Changing light fittings - basic query

[Rusti]

Hi
I'm a DIYer and I recently changed some light fittings and I have a niggling concern about how I've done it.

The old lights used ceiling roses, but the new ones are semi/flush and don't use a rose. I took 2 approaches:

For the first one I took off the cover of the rose to lower its profile, then put pieces of wood either side of the rose to create a platform to sit the new plate light on and ran a wire from the rose to the light.

For the rest I got rid of the roses and wired the circuits and some flex for the lights into a connector strip. Then I made the hole in the ceiling a bit bigger and pushed the connector in as far as I could before tightening the light fitting up to the ceiling. As it's a flat I can't go in from above to tidy the wiring in the ceiling.

All the lights work fine, and I'm comfortable that the wiring is correct and earthed, but I have a niggling doubt about how I've done it. For instance I was watching dragons den yesterday and the chocbox was on, and I read that old regs state that connector strips need covering with insulation tape, which I didn't do.

Could someone tell me if what I've done is ok, or whether there is a better way of doing this? I'm sure it's a job most electricians have done countless times.

Thanks in advance.

 

[acat]

BG Electrical, Junction Box - Lighting - 3 Way 5A - 05 | Buy Junction Box - Lighting - 3 Way 5A online at THESITEBOX.COM


You are much safer using something like the above to connect your lights. Even with tape on that will degrade over time and expose live parts when it starts to come of.


Chris

 

[Rusti]

BG Electrical, Junction Box - Lighting - 3 Way 5A - 05 | Buy Junction Box - Lighting - 3 Way 5A online at THESITEBOX.COM


You are much safer using something like the above to connect your lights. Even with tape on that will degrade over time and expose live parts when it starts to come of.


Chris

The trouble is there isn't any room for the bulkiness of this sort of box, short of gouging out a massive hole in the ceiling - would this be the best thing to do?

Also, as for the exposed rose I'm guessing this isn't legal - do you know if there are any regs around this?

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[jjjinx]

rusti, on the first light is it flush to the ceiling? i take it its not, I would always make them flush to the ceiling as this would give greater IP rating to the light though it should be out of reach, changing bulbs puts it back in reach reagularly.

The other lights it sounds like you poked the connector blocks into the ceiling void? this shouldn't be done I don't think, you should try and contain your connector blocks inside the earthed (if metal) light base.

Chop the blocks to singles and space them out and adjust the length of the wires to suit, there are very few lights that won't allow you do to this and I wouldn't use em if they didn't (unless there was no other option).

 

[Rusti]

rusti, on the first light is it flush to the ceiling? i take it its not, I would always make them flush to the ceiling as this would give greater IP rating to the light though it should be out of reach, changing bulbs puts it back in reach reagularly.

The other lights it sounds like you poked the connector blocks into the ceiling void? this shouldn't be done I don't think, you should try and contain your connector blocks inside the earthed (if metal) light base.

Chop the blocks to singles and space them out and adjust the length of the wires to suit, there are very few lights that won't allow you do to this and I wouldn't use em if they didn't (unless there was no other option).

Hi JJJinks,
no, the first light isn't flush to the ceiling, it's raised away with 2 pieces of wood. I left the original rose their hence the need to use the wood. I also uncovered the rose which I'm guessing isn't good practice.

Yes, I have poked them into the void as far as possible.

You suggest connecting the wires into the light base, do you mean the circuit wires too? I thought if they were inside the fitting there was a risk the insulation could melt if someone put in a high wattage bulb - what do you think?

Also, do the connectors need covering with tape? Or can they just sit in the light exposed?

Thanks for helping me with this

 

[jjjinx]

if the bulbs are connected directly to the base unit with just a small neck it would best to put in heat resistant sleeving over all the exposed conductors, make sure that the wires are not being pinched against anything as this will degrade the insulation over time and possibly give you a short circuit.

no tape required if you have your wires in the connector block fully! but if you wana be extra safe put tape round em all. I make sure that the wire clamp screw is just before the insulation so no wire is exposed, make sure you use large enough connector blocks, don't use small ones cos you'll have trouble squeesing the wires in and get a bad connection.

Use good quality connector blocks cos if you use cheapy ones you can hear them crack when you do em up, if that happens u may not get a problem now but later in time you will and the wires will come loose and you will get a short circuit.

There are things called wago connectors which are really good as each wire has their own port to go into but you can't get readings from them too easy without sticking in a spare port a bit of conductor to get a reading, but they're good connectors, I use em sometimes, mostly in lofts.

They also do a mounting box that these connector blocks go into which you secure on a beam like a jb.

WAGO Corporation
WAGO Corporation
WAGO Corporation

hope that helps, and click the thanks button for acat would ya on the right side of the page