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House being wired - any tips?

  • 13-04-2007 8:44am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 984 ✭✭✭


    I presume this goes here rather than Gardening & DIY but feel free to move it.

    The electrician is starting the first fix on our house next week, and I'm trying to think up bright ideas that would be relatively easy and cheap to implement but might make things better. Things I've come up with so far (or gleaned from other threads) include:
    • A 'kill switch' for all appliances in the TV room (DVD player, TV, Playstation etc.) so they can all be turned off as you leave the room. Better than leaving things on standby.
    • Wire some of the sockets to a light switch by the door so table lamps can be used instead of an overhead light (this is for our funny-shaped living/dining/kitchen room, where there's no central point for a hanging light)
    • An architect friend has suggested putting all light switches at waist height rather than the usual level, he thinks it looks better ("more poetic"!), but I'd like a second opinion about that...
    • lots and lots of sockets in the kitchen!
    • We're getting the Smarthomes thing for phone and broadband
    • No downlighters - they consume too much energy and too many bulbs
    • Dimmer switches (though I'm still not clear if you can use these with CFL lbulbs - any ideas?)

    Anything else that could be added?


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 366 ✭✭0lordy


    Hi UB,

    Just completed my first fix, and agree with most of that you've said.

    Switch for table lamps: even if you have an overhead light, often the table lamp is used as the main light source

    Switches at waist height - don't think so, especially if you have/plan to have kids. The longer the switches are out of their reach the better...

    Sockets: lots and lots everywhere! Here's a wee tip: put a double socket where you plan to have a Christmas Tree, otherwise every year you'll potentially have an overloaded socket or a trail of an extension lead.

    Smarthomes are allegedly quite expensive - I believe they're filling the void between electricians and IT/comms, but there's nothing too complicated in it. I would be really interested in what they're supplying and what the cost is, so if you could PM me with some details, it would be great.

    Try to ensure that any cabling is ducted so that it can be upgraded if required

    Other stuff:

    Wire for heated bathroom mirrors to eliminate condensation

    Wire for a light in the attic

    Wire for outside lights, including driveway/gates if required. At least leave a conduit in for future use.

    Think about wiring the alarm to have a control box in the main bedroom

    Think about wiring for picture lights if you have a large blank wall in, say, a hallway, this can be a nice feature.

    Really think about the 2-way/3-way switches - look at all the scenarios of entry/exit of a room to best place where the switches should be. The hall is the most fun! Avoid any situation where you've to walk across a room to hit the switch.

    That's all I can think of right now...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 113 ✭✭tribesman


    0lordy wrote:
    Wire for heated bathroom mirrors to eliminate condensation

    I would second this. I've got mine running off a humidistat along with the extractor fan. This means they are both only on when needed. It's nice not to have to listen to the fan when you turn on the light in the middle of the night.

    The mirror takes a few minutes to warm up but I find that after a shower it is clear by the time I've dried my self....just in time for shaving.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 984 ✭✭✭NextSteps


    0lordy wrote:
    Think about wiring the alarm to have a control box in the main bedroom

    I never thought about the alarm! If we're getting the Eircom phonewatch or similar installed, does that have to be wired for now? Should I be contacting them now, I wonder?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 366 ✭✭0lordy


    UB wrote:
    I never thought about the alarm! If we're getting the Eircom phonewatch or similar installed, does that have to be wired for now? Should I be contacting them now, I wonder?

