Wall lights everywhere but not a single ceiling light

[swifters]

I have a customer who wants all the wall lights removed and ceiling lights installed. It's a 80's build town house. Plasterboard walls and ceilings e.t.c. The lighting circuit is RCD protected.

Problem is I don't know why they have not installed any ceiling lights apart from the one's in the bathroom? If all goes well and I can get to the JB without taking the ceilings down and/or chipboard floor then great, but I have visions of not being able to locate the JB's and coming unstuck.

Anyone else out there had the same problem? It's wall lights in all 3 bedrooms, the kitchen, the lounge, the hallways....Everywhere!

Am I best to advise them to keep with the wall lights?

 

[Des 56]

Are you just assuming there are jbs ?, because loop in feed and neutrals at switches may be more likely

You are going to have to access the under the boards so whats the problem, unless you joint the wall light cable and fish them centre in which case you wont need to find any jbs

 

[malcolmsanford]

Normally you would find that wall lights are wired loop through the switches and you may be lucky that there are very few JB's to them.

Have you been in the loft and checked as if there are JB's up there? You may be lucky and find it was wired the old "spider" box way.

 

[swifters]

Yes, I'm hoping they are spider wired, the house is on three floors, couldnt gain access to loft (only about 2-3ft void, almost flat roof) and I imagine T&G chipboard floors too. If they are looped then I think I'll forget it.

If they are looped I suppose you have to leave all connections you make accessible anyway which would kind of defeat the object as customer wants plane walls.

 

[Des 56]

Yes, I'm hoping they are spider wired, the house is on three floors, couldnt gain access to loft (only about 2-3ft void, almost flat roof) and I imagine T&G chipboard floors too. If they are looped then I think I'll forget it.

If they are looped I suppose you have to leave all connections you make accessible anyway which would kind of defeat the object as customer wants plane walls.

Permanent joints !

 

[poppypiesdad]

alarm bells are ringing in my head its not bison constructed , concrete boxes is it ?

 

[swifters]

alarm bells are ringing in my head its not bison constructed , concrete boxes is it ?

Don't believe so. Stud walls and timer stairs e.t.c

 

[swifters]

Permanent joints !

Permanent joints? So it would have to be soldered e.t.c. How do you make your permanent joints?

 

[polo1]

Crimp, heatshrink, job done:hurray:

 

[Superspark23]

wago's?

 

[swifters]

50 x WAGO 4 WIRE ELECTRIC PUSH CONNECTOR TERMINAL BLOCK on eBay!

Can you bury these in the wall though and are they definitely permanent?

 

[malcolmsanford]

If you put them into a suitable enclosure that is to BS 5733 and is marked with the symbol MF, then yes as far as the new amendment is concerned these are classed as non accessible joints.

 

[Des 56]

These are new items on the market and such it is not clear that they meet the requirements for a maintenance free joint

They would have to be mounted in an appropriate enclosure
After this year the enclosure would need to have MF stamped on it

Ratched crimper and suitable enclosure is by far the better option



Malcolm may be ancient but he sure is on the ball when it comes to quick reactions with the keyboard

 

[HandySparks]

If you're removing the wall lights and plastering over, remember that you can't then use that location as a "safe zone" for any cabling or buried junction boxes.

 

[swifters]

If you're removing the wall lights and plastering over, remember that you can't then use that location as a "safe zone" for any cabling or buried junction boxes.

Don't quite understand that... Where about's in the Reg's does this relate too?