Fitting new downlighters

Downlighters, pebble-dashing, laminate floors, stone cladding, candles (***), block paving, swag drapes, avacado bathroom suites, etc, etc... all fall into a single category - fashion. One day, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not the day after, but one day, sure as eggs, they will suddenly be declared ugly and ripped out. Do yourself a favour and forget about them.

But, if you must fit the horrible things, make sure you will always and forevermore have easy access to <u>all</u> screwed connections, transformers, etc. You don't actually need fire hoods in a kitchen ceiling if the room above is part of the same dwelling. But meeting the requirements as far as accommodating flex and solid conductors in screwed connections is concerned, be prepared for an awful lot of faffing about.

 

Long live the downlighters.
I just love it when a customer says ' I want downlighters in this new extension '
'Certainly madam 'I reply.
Instead of paying me to fit one lighting point in your lounge/dining room etc you will now pay me to fit fifteen points in your rooms at fifteen times the cost.
Forget about Intumescent Hoods, just use JCC downlighters with integral intumescent properties.
Money for old rope and the customers love it.
Lets face it, if the customer knows what they want, and are willing to pay, why should we dissuade them.

 

you can fit them from the under side by fishing the cables through and under the joists, you will have to remove small parts of the ceiling where you need to get under the joists, put some metal capping over and fill.

 

yep, as Russ is stating. can do it all from the underside. When going across the joists, just 'stitch' the cable links across.

Now that fire rated down lighters are on the scene, it's a nice hit to get on a job, as you've got the wow factor from the customer, which is in direct proportion to the ammount of extra money their prepare to hand over.

triplock

 

Just a point when fitting from below watch out for pipes above, I prefer to cut out pieces of ceiling and then batton, screw and fill the pieces back up, at least you can get an idea of what your drilling into and drill through the joists rather than notching from underneath. I have done it once and earthed plates over the notches but this is messy I prefer to go through the joists.
Smigga

 

Can you Notch bottom of joists...?

Anything in regs that say you can/cannot..?

Sparks guide to building regs states top edge of joist,no mention of bottom..(page 117 for ref.)

Comes under note 4 as well same page

Anyone wish to clarify.?

 

.............just to continue I have found this in the past

 

Would I be right in saying that safe zones apply to the horizontal plan in regards to down lighters?

Trip

 

Hmmmmm, spose so.


Too Piyshed to care really at this time of night.

Goin bed now to 'abuse' the wife!

 

Righto Sine Ill fire up the hidden camera in the bedroom and send ya the DVD

Shame her mate aint their from the gymn..!!...