I'm planning to re-hung 2 doors to open in the opposite way and want to
change the light switches to suit.

They are on (very tough) brick walls, with very limited access to under
floor/above ceiling, so no easy way to go about it without the need for
quite major re-decoration after (which I want to avoid if at all
possible...).

The builder who did our extension several years ago did a similar thing
at our request to another door/switch. The guy that carried out the work
was a qualified electrician that the builder employed.

I watched him at the time, and this is what he did:

- Crimped an extension to the cable(s) from the position of the "old" switch
- Chiselled/chased a shallowish (5-6cm) channel along the 15cm from the
switch to be removed to the door frame.
- Chased a channel along the 15cm from the door frame to the position of
the new switch.
- Chiselled a space for the new switch.
- Temporarily removed the door's architrave
- Ran the cable(s) along the channels and around the door in the gap
behind the architrave to the new switch position.
- Replaced architrave
- Installed new switch
- Plastered over chased channels old switch.


Is this an acceptable solution? Does it comply with current regulation?

PS: He was responsible for a lot of electrical work at the time (very
substantial extension), and I was less than impressed by the quality of
his work in general (part of it perhaps was the result of constantly
being rushed by the builder).

JoeJoe wrote:
Is this an acceptable solution? Does it comply with current regulation?

As long as all cabling is within 15cm of the edge of a wall, or within
a 15cm wide zone horizontally and vertically aligned with a *visible*
outlet, it's ok. See the wiki:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...lectric_cables

Has to be visible - I've seen a job where the cable ran in a neat
horizontal and vertical to an invisibly buried junction box.

jgh

Sounds like a bodge to me, but have you thought of perhaps putting in a
radio controlled switch in the original place and using a glued on battery
operated remote which you can put wherever you want it. As long as you can
get to it to change the batteries it should work well over such a short
distance.
Brian

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This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
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"JoeJoe" wrote in message
o.uk...
I'm planning to re-hung 2 doors to open in the opposite way and want to
change the light switches to suit.

They are on (very tough) brick walls, with very limited access to under
floor/above ceiling, so no easy way to go about it without the need for
quite major re-decoration after (which I want to avoid if at all
possible...).

The builder who did our extension several years ago did a similar thing at
our request to another door/switch. The guy that carried out the work was
a qualified electrician that the builder employed.

I watched him at the time, and this is what he did:

- Crimped an extension to the cable(s) from the position of the "old"
switch
- Chiselled/chased a shallowish (5-6cm) channel along the 15cm from the
switch to be removed to the door frame.
- Chased a channel along the 15cm from the door frame to the position of
the new switch.
- Chiselled a space for the new switch.
- Temporarily removed the door's architrave
- Ran the cable(s) along the channels and around the door in the gap
behind the architrave to the new switch position.
- Replaced architrave
- Installed new switch
- Plastered over chased channels old switch.


Is this an acceptable solution? Does it comply with current regulation?

PS: He was responsible for a lot of electrical work at the time (very
substantial extension), and I was less than impressed by the quality of
his work in general (part of it perhaps was the result of constantly being
rushed by the builder).

On 24/11/2016 08:25, Brian Gaff wrote:
Sounds like a bodge to me, but have you thought of perhaps putting in a
radio controlled switch in the original place and using a glued on battery
operated remote which you can put wherever you want it. As long as you can
get to it to change the batteries it should work well over such a short
distance.
Brian

The receiver could be in the ceiling rose. That would save running a
cable to the light switch altogether. Why isn't that done routinely, as
it would surely be cheaper in new builds than the traditional method?

On 24/11/16 11:58, GB wrote:
On 24/11/2016 08:25, Brian Gaff wrote:
Sounds like a bodge to me, but have you thought of perhaps putting in a
radio controlled switch in the original place and using a glued on
battery
operated remote which you can put wherever you want it. As long as you
can
get to it to change the batteries it should work well over such a short
distance.
Brian

The receiver could be in the ceiling rose. That would save running a
cable to the light switch altogether. Why isn't that done routinely, as
it would surely be cheaper in new builds than the traditional method?


It's coming,...not quite there yet.


--
"I am inclined to tell the truth and dislike people who lie consistently.
This makes me unfit for the company of people of a Left persuasion, and
all women"

On 24/11/2016 12:45, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 24/11/16 11:58, GB wrote:
On 24/11/2016 08:25, Brian Gaff wrote:
Sounds like a bodge to me, but have you thought of perhaps putting in a
radio controlled switch in the original place and using a glued on
battery
operated remote which you can put wherever you want it. As long as you
can
get to it to change the batteries it should work well over such a short
distance.
Brian

The receiver could be in the ceiling rose. That would save running a
cable to the light switch altogether. Why isn't that done routinely, as
it would surely be cheaper in new builds than the traditional method?


It's coming,...not quite there yet.

