HELP!! I am currently trying to fit flush fitting ceiling downlighters in my living room,which has a concrete ceiling! Having removed the old light fitting i've discovered that the mains wiring is running from a cast iron tube(??) that runs up into the ceiling,thus preventing me from having the necessary void in which to fit the downlighters. Does anyone know a way of removing said tube easily without pulling half of the ceiling down,it seems well fixed in there and i'm scared of turning a relatively easy job into a nightmare!!! Any ideas??
fitting flush ceiling downlighters in concrete ceiling!!
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The cast iron tube is there for a purpose. It is the conduit that carries the wire through the concrete so it's not a good idea to get rid of it. If what you're trying to do is to get sufficient space to fit a downlighter and you want to chip out the concrete to fit it (what a job!!) then maybe you could go upwards and expose the pipe work until you get to a right angle joint. I presume that the conduit has been layed in and taken down where the light was needed. The pipe coming down should unscrew at the joint and that would leave you sufficient depth for the downlighter without damaging the cable. You would have to make sure that you cover any rough metal edges left where the pipe comes out to protect the remainig cable from chaffing.
Or you could move house - sounds easier!!
Or you could move house - sounds easier!!
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Concrete in a house is generally structural so I would not advise chipping out recesses for the lights. Plus the concentration of heat you would get in these hollows would not be good for concrete or lamp life. Quite unsafe.
The only safe way to do this is to screw battens to the ceiling and cover this with plasterboard and then skim: basically, putting in a new ceiling. Downlighters are designed to clip to plasterboard ceilings so it would make fitting the lights viable.
To refer to a real-life case, I live in a purpose-built maisonette with a concrete floor. The chap downstairs had no problem installing such lights as his ceiling is plasterboard fixed to battens, battens fixed to the underside of my floor.
The only safe way to do this is to screw battens to the ceiling and cover this with plasterboard and then skim: basically, putting in a new ceiling. Downlighters are designed to clip to plasterboard ceilings so it would make fitting the lights viable.
To refer to a real-life case, I live in a purpose-built maisonette with a concrete floor. The chap downstairs had no problem installing such lights as his ceiling is plasterboard fixed to battens, battens fixed to the underside of my floor.
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