Modern light fittings, are they all like this? (connections)

I've only ever dealt with normal ceiling roses before, but I was looking at some other types of fitting for the bathroom like those globe or domed things, maybe even spotlights. I was in B&Q and inspected a few, and the wiring seems very strange to me. At most, they had a connection block



glued onto the back of the unit, with just one for L, N and E. I see no obvious way to get the right wiring using only that. I have a typical arrangement, like this:



And a single three-thing connection block doesn't seem adequate. I would struggle to get more than one wire into each bit anyway, they weren't very big. And you need another whole connection point for the live loop, which is not provided for at all.

One light didn't even have that... just free L and N wires from the bulb socket and then, separately a SINGLE piece of connection block for the customer to employ somehow. The instructions gave no explanation in either case as to how it should be wired.

Do we have to make our own extra connections separately? Why are these £50 lights not just fitted with the same kind of connection block you get in a £1.50 ceiling rose?

Thanks,

What you need to know is in the WIKI. Did you look there? Obviously not….
Try this link

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Lighting-Rose

smp50 said:

Do we have to make our own extra connections separately? Why are these £50 lights not just fitted with the same kind of connection block you get in a £1.50 ceiling rose?

Click to expand...

Yes you have to make your own connections. Lights are made to suit lots of markets, it is cheaper that way. Most countries only have live neutral and earth at the lighting point. Its the UK that is the awkward kid in the class.

Taylortwocities said:

What you need to know is in the WIKI. Did you look there? Obviously not….
Try this link

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Lighting-Rose

smp50 said:

Do we have to make our own extra connections separately? Why are these £50 lights not just fitted with the same kind of connection block you get in a £1.50 ceiling rose?

Click to expand...

Yes you have to make your own connections. Lights are made to suit lots of markets, it is cheaper that way. Most countries only have live neutral and earth at the lighting point. Its the UK that is the awkward kid in the class.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I only googled it but apparently not with useful phrases. Two members of staff in the shop "had no idea".

Much appreciated!

It's not uncommon, and there are a few ways to get around it. You could put a bigger connector block in there, or you could use something like wago boxes to join the cables.

In our place, I mounted junction boxes in the loft, and dropped the switch live down to the light fixtures; the junction box basically replaced the ceiling rose wiring.

There's also always the option of just shopping around for lights with appropriate connections/mounts.

smp50 said:

Two members of staff in the shop "had no idea".

Click to expand...

In most shops,staff are not allowed to give technical advice as they can be liable if the advice is wrong!

Also, they probably had "no idea"

If it is a 5A block, it is quite easy to get 3 x conductors in there, provided they are nice and straight.

Put all the solid conductors in the same side and the flex for the fitting in the other.

Yeah it can be a pain, standard british roses and battern holders have dedicated places for loop-in wiring. Flourescent striplights generally don't but have plenty of space inside for your own wiring. Fancy fittings on the other hand often have no explicit provision for loop-in wiring and very little wiring room.

Sometimes you can just about find space inside the back of the fitting for your own terminal block (either instead of or in addition to the supplied one). If you can't there are a few possibilities.

If the fitting has a fairly large base and the fitting is not mounted immediately over a joist you can get circular dryline boxes. Fitting one to the ceiling can give you a cavity behind the light which you can put a terminal block in.

You can use a junction box above but be aware that it needs to be either accessible for inspection or of a maintinance free type. In the case of lights that need a big hole (e.g. downlights) you can get boxes with cord grips designed to be accessed through the hole.