Have an issue with fitting recessed lights, not snug

[kilo_4que]

Hi guys I purchased some large recessed downlights which take two energy saver bulbs. Ive wired them and everything and they look the part once switched on. I am now trying to fit these into the hole I made and am having two issues. First of all the springy clips come out of place all the time when i attempt to bend them backwards whilst fitting the unit in. The main reason for this is the you have to put the unit in at a tilt as it has a bit of a tail sticking out which needs to be put in first.

Secondly once I get the unit in, the springs for some reason dont push the unit in tightly enough for a snug fit, there is a milimeter or two gap and in places the light weeps out.

Any tips on A how to handle units that have these springs and B how to solve the issue of a snug fit. Do you think something like silicon or no nails would be advisable by the pros on here.

 

[securespark]

What is the ceiling material?

Board or lath & plaster?

The springs may be catching on the laths. Or, the springs may be catching on a joist?

 

[kilo_4que]

secures its plasterboard skimmed. I've positioned the light unit as such to avoid hitting any joists, to make sure I've checked too.

btw what method should I use to fit these fittings as the springy clips are waaaaay too fiddly

thanks

 

[electronicsuk]

kilo_4que, are you 100% sure you're using the clips correctly? I say this because most downlight clips have to be pretty much bent back over themselves (!) before the fitting will go into the ceiling. If you were fitting some for the first time them it might be a bit counter-intuitive, as it can sometimes feel almost if you're going to break something with the amount of force required by some (but not all) clips.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Indeed, some clips have to be sprung vertically up thru the hole and hold down on top of the plasterboard
Some (usually have a double clip thingy) pust into the hole with half the clip going up and the other half gripping the insides of the hole. The instructions should say how to do it.

If the light fitting is just thin pressed steel ( ) then you may have deformed the rim and you'll never get them to fit properly. I now only supply cast fittings for this reason.

To solve the halo problem, run a bit of decorator's caulk round the hole and sit the fitting on it, wipe away the excess with a damp sponge (WITH THE LIGHT OFF!).

 

[kilo_4que]

The instructions are pretty lame, just two diagrams one show clips pushed up prior to fitting and the a picture of the unit in the hole with the clips down.

The clips of course were pulled back as otherwise it wouldnt go in. Are there any alternative methods of fitting these as one as taken me so long, i wonder how long the other 29 will take lol

 

[kilo_4que]

also jsut to note that the rim has bent but more than anything i get scared incase i over chip the ceiling.

 

[Steve]

Where are you fitting 30 of these?!

 

[kilo_4que]

in the ceiling. Well not all 30 in one, I have one ceiling which is split in two parts where there are 8 lights in each part.

The other ceiling again is split in two parts where 8 are in one section and 6 in a line in the other section.

Btw I realised that the first light fixture ended up just being a bad apple. Ive fit another 7 in and they have fit in fairly well aprt from 3 of them that could do with being a tad more snug however they dont give any holograms off. Do you think a spot of caulk or silicon would do on the inside rim as it takes very little touch to make the fixtures snug

 

[sparkybird]

What make are the lights? Cheap ones tend to have rubbish spring clips that don't hold well. I've just fitted some Aurora ones and they nearly took my fingers off when they whooshed up into the ceiling as the clips are so strong!

Another tip would be to cut the holes a bit smaller so that this provides some grip to the light

 

[333rocky333]

also jsut to note that the rim has bent but more than anything i get scared incase i over chip the ceiling.

Hard to explain but use your fingers to hold the clip edge in, to take some of the pressure of the hole edge, rather than letting the clip chip out the plaster

 

[kilo_4que]

btw that was meant to say the rim hasnt bent.

Regarding your technique, i think i do know what your on about. I was actually attempting this with the first fixture too but i guess the spring were rubbish and kept slipping out.

Basically with my index finger i bend the springs up and start by insert the electrical bits first as they stick out, i let one of the clips rest on the inner rim of the hole and concentrate on dealing with the other, eventually it does fit into place but as ive mentioned, there still is a little play on 3 units i.e they dont look too bad but they arent as snug as they can be.

Likewise i was wondering if a little silicon or caulk would do the trick?

 

[electronicsuk]

Silicon will be fine, I don't think the rim of the fitting will get hot enough to cause a problem.

On a similar note, I picked up a couple of packs of GU10 downlights in my local Lidl, and they had exactly the same issue with extremely taught springs on the clips. I still fitted them as, despite being cheap, they actually looked quite nice. However, I'm now thinking about changing the lamps to CFLs and have realised that each time you want to change the lamp, and entire fitting (springs and all) had to come out of the ceiling. Ridiculous!

 

[kilo_4que]

lol I made sure the GU10 style downlights I got had the quick release thing on them. I have a lighting outlet near me who sells them for £3 including a bulb and give you the option of having them mains powered.

Also these units I have i.e. the ones that take the large dual energy savers, they dont get very hot at all but do get warm quickly. Likewisei was wondering whether to stay on the safe side and use some of this stuff:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/49353.../Solvented/Ceresit-154-Fastgrip-Grab-Adhesive

or would the caulk do fine as i already have caulk

 

[electronicsuk]

I don't think you really want an adhesive, you might need to remove the fittings at some point in the future. A flexible sealant (translucent, white, whatever suits your ceiling) rather than an adhesive would be my choice, although I have never had the need to fill round a downlight before.