Having spouted my twaddle, I checked some prices. I found a kit for
around £20, which isn't competitive against the traditional method
unless a lot of channelling out of solid walls is needed.

On 24/11/2016 04:41, wrote:
JoeJoe wrote:
Is this an acceptable solution? Does it comply with current regulation?

As long as all cabling is within 15cm of the edge of a wall, or within
a 15cm wide zone horizontally and vertically aligned with a *visible*
outlet, it's ok. See the wiki:
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...lectric_cables

Thanks a lot for that!

One of the switches is 20cm from the corner rather than 15cm, but it'll
have to do...

On 11/24/2016 1:02 PM, GB wrote:
On 24/11/2016 12:45, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 24/11/16 11:58, GB wrote:
On 24/11/2016 08:25, Brian Gaff wrote:
Sounds like a bodge to me, but have you thought of perhaps putting in a
radio controlled switch in the original place and using a glued on
battery
operated remote which you can put wherever you want it. As long as you
can
get to it to change the batteries it should work well over such a short
distance.
Brian

The receiver could be in the ceiling rose. That would save running a
cable to the light switch altogether. Why isn't that done routinely, as
it would surely be cheaper in new builds than the traditional method?


It's coming,...not quite there yet.

Having spouted my twaddle, I checked some prices. I found a kit for
around £20, which isn't competitive against the traditional method
unless a lot of channelling out of solid walls is needed.

Quite possibly cost effective when re-wiring Victorian or older
property. Anyone recommend any particular sources?

On 24/11/16 13:02, GB wrote:
On 24/11/2016 12:45, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 24/11/16 11:58, GB wrote:
On 24/11/2016 08:25, Brian Gaff wrote:
Sounds like a bodge to me, but have you thought of perhaps putting in a
radio controlled switch in the original place and using a glued on
battery
operated remote which you can put wherever you want it. As long as you
can
get to it to change the batteries it should work well over such a short
distance.
Brian

The receiver could be in the ceiling rose. That would save running a
cable to the light switch altogether. Why isn't that done routinely, as
it would surely be cheaper in new builds than the traditional method?


It's coming,...not quite there yet.

Having spouted my twaddle, I checked some prices. I found a kit for
around £20, which isn't competitive against the traditional method
unless a lot of channelling out of solid walls is needed.

Yup.

Frankly it could be peanuts if it was a one chip or two chip board made
in china...that you just pointed a remote at.

--
If I had all the money I've spent on drink...
...I'd spend it on drink.

Sir Henry (at Rawlinson's End)

On 24/11/2016 14:04, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Wed, 23 Nov 2016 21:05:22 +0000, JoeJoe wrote:

I'm planning to re-hung 2 doors to open in the opposite way and want to
change the light switches to suit.

They are on (very tough) brick walls, with very limited access to under
floor/above ceiling, so no easy way to go about it without the need for
quite major re-decoration after (which I want to avoid if at all
possible...).

The builder who did our extension several years ago did a similar thing
at our request to another door/switch. The guy that carried out the work
was a qualified electrician that the builder employed.

I watched him at the time, and this is what he did:

- Crimped an extension to the cable(s) from the position of the "old"
switch - Chiselled/chased a shallowish (5-6cm) channel along the 15cm
from the switch to be removed to the door frame.
- Chased a channel along the 15cm from the door frame to the position of
the new switch.
- Chiselled a space for the new switch.
- Temporarily removed the door's architrave - Ran the cable(s) along the
channels and around the door in the gap behind the architrave to the new
switch position.
- Replaced architrave - Installed new switch - Plastered over chased
channels old switch.


Is this an acceptable solution? Does it comply with current regulation?

PS: He was responsible for a lot of electrical work at the time (very
substantial extension), and I was less than impressed by the quality of
his work in general (part of it perhaps was the result of constantly
being rushed by the builder).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Echo-K4786-...ransmitter/dp/
B004FPXZRG

That's just the switch for 80 squid. The receiver is the same again. I'm
sure the quality is there, but there are alternatives for a lot less.

"GB" wrote in message
news
On 24/11/2016 08:25, Brian Gaff wrote:
Sounds like a bodge to me, but have you thought of perhaps putting in a
radio controlled switch in the original place and using a glued on
battery
operated remote which you can put wherever you want it. As long as you
can
get to it to change the batteries it should work well over such a short
distance.

The receiver could be in the ceiling rose. That would save running a cable
to the light switch altogether. Why isn't that done routinely, as it would
surely be cheaper in new builds than the traditional method?

Got some downsides tho. That is the way a house we just bought did
the twin bathrooms. They have one of those combination heater/fan/light
square things in the ceiling of each of them with a remote that allows you
to individually control the heater/fan/light etc.

Trouble is that the manufacturer of that no longer supplys
those anymore and so you can't get replacement remotes.

Not an insurmountable problem if the remotes are standardised
and there are certainly some like the X10 and Nest systems which
are sort of, but I can't see the industry going that route any time soon.