Low Voltage Lighting System

Dustball

Our company is looking at buying a house that happens to have a 50's low voltage lighting system for the indoor lights. What are the pros and cons of leaving the system the way it is? I'm trying to put together a budget for this house but the low voltage lighting system is new to me and I'm not sure if I should budget a re-wire of the house or not.

Thanks,
Dustin

Magnettica

My hunch would be to tear out the old stuff and replace with new.

Electrical technology has come a long way since the 1950's so why not use it?

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mdshunk

I have a different opinion. Those RR7/RR9 low voltage lighting control systems are still being installed to this very day. They're rock solid. The trouble might be finding an electrician that's worked on them before, since there's a bit of a learning curve. I happen to like them, and service many in my area.

Dustball

I'm looking for replacement switches and I found Touch-Plate- http://www.touchplate.com/

Any other brands I should look at?

A little petty thing that annoys me about this house is that all the switch boxes were plastered in horizontal. What puzzles me is the location of the relays. It sounds like they're above the hallway by the bedrooms but the attic access panel is way on the other side of the house. It really makes servicing it difficult.

macmikeman

Take a good close look at the condition of the insulation on the switch leg low voltage wires/ cables. Many of the ones I have come across were done with bell wire, and the insulation is long ago dried out, cracked and falling off. The only other objection I have is the noise of the relay's pulling in is somewhat annoying.

jrclen

I've had a few service calls on these systems over the years. No more than I have with line voltage wiring. I've seen chattering, buzzing contacts. An occasional broken low voltage wire at the switch. One bad connection at the switch. And a few worn out switches. The systems seem to work very well, are reliable, and parts are available. I kind of like them. It's your call really.

220/221

Pros: If it aint broke, don't fix it

Cons. You can't add dimmers, service is generally difficult, you have to troubleshoot two systems (low voltage AND line Voltage), you are restricted as to what kind of switches you can use for replacement.




In AZ I have NEVER seen a decent LV system. Sometimes they are AC sometimes DC but they are ALWAYS a rats nest in the attic.

If you have any issues I'd just yank it.

Remove the relays and hot wire the switch legs then drop suicide switch legs from the ceiling boxes to the switch boxes. Use a 3 wire so you (or the next guy) can have a fan/light.

Dustball

I had my electrician take a look at it today and that is what he suggested doing. Right now there are a two missing switches, a switch that does nothing and the master bedroom ceiling light isn't switched at all.

Thanks to all for the advice, appreciate it.

kbsparky

Some of those systems mounted each relay in the side of the junction box at each light fixture. Others use one or more centrally located large junction box and have a dozen or more mounted in the same place.

In the first scenario, you would have to fish a switch leg from the ceiling box to each wall switch you wanted to upgrade to line voltage control.

In the 2nd scenario, you'd have to run all your switch legs from that central control box to each wall switch location. Depending on the size of the house, that could use considerably more wire.

I like to use these for things like remote control of outside lighting from outbuildings, like a garage or shed. Got one installed in my house controlling a 1500 watt quartz fixture lighting up the entire sideyard.