So I spent Friday looking for an intermittent fault on some down-lights in a wet-room. The wiring suggested a single transformer feeding all six and 12 holes in the ceiling later I've found it (it's a single storey extension with bathroom and wet-room - no roof void). Okay, I suppose I could have taken the roof tiles off, the laths and the breathable membrane then dug out the insulation...
...I may have some problems but stupid isn't one of them
Anyway, the fault didn't occur for the whole 4 hours so I re-made the connections, customer agreeing, we left it to see how they went over the weekend. Saturday I get a call - it's off again so it's back today for another look - needless to say, no fault - the lights work.
Happily, after much nosying around, the fault recurs, bang on the testers and the transformer's fooked - yay, result! New transformer fitted and ceiling plastered back up...
So, some suggestions:
1 - Get the right size hole saw - this guy didn't and stuck the down-lights in with grab-adhesive (bad)
2 - choose lights that require a hole big enough to get a miniature joint box through
3 - terminate the twin & earth in the joint box
4 - use a transformer every down-light
5 - push the JB and transformer into the hole about 200mm from the light
Now if it's fooked you can get it out and replace it without shafting the ceiling. They ALWAYS fook up
Down-lights with a floor above should be fire-rated, if it's into a roof void it doesn't have to be but I fit 'em anyway. Stay well clear of adjacent woodwork - they get hot. In a roof void clear a ventilation space in the insulation or you'll spend the rest of your life buying lamps. In zone 1 fit shower-rated down-lights (rule of thumb, if you can touch it from the bath/shower - it's in zone 1).
May your ceiling remain pristine
...I may have some problems but stupid isn't one of them
Anyway, the fault didn't occur for the whole 4 hours so I re-made the connections, customer agreeing, we left it to see how they went over the weekend. Saturday I get a call - it's off again so it's back today for another look - needless to say, no fault - the lights work.
Happily, after much nosying around, the fault recurs, bang on the testers and the transformer's fooked - yay, result! New transformer fitted and ceiling plastered back up...
So, some suggestions:
1 - Get the right size hole saw - this guy didn't and stuck the down-lights in with grab-adhesive (bad)
2 - choose lights that require a hole big enough to get a miniature joint box through
3 - terminate the twin & earth in the joint box
4 - use a transformer every down-light
5 - push the JB and transformer into the hole about 200mm from the light
Now if it's fooked you can get it out and replace it without shafting the ceiling. They ALWAYS fook up
Down-lights with a floor above should be fire-rated, if it's into a roof void it doesn't have to be but I fit 'em anyway. Stay well clear of adjacent woodwork - they get hot. In a roof void clear a ventilation space in the insulation or you'll spend the rest of your life buying lamps. In zone 1 fit shower-rated down-lights (rule of thumb, if you can touch it from the bath/shower - it's in zone 1).
May your ceiling remain pristine
