External light wiring (old pond electrics)

Joined
21 Jan 2012
Messages
160
Reaction score
7
Location
Manchester
Country
United Kingdom
Hi all,

I'd like to add a pir security light on the side of the house and wondering the best way to wire it. There is an electric feed that's going outside already from the conservatory to an outside junction box. This is being fed to the pond but it's now not being used and we have no intention of using it in the future.

My thoughts were to disconnect the old pond wiring, terminate in to a connection block and tape up. Then connect light wiring to the electricity feed in the junction box.

My other query is that the light I was going to get only has a 1.5m cable which means it's not long enough to reach a decent height. I could either get a different light with a longer cable or have another joint in a junction box closer to the light? Presumably the former is preferable so there's less joins?

Thanks in advance

Simon
 
Sponsored Links
Change the cable on the light for a longer one.

Hi, thanks for the reply. Do you mean get the light and change it at the light itself? I've had a look at lights online and the most they come with is around 1.5m some are 30cm.
 
Its normal to fit a wiska 308 or 206 (or equivelent) box with a couple of stuffing glands adjacnet the fitting to get round the flex issue and make future fitting changes easier
 
Sponsored Links
Hi, thanks for the reply. Do you mean get the light and change it at the light itself? I've had a look at lights online and the most they come with is around 1.5m some are 30cm.
Yes open up the light and replace the cable with a longer one.
 
Yes open up the light and replace the cable with a longer one.

Many [possibly most] modern light fittings that come with a fitted cable are unsuitable for opening, and if opened then sometimes require very careful dissassembly to get to the terminations followed by intricate soldering skills and then the application of heatsink compound. Finally they need to be resealed the the original standards. Not to mention the invalidated warranty

In other words Winstons blanket advice to change the cable has to be carefully considered and the advice should have reflected this.
 
Thanks both, so either or is acceptable. I'll have a think about which is easier. I'll need to change the existing junction box as it's a bit manky.
 
Thanks both, so either or is acceptable. I'll have a think about which is easier. I'll need to change the existing junction box as it's a bit manky.
There should certainly be no tape involved. Will the existing cable be long enough to re-route to the position of the light?

It's very common practice these days to have a local junction box adjacent to outside lights, expecially LED which require more frequent replacement.
 
expecially LED which require more frequent replacement.

This is one of the things that infuriates me, LED is sold as long lasting and green, but in reality it is not, we seem to change LED fittings as often as we changed lamps in discharge fitting!, its perfectly possible to make an LED fitting which lasts a reasonable amount of time, while LEDs themseves do fail, its almost always the driver that fails.

Its not just LED fittings, most bits of electronic equipment I've seen fail has been due to a switch mode power supply issue, from display screens, CCTV recorders all the way through to industrial monitoring equipment costing thousands, and even the really expensive stuff often doesnt have the PSU pcb avaialble as a field fit spare....

The whole industry seems geared up around, sell them a fancy piece of kit, it'll last a few years, then we will sell them another to replace it when it fails, and they still get the buisness because all the manufacturers are doing the same!
 
This is one of the things that infuriates me, LED is sold as long lasting and green, but in reality it is not, we seem to change LED fittings as often as we changed lamps in discharge fitting!, its perfectly possible to make an LED fitting which lasts a reasonable amount of time, while LEDs themseves do fail, its almost always the driver that fails.

Its not just LED fittings, most bits of electronic equipment I've seen fail has been due to a switch mode power supply issue, from display screens, CCTV recorders all the way through to industrial monitoring equipment costing thousands, and even the really expensive stuff often doesnt have the PSU pcb avaialble as a field fit spare....

The whole industry seems geared up around, sell them a fancy piece of kit, it'll last a few years, then we will sell them another to replace it when it fails, and they still get the buisness because all the manufacturers are doing the same!
I'm not argueing with any of this:(:cry:
 
I guess you can't have it both ways. If LED lighting lasted as long as we may have expected it to last, then very few people would have to buy new ones and the manufacturers would either stop making them, or the price would become enormous. So people who need ones for new builds would have difficulties.
 
Switch mode power supplies can be repaired. It is usually capacitors and once you have repaired one of a particular type others of the same type will come along with identical problems (stock fault).
 
I guess you can't have it both ways. If LED lighting lasted as long as we may have expected it to last, then very few people would have to buy new ones and the manufacturers would either stop making them, or the price would become enormous. So people who need ones for new builds would have difficulties.
I'm still griping about the economy of LED lighting. Since replacing 3 pendants in hall and landing 5 years ago Christmas with triple fittings. I've spent way over £40 on LED bulbs. So I've gone from 3x11W of CFL to 9x3W of LED so naff all difference and an estimate of £10 over 20 years or so for bulbs and CFLs to £40 over 5 years for flickering LEDs. Me think me is being conned.

About the same time I replaced the 300w or 500w PIR flood [which I'd never replaced the bulb in and in fact still use it now without the PIR as part of AmDram lighting kit] to a 50W LED, and currently on the second. Me think me is being conned.
 
Me think me is being conned.
I was an early LED adopter so I've bought all kinds of random lamps. I guess I've had 4 go in the last 10 years. 3 of them with a bang. I can't say that I'm alarmed by that kind of cost.
 
I converted my most used lights to LED around 6 years ago, only one has failed, but the same one has failed twice (different LED's). I'm aware of what the issue is - poor heat dissipation. It is a small enclosed fitting, outdoors, with no ventilation. On the last replacement I added a gap in the top and bottom panels, to get some through ventilation.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top