Wall lights - pull cord - options

[kuytd]

Hi.

I have two wall lights in my front room, they are both operated individually from their own pull cord. I am decorating the room, and want to replace these lights as they are a very old style.

There are not many new lights with this pull cord, and of the few i have found, most look horrid. So, is there any way of using normal wall lights, without running cables through the walls?..

 

[OwainDIYer]

are the wall lights not switched at all?

You would need to find where the cables go (probably up to the floor of the room above) and insert a switch.

You can get wireless switches eg
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_In...arden_and_Lantern_Index/EasySwitch/index.html

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The lights are supplied with a permanent live, so if you want them on a regular light switch you'll have to change the wiring - what's access like from above?

As for not running cables through walls, that would be possible, but IMO cables fixed to the surface of the wall, or in surface mount trunking, look sh*te.

 

[kuytd]

Trunking on walls does look rubbish unless youre in some industrial conversion, would rather have cra**y lights than that.

The switches I do have are for the celing lights and landing, plenty of randon cables going to them but not for the wall lights.

Access from above would not be too bad, don'tknow how I would locate and feed cables from there though....

 

[kuytd]

That wireless switch looks very clever...

 

[Steve]

The wireless switch is clever, but you need somewhere for the reciever - either behind the light or in the ceiling. Either way you need to change the batteries in both the switch and the reciever, and the kit is expensive!

Can you get to the other side of the wall? My wall lights are on the wall adjoining the stairwell, I could go through that and have cables in there.

 

[kuytd]

These are on the outside wall...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I am decorating the room

So why can't you run new switch drop cables chased into the walls?

 

[kuytd]

OK, more to the point, I have already decorated the room. But also, my walls are odd. They are hollow, but not studded. Instead they have some kind of cardboard honeycombe inside them...