Lighting problem

[mark7600]

Hi This is my first post, I am on my first year of CG 2300. A friend asked me to change a few lightfittings for her. Changed the ceiling ones no prob but came across a problem with her wall lights. The feed for the two lights are fed off a unswitched fused spur via the 32a skt ring upstairs.
Her two new lights do not have a switch on them. I also found that the fuse in the spur was a 13a! What is your opinion on this and is it a usual thing to find? Mark

 

[Cirrus]

Nothing wrong with that but the fuse needs downrating tom 3A or 5A may be better if a few lights.

 

[PAUL M]

The Trouble With Feeding The Lights Via A Fused Srur Is That When U Connect The New Lights Up They Will Be On All The Time .i Would Get Her To Purchase Some Lights With A Switch On Them .

 

[Cirrus]

Yeah, sorry didn't read the post properly but as above, you have no switching ability there. Either change to a switched fused spur or buy wall lights with switches on

 

[mark7600]

Thanks guys, I did put 3a in, But bit of pain as she will have to run up stairs everytime she wants to turn the lights off. Unfortunately the fittings match her ceiling ones, and she likes the look of them! Could I take a few floor boards up upstairs and j/b off to ceiling light so the wall lights come on with ceiling lights? Is that acceptable practice.

 

[Cirrus]

Some (Rum) will insist that you should pull a new circuit in! My advice - lift the boards and JB the cables to provide you with what you need. Most will agree I think you will find.

 

[rumrunner]

Some (Rum) will insist that you should pull a new circuit in! My advice - lift the boards and JB the cables to provide you with what you need. Most will agree I think you will find.

Yeah youre right cirrus,i would install a fresh circuit, if the ceiling light is a 3 plate fitting i would take the switch wires from there, if its not i would use a joint box to feed it anyway ,as i explained before.
if the cables were subsiquently to short then rewiring is the only option, otherwise you end up with 3 joint boxes ,which i dont consider good practice

what happens if she,likes them so much,she wants them in another room as well,or all the rooms,the only good thing about it ,is the discount you will get if you buy a box of a 100
my advise ,do the job rite,rip it out and rewire the circuit

 

[Had8Lives]

I see you've solved most of the problem. I agree they should be supplied from the lighting circuit, but there's no law against running them from a 3A fused spur. Two possible solutions to the switching problem. 1) Put a patress mounted 1 gang switch underneath each light, 2) (if the wall lights are directly below the fused spur), lift the floorboard and put in a ceiling pull switch.

 

[PAUL M]

a pull switch in the living room.that will look sh.t if you dont mind me saying.

 

[Cirrus]

haha, yeah agreed Paul

 

[dragon-av]

OR do it properly and digita lighting control system to the while room giving her lighting scenes and removing the need for rewiring! GET smart should work for this iprefer a differnet solution but its about £400 for the hardware......

GET smart GET Smart - Wireless Lighting System - Easy to Install

 

[ian.settle1]

Mark

You say that they are feed off an unswtiched spur in your first post then say she has to run upstairs to switch them off

How can she switch them off if it's an unswitched spur as you say?

 

[PAUL M]

SHE PROBABLY HAS TO PULL THE FUSE OUT THE SPUR.LOL

 

[iceman]

hi im doin a rewire for part of my nic assessment iv fitted 50w down lights in my bathroom the fittings in the attick are via j/bs do i need to fix the jbs to the joists or can i fix em to the plaster board???

regards
iceman