removing wall and pendant lights

[simonjcummings]

I'm just about to replaster and redecorate my living room and have two wall lights and two ceiling pendant lights that I want to remove before the plasterer arrives. Ideally I'd like to get rid of the wall lights completely or at least replace them; likewise the ceiling lights I'd like in different positions or at least replace them. Can someone let me know how I safely remove these?

 

[securespark]

Start with a search in the For Reference sticky at the top of this listing. Also try searching with key words such as "removing light fitting"

 

[pdcelec]

isolate the supply, disconnect the fittings, remove the cables or make safe or install new cabling to the new fittings. Test new circuits and let plasterer do his bit.

 

[simonjcummings]

Do I just switch off power, remove wires of lights from terminal blocks, wrap block in insulating tape and push it back in wall and switch power back on?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No.

1) Such an arrangement would not be safe for plastering over.

2) You cannot leave live cables in the walls that no longer supply anything, as nobody will know they are there, and could drill into them in the future. This can be, and has been, fatal.

You must disconnect the cables from where they join the lighting circuit.

 

[jtaunton]

The theory says that the wires should go in conduit when laid in plaster.

So if you're lucky, you can disconnect the wires at the light switch and then pull them through.

But if you're being replastered, it shouldn't really matter if you just yank 'em out anyway.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The theory says that the wires should go in conduit when laid in plaster.

There is no requirement for that - it may be good practice but it's not often done.

 

[simonjcummings]

Not sure if I feel competant enough to start messing around too much with the wiring in my house. Would a good compromise be to leave wires attached to terminal blocks where the lights were and let plasterer do his bit with wires still sticking out of wall and ceiling (wrapped in tape and connected to blocks); then get electrician to fit new lights and remove old wiring. (I could use polyfilla or something to cover the holes left when the wiring is removed).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And what if the old wiring can't be removed without damaging the new plaster? Or even the old plaster, leaving more new plastering to be done?

 

[jtaunton]

Can you not get the electrician to do his bit before the plasterer does his ?? Otherowise it may be more than just holes that you have to Polyfilla over...

 

[simonjcummings]

the plasterer is coming on Friday so I won't be able to get the electrician to come before then. By the sound of it, it may be better to leave the wiring in place and simply replace the lighting using the same wiring. Alternatively, could the wiring be attached to some sort of back plate which maybe I could cover with a picture?

 

[mapj1]

Please get away from tape and choc bloc. despite the name, insulating tape is only really useful for labelling, and very temporary bodges in car wiring.
Any wall fitting that is being totally removed, pull the wire back, until you reach the point where it joins the main wiring, and disconnect it there - probably at flor or ceiling level.
As regards ceiling lights, you can replace a ceiling rose with an identically wired junction box in the loft, and wire any new fitting from that.