Terminating cables.

[600rob]

Hi I've got a couple of under unit lights mounted on the underside of the wall units in my kitchen that I want to remove.

In terms of the old lighting wiring I wanted to use one of those maintenance free termination blocks for the wires. The only problem I have is that there is only about 18mm clearance between the back of the wall and the wall unit for me to hide a termination box which I think will be too small.

Does anyone know of a low profile termination box and where I might find such a thing?

Failing that what are my other alternatives without having to remove the wall units?

 

[RF Lighting]

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/AAJB20S.html screwed to the underside of the cabinet will be fine.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi I've got a couple of under unit lights mounted on the underside of the wall units in my kitchen that I want to remove.

Isn't lighting under the wall units very useful?

 

[600rob]

Hi I've got a couple of under unit lights mounted on the underside of the wall units in my kitchen that I want to remove.

Isn't lighting under the wall units very useful?

Nope, the halogens in the ceiling provide more than enough light. Plus these under unit lights are old and dated. Hence they need to go.

I'll terminate the wires for now and if I ever decide I want to install more up to date lighting at a later date I'll still have all the wiring in place.

 

[600rob]

Isn't lighting under the wall units very useful?

Nope, the halogens in the ceiling provide more than enough light. Plus these under unit lights are old and dated. Hence they need to go.

I'll terminate the wires for now and if I ever decide I want to install more up to date lighting at a later date I'll still have all the wiring in place safely housed in the junction boxes.[/quote]

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

What you need to do is find the were the lights are supplied/fed from and disconnect at that point, it could be fused connection, it could be a switch.

Maintenance free boxes are not designed to be buried in the walls, and by burying the terminals and cable ends, it is very possible you will then hide the fact that live cables are still present in the wall, as you will have then taken them out of the permitted safe zone.

Is it would be either mean terminating them behind a visible accessory such as blank plate or disconnecting the supply.

 

[600rob]

What you need to do is find the were the lights are supplied/fed from and disconnect at that point, it could be fused connection, it could be a switch.

Maintenance free boxes are not designed to be buried in the walls, and by burying the terminals and cable ends, it is very possible you will then hide the fact that live cables are still present in the wall, as you will have then taken them out of the permitted safe zone.

Is it would be either mean terminating them behind a visible accessory such as blank plate or disconnecting the supply.

Hi I changed my mind about terminating at the lights end would like to do something along the lines of what you say because the fused switch that feeds the lights is in an awkward place for the tiling job I'm doing.

I want to remove the switch and tile straight over the fused switch here

View media item 80825
Can i find and disconnect the supply to this switch then just bury the cables in the wall safely?

 

[flameport]

The supply is probably a cable entering from below, as there is a filled chase in the wall above and below the FCU.
It is likely to supply the socket to the left as well.
If it does, then removing the FCU will also disconnect the socket, so the socket will need to be repositioned where the FCU is, and the cables reconnected to that appropriately.

Leaving ends of cable buried in a wall is not acceptable, and neither is having the cables coming up and then to the left into the existing socket.

 

[xr4x4]

I would say it's the other what round.

Socket is supplying fcu, fcu to lights.

 

[600rob]

Here is what it looks like with the switch and sockets off


View media item 80826

 

[flameport]

That's certainly an odd choice of wiring by whoever fitted them.

The double socket can stay there.

The easiest solution for the switch would be to put a single socket there instead, the two cables from below connected to the socket, and the single cable above cut off (this is what would supply the old lights).

If you want to get rid of the switch and tile over it, those two cables entering from below will have to be removed completely, which will probably mean digging behind the cupboards below to find where the cables go, and in any event both cables will need to be joined together permanently in an enclosure.

 

[DaftPunk]

The cables feeding the fcu look smaller to me than those feeding the socket.

 

[sparkwright]

The cables feeding the fcu look smaller to me than those feeding the socket.

I reckon the double socket was a cooker panel once.

 

[sparkwright]

You're better off keeping the lights and switch, always a good feature.

Or turning the fused switch into a single socket.

 

[600rob]

You're better off keeping the lights and switch, always a good feature.

Or turning the fused switch into a single socket.

Yes mate you're right. On second thoughts is far less hassle for me to leave it as is for now rather than trace back cables under work tops and start disconnecting stuff.

As much as we never use the lights, with the new tiles I'm doing the mrs will probably decide she wants some new lights to match sooner or later so Ill keep everything as it is just in case,

Cheers