Cable Clamp for Hanging Glass Light fitting

[wytco0]

I have a couple of long glass hanging lights in the Kitchen over the breakfast bar, which were fitted a couple of years ago when the house was built.

One of the lamps dropped several inches and when I investigated I found that the weight of the lamp was help by a clear plastic friction nut which screws into the metal ceiling rose that is then held by 2 screws onto a plate fixed to the ceiling. However the plastic cable clamp has cracked and is no longer holding the cable which then slipped down and all the weight was being held by the cables screwed into the the connector strip from the ceiling.

This seems like a very poor design (although the light cost several hundred pounds).

Trouble is I don't know what I need to buy to repair it but I think I need some sort of cable clamp that can go inside the metal rose so that the wight is held by the metal rose and ceiling plate rather than just on a weak brittle cable clamp.

Grateful for some advice on what I need and what its called.

For now I have disconnected the fitting completely by removing the fitting wires from the connector block on the ceiling.

Thanks

 

[333rocky333]

have a look on page 9 and see if anything familiar

http://www.s-lilley.co.uk/pdfs/catalogue.pdf
Sometimes a cable tie round the flex above the ceiling plate is sufficient

 

[plugwash]

Can you supply a picture?

From your description I suspect the "friction nut" is manufacturer specfic, you might be able to get a spare from the manufacturer but failing that you will probablly need to replace the whole ceiling rose.

You could get one of the dome topped lids for a conduit box and screw a compression gland into it but the result may look a bit industrial. You might also be able to find a suitable replacement rose at http://www.urbancottageindustries.com/historic-lighting/lighting-accessories

 

[bernardgreen]

Years ago a friend had a similar problem. Too much weight on cable and cable clamping. In the interests of safety we used a chain to take the weight of the lamp with a hook secured to the joist and thinner cable threaded through the links of the chain

 

[JohnW2]

Sometimes a cable tie round the flex above the ceiling plate is sufficient

... or, not that I would advocate it, I've seen a 'knot' in the flex used for the same purpose. I've also seen plastic collars with securing plastic grub screws put around the cable in a similar fashion.

Kind Regards, John

 

[wytco0]

Hi All thanks for ideas here are a couple of photos of the fitting and lamp:

Full lamp:

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• wytco0
• 28 May 2014
• 1

Broken cable clamp and rose:

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• wytco0
• 28 May 2014
• 1

Other side of Rose:

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• wytco0
• 28 May 2014
• 1

Ceiling Plate:

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• wytco0
• 28 May 2014
• 1

 

[JohnW2]

Hi All thanks for ideas here are a couple of photos of the fitting and lamp:

Thanks. We've all been concentrating on the cable restraint issue at the top (in the rose), but what happens at the bottom of the flex (since the entire weight of the glass is being taken by the cable)? Is there some proper restraint down there - or is it again, all hanging off the electrical connections?

Even with reasonable cable restraint, it does seem to be a rather iffy design, even if it did cost hundreds of pounds!

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

Thats a 10mm male taper cord grip, held on by a 10mm nut which you can reuse.

White or black are proberly easier to get than that transparent one

http://www.bitofbrass.co.uk/10mm-male-nylon-taper-cord-grip-cable-glands-983-p.asp

 

[wytco0]

Thanks everyone problem now resolved, I went to the supplier that I got the light from and they provided a new taper cord grip and in addition I added a cable tie inside the rose.

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks everyone problem now resolved, I went to the supplier that I got the light from and they provided a new taper cord grip and in addition I added a cable tie inside the rose.

Glad to hear that! However, I wonder if, per my earlier comments, you looked to see what is happening at the bottom of the cable, just to make sure that the weight of the fitting isn't hanging off the electrical connections at that end?

Kind Regards, John

 

[wytco0]

Thanks everyone problem now resolved, I went to the supplier that I got the light from and they provided a new taper cord grip and in addition I added a cable tie inside the rose.

Glad to hear that! However, I wonder if, per my earlier comments, you looked to see what is happening at the bottom of the cable, just to make sure that the weight of the fitting isn't hanging off the electrical connections at that end?

Kind Regards, John

Hi John, I did check but at the bottom the fixing is pretty substantial, the lamp holder fits on the end of a metal tube and the tube holds the weight of the glass shade via a number of smaller spacer rods at the top and bottom so there is no stress on the lamp holder at all.

The whole lamps hangs on the cable which is now clamped using the replacement taper cord grip but with the additional cable tie proving additional support from above. So basically its a little bit safer that the original ...

 

[JohnW2]

Hi John, I did check but at the bottom the fixing is pretty substantial, the lamp holder fits on the end of a metal tube and the tube holds the weight of the glass shade via a number of smaller spacer rods at the top and bottom so there is no stress on the lamp holder at all. ... The whole lamps hangs on the cable which is now clamped using the replacement taper cord grip but with the additional cable tie proving additional support from above.

Fair enough, but the question still surely remains as to how the cable (which is ultimately supporting the weight of the shade) is secured to the metal tube, which is, in turn, supporting the weight of the shade. My point was that if the cable is not securely attached to the tube, it could be the electrical connections to the lampholder which are supporting the tube, hence the weight of the shade.

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

Seems to be a lot of stuff lately suspended by the wire and chains seem to be out of fashion.

Hopefully theres another cordgrip where it enters the metal bar

 

[JohnW2]

Seems to be a lot of stuff lately suspended by the wire and chains seem to be out of fashion.

Quite so.

Hopefully theres another cordgrip where it enters the metal bar

One hopes so - but that's why I suggested the OP might check that it's present, correct and doing it's job. It would be a bit ironic if, having sorted out the situation at the top, the conductors of the (inadequately secured) cable slipped out of the lampholder terminals and the glass shade (and everything else other than cable) came crashing down!

Kind Regards, John

 

[wytco0]

Seems to be a lot of stuff lately suspended by the wire and chains seem to be out of fashion.

Hopefully theres another cordgrip where it enters the metal bar

Fear not I inspected it carefully and it was very secure the lamp holder end was firmly attached and to the hollow rod, and the cable was held in to rod with a strong and firmly tightened grip.

The rob is also earthed as is the rose. I was pretty impressed by most of the design but not with the top, however the newly DIYNOT improved version is fine.