Custom Lighting Fixture - Questions

[andrewc1]

I'm considering replacing my existing hallway lights with a new installation. The hallway is about 8 metres long with an existing ceiling rose about 1m from one end. It's also about 3m height from floor to ceiling. Above the ceiling rose is the connection to the existing lighting circuit, which runs above the plaster.

What I intend to do is to screw on two new ceiling roses at equidistant points on the ceiling, each with a pendant hanging on. Now, instead of cutting up the ceiling to get the lighting cables running to the correct places (and I have no access from the floor above), I want to replace the existing rose with one that has two cable outlets on the bottom side (http://www.urbancottageindustries.com/historic-lighting/ceiling-roses/multiple-outlet-ceiling-roses) and run decorative flexible cable from there to each of the new positions. I assume the cables are .75mm2. The new cable runs would be under the ceiling, and therefore visible from the hallway.

So on to the questions -
- I know that for horizontal T&E runs there's a requirement for it to be clipped every so often to prevent sagging - does this apply here? One of the two cables will be about 4m in length.
- does this idea run foul of some building regulation or safety concern as there are suspended cables above head height?
- if I screw the new ceiling roses directly onto the plaster, about what maximum weight could it support? Or should I always attach onto a joist, and if so, how do I go about locating one?

Thanks for any help!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I know that for horizontal T&E runs there's a requirement for it to be clipped every so often to prevent sagging - does this apply here?

Unless you can find a way to get rid of gravity, the cables will droop.

Whether you want that or not I have no idea. I would hate it (I generally don't like any cables visible on any surface), whereas clearly some people find this sort of thing attractive:

Different strokes, in-the-eye-of-the-beholder, etc. It's up to you to decide how droopy you want it to be.

does this idea run foul of some building regulation or safety concern as there are suspended cables above head height?

No, because clearly those roses are designed to have cables with the weight of a light fitting on them, so just a cable running to another one will be fine wrt strain on the cable and terminations. As long as they don't sag so much that they become a strangulation hazard, or are at risk from damage from people carrying skis, javelins, ladders or fishing rods, etc, it'll be fine.

 

[OwainDIYer]

what about some nice surface conduit?

 

[andrewc1]

Err, I take it that the conduit suggestion is firmly tongue in cheek?

 

[ericmark]

Main reason for my fluorescent fitting in kitchen is to spread the light from a single point, now has LED tube but still gives spread of light. In the past I have also used lighting track. With grandmothers house we had hooks in the ceiling to suspend the cable from the light fitting to her iron, I would not consider it as pleasing to the eye. There are quite a few 12 volt lighting systems where there are a pair of rods or wires and the lamps are hung off the wires or rods which both suspend and power the lamps. I would want to support every meter using standard flex in the past I have stuck flex to walls and ceiling using silicon sealant or decorators cork holding the wires with bits of masking tape until the stuff set. Sticky back trunking will fall off in time, but use decorators cork on the edges and that stops it falling off latter. Although regulations now say cables must have something to stop them falling in a fire in case they get caught up in fireman's BA gear stopping him from escaping.