Another idiot-boy question which follows an afternoon spent
fitting a flush light to a ceiling with very limited access
from above. It is, in summary, is there anything which can
be fitted from below to serve as enclosure/junction box for
flush ceiling lights?

The problem I had was fitting a new light in a bit of the
ceiling where there is less than 150mm between the ceiling
and the slates. I managed to fish the new 3 x 1.5mm T&E
cables through the hole. But there was no way I was going
to be able to work on the loft side of the hole to fit a
junction box to the joist or the like. And I couldn't use a
ceiling rose 'cos it was a flush fitting light. I searched
(including through Google's uk.d-i-y archives) but couldn't
find an answer:

o I didn't want to just poke choc strip through the
hole (not even wrapped in tape)
o I didn't think I'd get 3 x 1.5mm T&E plus the
light's flex into a choc box to poke that through
o I might have stuffed a 60mm junction box through
but that still wouldn't have been fixed to a firm surface
o I tried using a round, 35mm deep dry lining box
with choc strip and a cover drilled to admit the flex but
could not get everything to fit into the small space without
risk of cracking the box - and even then would not have had
the choc strip fixed as such to the box so I think wd have
been outwith the regs.

What I've ended up doing is gluing a surface mounting metal
box into position in the loft over the hole (by feel at
arm's length); taking the cables through that into choc
strip; connecting the flex; and then screwing the choc strip
to the box with self-tapping screws. But it's not pretty.
It's going to be a bugger to seal it against water vapour.
I'd much rather replace it with something better. And I've
got 2 more such lights to do (plus some wall lights into
plasterboard with similar issues).

So do please tell me I'm an idiot and that there's a better
way (short of waiting until the roof's off). Eg with so
many such lights now (and all the wall lights which have to
be fitted to plasterboard) is there something for the job?
Perhaps something a bit like a cross between a ceiling rose
and a dry-lining box?
--
Robin

On Jun 13, 10:19*pm, "neverwas" wrote:
Another idiot-boy question which follows an afternoon spent
fitting a flush light to a ceiling with very limited access
from above. *It is, in summary, is there anything which can
be fitted from below to serve as enclosure/junction box for
flush ceiling lights?

These any good?

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MTMDLB6.html

Steve

neverwas wrote:
Another idiot-boy question which follows an afternoon spent
fitting a flush light to a ceiling with very limited access
from above. It is, in summary, is there anything which can
be fitted from below to serve as enclosure/junction box for
flush ceiling lights?

You can get standard but very small junction boxes suitable for lighting
circuits which are certainly small enough to push up through the hole
made by a downlighter:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/AAJB20S.html

You're still going to have the problem of screwing that to a joist or
somewhere if you want to do it by the book, but I'm not sure I'd lose
too much sleep over not being able to do that.

BYW how much clearance above the downlighter is stipulated by its
manufacturer? Sounds like its a bit tight...

David

These any good?

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MTMDLB6.html

Steve

Thanks but those are what I meant by "35mm deep dry lining
box" where I tried and failed to get a fully compliant fix.

--
Robin

You can get standard but very small junction boxes
suitable for lighting
circuits which are certainly small enough to push up
through the hole made by a downlighter:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/AAJB20S.html


Yes thanks - got most of a box of them from TLC here. (In
passing they are marked on the back "2 x 1.5mm" so I was
left unsure if they'd pass inspection with 3 plus the flex.)

You're still going to have the problem of screwing that to
a joist or somewhere if you want to do it by the book, but
I'm not sure I'd lose too much sleep over not being able
to do that.

I may yet go that route and then use a dry lining box to
help achieve the vapour seal. But I felt there really had
to be a way to tick all the boxes..

BYW how much clearance above the downlighter is stipulated
by its manufacturer? Sounds like its a bit tight...

Not a downlighter. Just a bog standard bathroom light which
fits flush to the ceiling. I have in fact 2 different kinds
to deal with:
http://www.darlighting.co.uk/product...oducts_id=1338
and
http://www.micromark.co.uk/epages/mi...oducts/MM18616.
Neither makes provision for cable connection within the
fitting. Both seem to expect one to be able to feed the
flex through the ceiling to a connection on t'other side.
(And then there are the wall lights to come where I'm
similarly baffled as to what the pros would do.)

--
Robin

Lobster wrote:
neverwas wrote:
Another idiot-boy question which follows an afternoon spent fitting a
flush light to a ceiling with very limited access from above. It is,
in summary, is there anything which can be fitted from below to serve
as enclosure/junction box for flush ceiling lights?

You can get standard but very small junction boxes suitable for lighting
circuits which are certainly small enough to push up through the hole
made by a downlighter:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/AAJB20S.html

You're still going to have the problem of screwing that to a joist or
somewhere if you want to do it by the book, but I'm not sure I'd lose
too much sleep over not being able to do that.

BYW how much clearance above the downlighter is stipulated by its
manufacturer? Sounds like its a bit tight...

David
Or
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLCT100C.html

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/ASJ501.html

robert wrote:
Or
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLCT100C.html

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/ASJ501.html

Thanks for that. I'd looked at the Ashley J501 and, in the light of your
and others' comments, went with them (plus drylining boxes and covers to
help make the vapour seal). Finally got around to fitting them
yesterday and have to say they do make the connections really easy.

--
Robin