    I think that eircom Phonewatch has a wire-free option, which has motion-sensors on access points that transmit a signal, but don't quote me on that. For a new build, it's a good opportunitiy to wire all doors and windows.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 85 ✭✭ennisjim


    In my opinion Phonewatch is seriously overpriced. I once got a quote for well over €2000 for a small house. I recently installed in my self-build 4 and 6-core alarm wires to all windows/doors myself and will install sensors and control panel later. It's easy to do alarm wiring and setup and have done it several times before. Expect overall cost to be less than €500 for a good system.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,748 ✭✭✭Do-more


    Wire for surround sound speakers in the living room. Wire the bedroom lights so that they can be switched from the bed, (both sides in the master). I'm sorry now I didn't put in Cat 5 at least from the office to the living room TV so I could stream off the net or hard drive. Put in a telephone jack at your Sky box. I'm sorry I didn't plumb for a central vac. I put in a cable for a camera outside the front door but have never used it (so far!) Handy to have a weather proof socket(s) outside at back of house.

    invest4deepvalue.com



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 552 ✭✭✭De_man


    have a look at www.socketsandswitches.co.uk great value for some
    of the more expensive second fix stuff....also meteor electrical in the north


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,247 ✭✭✭Qwerty?


    UB wrote:
    • A 'kill switch' for all appliances in the TV room (DVD player, TV, Playstation etc.) so they can all be turned off as you leave the room. Better than leaving things on standby.

    I did this above the desk where my computer is, I find it extremely handy. Should have also done it like your planning for the TV/DVD/Sat. Also consider it for where the Xmas tree will be, very handy to switch off the lights at night without having to reach in behind the tree:D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,819 ✭✭✭✭galwaytt


    how about a few key lights, either inside and outside, on their own circuit, which could also be activated by the security system? That way, if alarm went off, it'd switch on, say, hall light/landing light/outside lights and maybe one or two others?

    Ode To The Motorist

    “And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, generates funds to the exchequer. You don't want to acknowledge that as truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at the Green Party, you want me on that road, you need me on that road. We use words like freedom, enjoyment, sport and community. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent instilling those values in our families and loved ones. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the tax revenue and the very freedom to spend it that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a bus pass and get the ********* ********* off the road” 



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17 squarecon


    Jaysus, I'd love to be the sparks on that job!
    Yes kill switches are an excellent job and pay for them selves in no time. LED lighting will be your biggest saver in elec bills and you can never have enough sockets. The switches are to be at the lower height according to the disability act (between 900 and 1100mm).
    You can make your house do anything its just a question of costs.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 984 ✭✭✭NextSteps


    squarecon wrote:
    The switches are to be at the lower height according to the disability act (between 900 and 1100mm).
    Surely not in a renovation of a private house from the 1920s which you couldn't get a wheelchair into anyway? Is this something which needs to be signed off on?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17 squarecon


    No, not in a private dwelling renovation. New builds and commerical yes


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 jhab113


    Hi, we are getting some building work done on our kitchen and a small wiring job has come up - we need to move a light switch over onto one of the side walls (it's currently hanging from where we had a dividing wall removed) and we need to close-up a loop from the alarm wiring, where we have bricked up a door that was previously alarmed. The builder hasn't done the plastering yet so it should be easy enough in terms of access etc.

    While we are at it, we will also get some wiring done for a new kitchen that's going to be installed in a few weeks: apart from wiring from an induction hob, I think this should be pretty straightforward, just a question of adding one or two sockets. I guess wiring for the induction hob is going to be trickier...

    Oh yeah, we also want to get the ensuite wired for a power shower...

    Anyone know a good electrician in the Rathfarnham area?

    Thanks...!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 203 ✭✭blindman


    It may seem obvious , but be careful not to run wiring in areas where someone is likely to need to drill holes.
    I find that with more sockets and switches going into modern houses they are more likely to be wires running where curtain poles brackets are fitted. especialy for light switches too close to patio doors.
    Also alarm wires where blind brackets are fitted. I've recently come across an entire housing estate where the alarm wires are run in the wrong place.
    If a house is drylined with foilbacked boards it is often impossible to detect these wires.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,177 ✭✭✭sesswhat


    Make sure the electrician uses good quality coax cable for any downleads from satellite dishes or aerials as they will normally install the cheapest possible. Buy your own to be sure.

    You can get CFLs designed for use with dimmers. Normal CFLs can be used but it may shorten the life of the bulb.


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