student interior designer question about drawing lighting circuits

[KatieF]

hi - apologies for the basicness of my questions in advance - if there are two lights in a circuit, does a drawing of the circuit show a line from the switch to light one and another line to light 2? OR does there need to be a line from the switch to each light? katie

 

[Technician]

Katie; if you place a line from the switch to light 1 and

then from there to light 2 the lights are in series. The

lights will not work at maximum brilliance.

The line must go from the switch to EACH light and then

the light neutrals come back as one. This configuration

is in parallel. Each light will function at full voltage and

have maximum brilliance.

 

[KatieF]

thanks very much - so would full voltage always be strived for - what about for two recessed downlighters in a bathroom - would this extra wiring be preferred? also, is there generally one lighting circuit per floor in a two bedroom house for example? how would i add a combined shaver socket/light to the circuit?

i have started the drawing with a line entering the room from a distribution box, i am now going to connect it to the light switch and run this to the two lights seperately - so from here onwards, shall i continue the circuit from the switch or one of the lights to the shaver unit? hope this makes sense. katie

 

[NozSpark]

Kate, are you talking about building layout drawings or circuit drawings?

If it's building layout ones then a line from the switch to luminaire and then onto another luminaire would imply that you wanted them to come on together,,,, whereas a line from the switch to each luminaire would imply that they are switched seperately

 

[Technician]

Katie with the greatest respect do your lighting designs and calculate

the power that each will consume based upon the information available.

Identify the types and the designs and take advice from an electrician

on how they are connected to the consumer unit, because the spark

is best placed and experienced to determine how the circuits are to be run,

what protective devices will be used and what conductor sizes are to be used.

When it comes to bathroom lighting there are other considerations which

include the suitability of the fitting for that location. Shaver sockets also

have to be placed with care within bathrooms and again, the spark is best

placed to advise.

If you choose to work as you are you are taking on the role of designer

of an installation and this carries a legal responsibility for which you are

not properly equipped.

 

[KatieF]

NozSpark - just genreal layout - ok so if i do it that way (two lights coming on together), would the line from the second light go straight to the shaver unit? i also need to draw the lighting for the adjacent bedroom lights which, consist of a main light (with wall switch) and two wall lights (with one wall switch for both). would the line from the shaver unit carry onto these or not, and if so which order?

 

[NozSpark]

First off then Katie, you need to make sure that you are using the appropriate symbols for the accessories that you are specifying.

Lets say you have bathroom lighting with a switch, 2 x downlights and a shaver light.... You will only be doing the layout design and not the circuit design

So draw the positions that you want the accessories to be and then have the power coming into and out from one of the lights; draw a line from that to the switch, the other light and the shaver light

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 18:23 ---------- Previous post was made at 18:22 ----------

Also a single, double, tripple, etc , switches have a different symbol

 

[ProDave]

And a shaver unit is NOT fed from a switch.

All the architects drawings I have ever seen, only link from light switches to lights, to show which switch is supposed to operate each light. They don't show all the feeds to the light switch or indeed the feeds to the sockets.

And what's with feeding the lighting from "a distribution box" It's normal these days to loop the light feed either at the light switch, or at the light fitting, and avoid the use of junction boxes.

If you are just trying to document the lighting design on an architects plan, it sounds like you are trying to fit FAR too much information on.

 

[wozz]

I think we are talking about a drawing to give the electrician an idea if what switches what, rather than circuit design. I wish my customers were this organized.

Katie I would do a dashed line from the switch to what you want to control leave the lines between the switches as this is deciding what circuits they are on and would usually be a solid line from memory. Take your dashed lines to all the lights you want controlled and then to any other switches you want controlling them Becareful how you do this though, a shaver will be permanently fed, a illuminated mirror may be switched if it doesnt have a switch in mirror, demister pads may also be on with the lights. Im assuming these diagrams dont have to be technically correct as its just a guide for the electrician?

 

[Ash]

I think everyone's overcomplicating this. She's not drawing a circuit diagram.

I'm sure just a line going to each point is more than enough information to be translated.

Any electrician with a sense of wiring design would take the drawing and wire the layout in their own method (no offence to Katie).

 

[Doc Hudson]

Katie; if you place a line from the switch to light 1 andthen from there to light 2 the lights are in series. The

lights will not work at maximum brilliance.

The line must go from the switch to EACH light and then

the light neutrals come back as one. This configuration

is in parallel. Each light will function at full voltage and

have maximum brilliance.

Katie with the greatest respect do your lighting designs and calculatethe power that each will consume based upon the information available.

Identify the types and the designs and take advice from an electrician

on how they are connected to the consumer unit, because the spark

is best placed and experienced to determine how the circuits are to be run,

what protective devices will be used and what conductor sizes are to be used.

When it comes to bathroom lighting there are other considerations which

include the suitability of the fitting for that location. Shaver sockets also

have to be placed with care within bathrooms and again, the spark is best

placed to advise.

If you choose to work as you are you are taking on the role of designer

of an installation and this carries a legal responsibility for which you are

not properly equipped.

From the subject title student interior designer question about drawing lighting circuits, I think you will find that Katie is not a student electrician or an electrical designer. More an interior designer who wants to show the relative positions of lighting and other furnishings and decor in a room. As such most of your reply will carry minimal relevance to her. I believe Ash and Noz are on the right lines.

Doc H.

 

[OnOff]

Some symbols:

Untitled

 

[Doc Hudson]

thanks very much - so would full voltage always be strived for - what about for two recessed downlighters in a bathroom - would this extra wiring be preferred? also, is there generally one lighting circuit per floor in a two bedroom house for example? how would i add a combined shaver socket/light to the circuit? i have started the drawing with a line entering the room from a distribution box, i am now going to connect it to the light switch and run this to the two lights separately - so from here onwards, shall i continue the circuit from the switch or one of the lights to the shaver unit? hope this makes sense. katie

Welcome to the forum Katie. As ProDave suggests, it is only light fittings that need to have information about where they need to be switched from. All other sockets, (normal wall outlets and shaver sockets), you would only need the relative position in the room noted. The actual circuit layout, (your lines connecting them), would be dependent upon several other factors that are not needed to be known when looking at the interior design of a room. If someone was actually wiring your design at a later date, there are numerous ways it could be done and three electricians may all wire it differently. But providing all accessories are in the correct place and the lights switch from the correct positions then your designed effect will have been achieved.

Doc H.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

And to summarise all that, drawing a line between lights shows they are switched together. Each line drawn from a switch to a light shows seperate switching per line

 

[Watchdog]

Since Kate is learning I have moved this into the Student and Learning Zone.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Since Kate is learning I have moved this into the Student and Learning Zone.

Lets hope she has learned the ability to suss out the waffle from the fact from some of the replies here!!!!!!!

Katie I am guessing post #8, #9, #10, #13, & #14 will give you all you need to know....

I am not going to bother saying anymore than my esteemed colleges have..

Other than...

Welcome to the forumbulaor!

Beer

Guinness

or wine

:Y

SORRY ..

Admins got no shorts...

so if you're after a Baileys or a Vodka or.....something else.... ]

you have come to the wrong place!!!!

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