart touch switch at my front door but owing to powering two sets of lights and an external light there is something like 6 T+E's in feeding into it. The back of the new switch is quite deep and its very busy in the box.

Seeing as I only need 1 permanent live, 1 neutral and the three switched lives going into the patress and into the switch, what do the regs say about putting all the other tails into terminal connectors and keeping them in the cavity ABOVE the box and only running down the 5 wires that I need into the box? I can't see why it wouldn't be safe but what about the regs?

Many thanks,
Steve

 

[Avo Mk8]

Any single insulated cable and the terminations should be in an enclosure, such as the Wagobox below (just an example of the possibilities!)
There might be a debate over whether the assembly must be 'maintenance free' if it's being buried in the wall. If it's above a patress that's easily removable, you might argue that makes it accessible. Either way the article below is an option.
Depending on the length of your cables, there may be other more suitable products.

Wago Junction Box for 221 Series Lever Connectors | Wago_Connectors (207-3301)

 

[timhoward]

It sounds like it's a dry wall box that you have all of this busyness in.
Is it already a 47mm deep box, and if not is there room to change it to one?

It sometimes helps to use very low profile push fit terminal blocks (e.g. wago 2273) inside the box for the Neutrals and CPCs (earths), these can be neatly against an edge or the back, and only bring forward what is required to the switch.

As above, the outer insulation needs to be in the box, or a box.

 

[Steviecuk]

It sounds like it's a dry wall box that you have all of this busyness in.
Is it already a 47mm deep box, and if not is there room to change it to one?

It sometimes helps to use very low profile push fit terminal blocks (e.g. wago 2273) inside the box for the Neutrals and CPCs (earths), these can be neatly against an edge or the back, and only bring forward what is required to the switch.

As above, the outer insulation needs to be in the box, or a box.

Thanks for both of your replies. I thought that was going to be the case. Its actually an outside wall but one that has been dot and dabbed. This its only like a 35. I am going to put a 47 in this afternoon and see if I can get it all in there. Might have to chisel a bit of the cinder block out but would be worth it. I think they used quite a lot of 'dot' and 'dabbing' as there's quite some space being the plasterboard. lol. None the less there won't be enough room for a box to be hidden in the wall unfortunately.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Thanks for both of your replies. I thought that was going to be the case. Its actually an outside wall but one that has been dot and dabbed. This its only like a 35. I am going to put a 47 in this afternoon and see if I can get it all in there. Might have to chisel a bit of the cinder block out but would be worth it. I think they used quite a lot of 'dot' and 'dabbing' as there's quite some space being the plasterboard. lol. None the less there won't be enough room for a box to be hidden in the wall unfortunately.

I was thinking stud wall when I replied - sorry you clearly don't have room for that box.
I've just had a similar situation trying to get a Quinetic wifi receiver into a 47 deep box with a similar load of cables, and had to resort to putting an adjacent box to accommodate the receiver, with a blanking plate over it. Horrible bodge but you can't see it behind the curtains .

 

[Mike Johnson]

Hi all.

Just a quick one if I may. I am currently about to fit 3 gang smart touch switch at my front door but owing to powering two sets of lights and an external light there is something like 6 T+E's in feeding into it. The back of the new switch is quite deep and its very busy in the box.

Seeing as I only need 1 permanent live, 1 neutral and the three switched lives going into the patress and into the switch, what do the regs say about putting all the other tails into terminal connectors and keeping them in the cavity ABOVE the box and only running down the 5 wires that I need into the box? I can't see why it wouldn't be safe but what about the regs?

Many thanks,
Steve

Do the cables run down from above, if so put the junction box/s in the ceiling and only run down what you need to the switch.

 

[nicebutdim]

Thanks for both of your replies. I thought that was going to be the case. Its actually an outside wall but one that has been dot and dabbed. This its only like a 35. I am going to put a 47 in this afternoon and see if I can get it all in there. Might have to chisel a bit of the cinder block out but would be worth it. I think they used quite a lot of 'dot' and 'dabbing' as there's quite some space being the plasterboard. lol. None the less there won't be enough room for a box to be hidden in the wall unfortunately.

As this is a lighting circuit I'd recommend taking a look at wago's 2273 range of connectors.

They're tiny and allow lots of connections to be tucked away behind accessories.

 

[Steviecuk]

Do the cables run down from above, if so put the junction box/s in the ceiling and only run down what you need to the switch.

Thanks for your reply but rather than cut a big hole in the ceiling and try and run the cable down a dot and dabbed wall I'd rather not install the wifi switch and get off my fat arse each time to turn the light on and off lol.

 

[Steviecuk]

As this is a lighting circuit I'd recommend taking a look at wago's 2273 range of connectors.

They're tiny and allow lots of connections to be tucked away behind accessories.

Thank you. I went and got a 10 pack of each 2,3,4 and 5 way and they're brilliant!!! Got it done albeit had to chisel out some breeze block, hope the house don't fall down now. But at least I'll be able to turn the lights off with voice. Lol.

Put a 47mm box in and wires organised and tucked in nicely.

Thanks for all the advice peeps.

 

[nicebutdim]

Thank you. I went and got a 10 pack of each 2,3,4 and 5 way and they're brilliant!!! Got it done albeit had to chisel out some breeze block, hope the house don't fall down now. But at least I'll be able to turn the lights off with voice. Lol.

Put a 47mm box in and wires organised and tucked in nicely.

Thanks for all the advice peeps.

I don't use them for much other than lighting, but they're amazing. 8 way takes up little more space than other 4 way connectors. Three ways take up little more space than the cables connected through them!