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Innovative Residential Domestic Product of the year 2008
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Hager’s Ashley J501 Junction Box has won the Electrical Industry Awards for the most “Innovative Residential Domestic Product of the year” for 2008.
The judges said: “The Ashley J501 Junction Box is designed to ensure more secure terminations and to be easier to access for inspection. The judges feel that it was a tidy innovation that would offer contractors the chance to make significant improvements on current wiring practice.”
Launched at the beginning of 2008, the new Junction Box has taken the market by storm. Sales have exceeded four times projections and it has had extensive coverage in the trade press and been the subject of many online forums.
It helps electricians meet the needs of the wiring regulations and Part P by ensuring that terminations are secure and accessible for inspection.
Says Ashley Product Manager Jane Yorke: “A loose or disconnected cable is a hidden danger with Junction Boxes. Recognising that Junction Boxes are used to supply the connection between fixed wiring and downlights, we developed a new type of Junction Box to help meet the needs of the regulations.”
The new J501 Downlighter Junction Box is torpedo shaped to fit through a 58mm diameter hole in the ceiling. The cables are all securely clamped and exit from either end of the Junction Box. This is in contrast to traditional Junction Boxes where the cables are generally not clamped and often exit at different angles making it hard to push or pull them through the hole without risking damaging or loosening the connections.”
Since its introduction Hager has developed a second Junction Box, the Maintenance Free Junction Box, again to meet the needs of the regulations. Appendix 15 of the 17th edition states that Junction Boxes with screw terminals must be accessible for inspection or use maintenance free terminals.
This new range from Hager contains sprung push fit terminals that do not relax and therefore do not need to be accessible for future inspection. It again provides an easier and faster to install alternative than other methods prescribed by the regulations such as soldering or crimping.
