Capping off some lighting in the bathroom

[johnagall]

Hello.

I need some advice in relation to capping off some electrics in the bathroom.

AS you can see from the pic below I have one of those torrid bathroom lights and i'm hoping to rip that out and cover it over with a wooden bathroom cabinet.

Could you please advise on the best way to do this?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Taylortwocities]

You cannot just leave the live wires in the wall. The wires probably come down from the loft above. If you are lucky, they will be in conduit in teh wall so you'll be able to pull them up into the loft.

Make sure you join them up in a suitable junction box if needed.

 

[EFLImpudence]

You could buy a cabinet with a light.

If not, the other end of the cable will likely be at the ceiling light where it should be disconnected.
Don't forget to turn off the power. You may need a multimeter to determine which cable it is.

Is there a loft above?
If so, pull up the cable and coil it and leave where it emerges from the wall. You never know; it may come in handy in the future.

If you can't get to it from above then, after disconnecting it, put all three conductors (live, neutral and earth) in the earth terminal of the ceiling light.

 

[johnagall]

Thanks for the responses chaps.

Its a flat in a block of six and there is no loft. Theres no hatch in our property of in the communal areas.

The ceiling lights (3 of them) are halogen down lighters with trasnformers.

Not sure what I should do.

I have already purchased the bathroom cabinet that I'll be installing so getting a new one is out i'm afraid.

 

[EFLImpudence]

You will have to find at which downlight the wall light cable connects.

I would start at the one nearest the middle of the room or where you think the original light would have been.

Bit of a pain.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have one of those torrid bathroom lights

Are you sure?

I can't see any sign of parched burning heat in the photo.

 

[johnagall]

By torrid I mean useless and ugly.

These are the original lights as it's a new build. Is it a case of pulling out the spotlight fittings and seeing if anything else is attached to them?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

By torrid I mean useless and ugly.

Well you're on your own there with that one.

Is it a case of pulling out the spotlight fittings and seeing if anything else is attached to them?

That's all you can try.

You must find where the cable supplying that light originates - you must not just remove the light and leave the live cable in the wall.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I don't suppose your new cabinet has a light in it?
Could you exchange for one that does?

 

[phatboy]

Before you go pulling all the lights down, check if its connected at the light switch position, that's where they are in my bathrooms.

In my opinion, a newer property is more likely to have this arrangement.

 

[Taylortwocities]

where will the cable be in relation to the new cabinet.?

There's nothing to stop you just putting a blanking plate over the exit point if it is above the cabinet top..

 

[johnagall]

Cabinet will cover the opening.

My light switch in the bathroom is like the following: http://www.maplin.co.uk/ceiling-pul...gn=FQ00A&utm_content=Mains+Wiring+Accessories

Shall I open that up and see if its attached from there?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Just take the light off the wall (turn power off first)

If there is one cable, terminate that in a bit of insulated chock block and pop your cabinet over the hole where the light used to be.

You may find that there are two cables going to your light. If so connect them up in a piece of choc block so they are connected in the same way as they are in the light. It is quite usual for the bathroom wall light to have power in and power out. You need to keep that arrangement or other lights in your house will stop working.

PS I guess your new cabinet does not have a light?