Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Thanks

David

"David" wrote in message
...
Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

When you put them back (after painting) rotate them a little therefore the
wear will be on a different part of the PB. Or do as I do and only pull
them part way out and then squeeze the springs with your fingers so they no
longer touch the PB.

HTH

John

"John" wrote in message
...

"David" wrote in message
...
Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

When you put them back (after painting) rotate them a little therefore the
wear will be on a different part of the PB. Or do as I do and only pull
them part way out and then squeeze the springs with your fingers so they
no longer touch the PB.

HTH

John

Invention
Opportunity for someone. Good idea!

On Mar 8, 6:43*pm, David wrote:
Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. *In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. *These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. *Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? *Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Thanks

David

That's not the way they usually work. There is usually a removable
inner ring in the metal fitting which comes out, leaving the main
fitting attached to the plasterboard. The bulb then drops down for
replacing. Is it possible yours work like that? Can you post a picture
somewhere?

A

wrote:
On Mar 8, 6:43 pm, David wrote:
Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Thanks

David

That's not the way they usually work. There is usually a removable
inner ring in the metal fitting which comes out, leaving the main
fitting attached to the plasterboard. The bulb then drops down for

I have seen both sorts. The IP rated ones are often as you describe, but
with some of the cheaper ones you need to remove the whole fitting.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Mar 8, 6:43 pm, David wrote:
Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Thanks

David

That's not the way they usually work. There is usually a removable
inner ring in the metal fitting which comes out, leaving the main
fitting attached to the plasterboard. The bulb then drops down for

I have seen both sorts. The IP rated ones are often as you describe, but
with some of the cheaper ones you need to remove the whole fitting.

Its a bathroom so he should have the sealed IP rated ones.
They are dirt cheap too, about £3 each at toolstation.

On Mar 8, 8:05*pm, John Rumm wrote:
wrote:
On Mar 8, 6:43 pm, David wrote:
Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. *In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. *These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. *Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? *Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Thanks

David

That's not the way they usually work. There is usually a removable
inner ring in the metal fitting which comes out, leaving the main
fitting attached to the plasterboard. The bulb then drops down for

I have seen both sorts. The IP rated ones are often as you describe, but
with some of the cheaper ones you need to remove the whole fitting.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| * * * * *Internode Ltd - *http://www.internode.co.uk* * * * * *|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| * * * *John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk * * * * * * *|
\================================================= ================/

Are you sure? All the cheaper non IP rated ones I've seen have a
little metal spring clip in to hold the bulb back. Even the ones for
50p or less. I've never come across one that required removing
completely - that would be a daft design surely?

A

David wrote:

Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Thanks

David

I happened to be painting the kitchen ceiling yesterday (Dulux, silk
emulsion, white). In it there's 9 brass finish 12V downlighters to
paint round and knowing how yucky careless painting looks, I thought
about knocking up a steel strip pliers type extractor arrangement to
allowing pulling each of them out 10mm or so, while being painted
around.
Fortunately laziness prevailed and I simply masking taped the fitting
edges. Only a couple of mm of metal to stick to but the tape did a
fine job.

wrote in message
...
That's not the way they usually work. There is usually a removable
inner ring in the metal fitting which comes out, leaving the main
fitting attached to the plasterboard. The bulb then drops down for
replacing. Is it possible yours work like that? Can you post a picture
somewhere?

That's not the question the OP is asking. He doesn't want to replace the
lamp / bulb but remove the WHOLE fitting for decorating purposes.

John

In article
,
David wrote:
We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

It's a poor design where the fitting has to be removed to change the lamp.
Cheaper types often have a spring clip holding the lamp in place or there
is this one from TLC where the lamp is in a ring which has a sort of
bayonet fitting:-

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...hts/index.html

As regards removing for decorating - just how often do you decorate? ;-)

--
*Arkansas State Motto: Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Laugh.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"John" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
That's not the way they usually work. There is usually a removable
inner ring in the metal fitting which comes out, leaving the main
fitting attached to the plasterboard. The bulb then drops down for
replacing. Is it possible yours work like that? Can you post a picture
somewhere?

That's not the question the OP is asking. He doesn't want to replace the
lamp / bulb but remove the WHOLE fitting for decorating purposes.

John


No. He said " ... and to change the bulbs". All of the ones I've got are of
the removable ring type. I'm glad I haven't got any of the other type,
because if the retainer springs on them are anything like the ones on mine,
I certainly wouldn't want to keep pulling them back out of the plasterboard
every time I needed to change a bulb ...

Arfa

On Sun, 8 Mar 2009 11:43:13 -0700 (PDT), David
wrote:

Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

Lucky you. I got to the "no money" stage way before the painting and
the carpet stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Can't you change the bulbs without dropping the whole fitting out?

--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Owing to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
See http://improve-usenet.org

David wrote:
Dear All

The months of building work are nearly at an end and we are at the
painting, carpets and no money stage.

We are also at the stage where we notice things which could have been
done a little better. In this category are the downlighters in the
bathroom. These are held in by two springs and to change the bulbs or
paint the ceiling, you pull them down into the room. Problem is, each
time we pull them through, the springs cut a little further into the
plasterboard. This will eventually leave them hanging loose.

My question is, does anyone know if metal rings exist that can be
pushed up into the hole in the plasterboard (or pushed down into it
from the loft) and then fixed, making a rigid, stable hole into which
the downlighter can be pushed? Failing this, does anyone have any
creative solutions / great inventions?

Thanks

David

drop the fitting, paint PB edges with dilute PVA. When dry, paint
edges again with 50% PVA. When dry, replace fitting. Or... replace
fitting!


NT

Dear All

Thanks for all the suggestions.

The slight rotation with each extraction is a good workaround and will
do until I purchase the tuit for - Paint PB edges with dilute PVA -
Thank you! I'll go with this.

There is unfortunately no removable inner ring. Full removal is
needed. Wish I'd known this before I bought them. They are zone 1
rated. Ah the dangers of hasty purchases!

How often do I decorate - as seldom as possible....

Actually, I can get at three of them from the loft for bulb
replacement, but two others, It's pulling the whole thing down.

If by any chance I come across any drop in metal rings, I'll let you
know.

Ta

David