adding another picture light

[jso]

I have an exiistng brass picture light, attached to the cable in the wall by choc block.
Can I add another picture light (to be placed on the other side of the overmantle mirror) simply by wiring a long flex to this choc block?
The flex to the new picture light would be surface mounted (along the top of a picture rail)

 

[Taylortwocities]

A bit rough just hanging it on top of the picture rail IMO

But there's nothing particularly wrong with it so long as the cable is not concealed.

I did see this done in a house a while ago. The room on the other side of the wall lights was the kitchen. He drilled right thru the wall, tacked an extra piece of cable horizontally on the kitchen side and then drilled back into the room for the second wall light.
It looked lovely, from one side of the wall!

 

[jso]

A bit rough just hanging it on top of the picture rail IMO

But there's nothing particularly wrong with it so long as the cable is not concealed.

I'm reckoning on the flex fitting into the groove between wall and picture rail. so it won't be visible, and of course no pictures will be hung on that bit as it runs above the overmantle mirror.

But would it be OK to take the new flex from the choc block behind the first light and up to and behind the picture rail, obviously vertically, and only for about 9") and drop it down again in the same way to the new fitting at the other end, by chasing the wall? If the rest of the run is not concealed, I was thinking it wuld be obvious where the flex was running.

But what about if I were to tuck the flex behind the picture rail? Would that then be considered as a horizontal run in a non-safe zone (18" down from ceiling) I shouldn't need to do this, but it would be a bit tidier, I agree.

 

[FourFootMedia]

If you're going to chase out walls, why not just go horizontal from one fitting to the other?

 

[jso]

If you're going to chase out walls, why not just go horizontal from one fitting to the other?

Because a) I didn't think that was permitted
and b) the wall has been decorated, and I'm trying to keep the destruction and need for re-decoration to a minimum

 

[1john]

you can run horizontally or vertically from an accessory

 

[ColJack]

picture rail moulding has a groove on top for the pictures to hook onto..

 

[Steve]

picture rail moulding has a groove on top for the pictures to hook onto..

Do you have any pictures hung on your picture rail? All we ever used our picture rails for was hanging ironed shirts on. Only time I have seen them used for their desired purpose is at Brodsworth Hall, run by English Heritage.

As an aside, we had two wall lights in the dining room. The supply came down in a corner, buried. At the picture rail, it turned horizontal, buried just above. Above each light it dropped down. But the run at the picture rail was not in a safe zone (done in 70's, removed in 2002 ish, along with the piccy rails).