Installing Downlights

[KrisLatham]

Hi all,

Im a newbie to the site and just joined up today. Wow what a site for good information.

Now i know most of you lads hate downlights from what i have read in the first 50 pages of this section so i might be treading on very thin ice here so here goes.

Last year we moved into our brand new house and after settling ive started looking at the layout upstairs and wasnt really happy with it. So i knocked a few studded walls down and rebuilt them to how i wanted them and also moved all the light switches to where they should be and not behind where your wardrobes would sit ( Lovell homes ) Now i did that pretty well and i aint no sparky (Im a sheet metal roofer) but i believe if your competent enough to do it then get it done.
Now i really like the light that downlights give off and how modern they look in your home so i planned to install 13no mains fixed GU10 halogen lights and 3 no mains adjustable GZ10 halogen lights throughout upstairs excluding the bathroom.
Now i want to get rid of the standard single pendant type light that we all have but what i want to know is can i link my downlights to the single ceiling rose I.E Link ceiling rose to first downlight then daisey chain to other lights. There will be a maximum of 4 lights in each room exept for one with will have 3 fixed lights and 2 adjustable. Will this be ok or will it cause an overload. If someone could give a step by step guide to wiring them up then that would be fantastic and help me get this major job out of the way and to move onto the next one

Also forgot to mention that all the rooms have a dimmer switch and that the lights are 50w

Many thanks

Kris Latham

 

[breezer]

it wont look nice, but yes you can and you also need to derate the dimmers, so 150 watt of light you need 300w dimmer (unless i t has been derated already)

as for how look in sticky or wiki, and also part p

 

[dingbat]

Now i really like the light that downlights give off and how modern they look in your home...

Give it a few years...

...meantime this blatant flaunting of Building Regulation L1 will continue as determinedly as the green lobby pleads its case.

Really, don't do it. Stand up and be an individual.

 

[Steve]

Now i really like the light that downlights give off

Which bit of it? The glare? The shadows? The narrow pools of light? The harsh beam that gets you when you walk under them? The heat they give off? The fact you'll be left with minimal loft insulation? The cost of running them?

Right now I cant think of anything positive about standard GU10 lamps.

However, these are MUCH better on nearly all of the aspects I highlighted above. Highly recommended. Dont try to dim them, just use less of them.

 

[KrisLatham]

Cheers lads.

Now reading the posts i know you hate downlights but suppose thats through personel choice. To me a poxy dangling light that attracts cobwebs and makes a room look like one of hitlers gas chambers doesnt appeal to me whatsoever.

Ive bought these lights so they are going in and the way im going to be placing them will really brighten up the room including all the rooms focal points.

Breezer ive looked on the back of the dimmer switches and they say max load is 250w which should be ok for 4 x 50w lights - please correct me if im wrong.

Ive looked through the sticky but cant seem to find anything on wiring up downlights.

Please can somebody help me out. Really need to get these lights in. The mrs is going mental with all the holes in the ceiling

 

[Steve]

200 w of halogen really should have a good quality (£10+) dimmer rated at 400 watts. Varilight and MK are good quality dimmer brands.

Agree its personal choice, but just think how much more energy your burning with 200w of halogen, compared to that olde 60w lightbulb, or 4 x 9w flourescent downlighters (36w)

I know which i'd choose. Better for my pocket and the environment. Does the missus appreciate the cost of running downlighters?

 

[KrisLatham]

200 w of halogen really should have a good quality (£10+) dimmer rated at 400 watts. Varilight and MK are good quality dimmer brands.

Agree its personal choice, but just think how much more energy your burning with 200w of halogen, compared to that olde 60w lightbulb, or 4 x 9w flourescent downlighters (36w)

I know which i'd choose. Better for my pocket and the environment. Does the missus appreciate the cost of running downlighters?

Thanks for the reply pal. So in theory whatever the total wattage of light there is i need to double up with the dimmer switch???

Totally agree with what your saying with the energy consumption mate but to be honest with you i didnt really look into it before i bought them but at a cost of 70 squid and non refundable im kinda stuck with them. All i could do with is an idea on how to wire them up before the mrs changes her mind and i have to patch up 16 no 60mm holes

cheers

 

[KrisLatham]

Anyone ????????????

 

[Steve]

switches will wire the same as before. Take your ceiling rose off and wire it up in the ceiling, making sure you can get at it through a downlight hole, you may want to use a different terminal box, which can be pulled down through said hole.

Then take what would have been the pendant drop wire - to the first downlight and daisychain the others off this.

 

[charliefunkuk]

I bought some dimmer from TLC (varilight ones) and they are rated for halogen lighting. I have 500w of lights on a 600w dimmer so no need to double up on these as they were rated for the Halogen lighting.

 

[Steve]

I bought some dimmer from TLC (varilight ones) and they are rated for halogen lighting. I have 500w of lights on a 600w dimmer so no need to double up on these as they were rated for the Halogen lighting.

Unless its low voltage supplied by a wirewound transformer.

 

[KrisLatham]

switches will wire the same as before. Take your ceiling rose off and wire it up in the ceiling, making sure you can get at it through a downlight hole, you may want to use a different terminal box, which can be pulled down through said hole.

Then take what would have been the pendant drop wire - to the first downlight and daisychain the others off this.

Many thanks for the info mate

Got them all fitted and wired up and they look fantastic.

Must say though i slightly agree with some of the people on here about hating downlights as 2 of the 16 i fitted looked awefull due to the light. So i repositioned them and now all is spot on and with them all being on dimmer switches i can set the mood perfect for the room. I will try and get some pics up of the rooms when they are all finished.

Bit of advice to people who are fitting them is spend a lot of time thinking about where you are going to be fitting them and imagine where the light will be shining and what it will be shining on.

Cheers

Kris

 

[Northbeach]

Which bit of it? The glare? The shadows? The narrow pools of light? The harsh beam that gets you when you walk under them? The heat they give off? The fact you'll be left with minimal loft insulation? The cost of running them?

That's exactly why I like them!! Actually all mine are on dimmers and are set pretty low most of the time (I swear I'm one of those cuddly pre-gremlins). I think they're a much more natural light than the ordinary bulbs (now that's a harsh light - wasting energy in shades) and those energy saving compact flourescent lamps give off a really strange light - I've read they miss out 3 of the vital lightwaves?
But they're and absolute pain in the **** to put up...and if I were a sparky I'd be stating the same things as crafty et al!

Interesting linkie re the low energy downlights - I'd be interested in seeing them 'in the flesh'.