12 volt downlight installation

Now we have the required hole cut out from the plasterboard. We now need to feed the wires into these holes so that we can connect them to the downlights. Downlights are wired in a radial circuit and so the feed wire goes to the first light in the circuit and then from the first to the second and then from the second to the third etc. When you get to the last light on the circuit the wire is terminated into the last light and so there will only be one wire at the last light fitting, as opposed to two at all the others.

Here we have two wires for the first light on the circuit. These two wires need terminating into a suitable connector and then the down light needs wiring into this also. You will notice that these wires are the old colours.

This is the last light on the circuit and as you can see there is only one wire. This will be terminated into a suitable connector and the last lamp on the circuit will be connected to this. Some people call these a Chocbox and other people call them connector covers.

These are ideal for this type of installation as they provide a good means of successfully connecting the cables. This is the last light on the circuit and so there is only one circuit wire. All the other lights will have two circuit wires, wired into the chocbox. The cables are held in place at each end by the cord grips and then wired into the connector strip. The downlights that I am fitting do not require an earth and so I have terminated the earth into a spare terminal. Do not cut the earth off as it may be needed if you ever replace the lights.

Install downlights. New rules have been introduced for electrical safety in the home, please read this document by clicking here, before starting any electrical work Before working on any electrical circuit you must ensure that it is isolated correctly and cannot accidentally be switched back on. Please read the article on safe isolation procedures before doing any electrical work. Building regulations are changing all the time and modifying your home electrics could be against new rules and could invalidate your home insurance, if in doubt check first!

Downlights can really brighten up a dull room! Fasten the chocbox closed with the screw provided and then push this up inside of the hole. We have several telephones calls a week into the office where people have had integrated LED downlights supplied and fitted by their electricians only to find a period of time late one or more has failed.

They are then in a position that the model they have is no longer available and as the whole unit has to be replaced they cannot find one to match the rest in the ceiling.

A customer just recently viewed a house on the market that was very open plan with over 60 fittings, he saw that three were not working but assumed he could replace the lamps when he moved in. When he moved in he discovered they were integrated LED's, the model was no longer available and after a lot of searching came to the realization that all the downlights would have to be changed.

If he'd known this before he would have made it a condition of the sale that they were all replaced. Then if the LED fails it is really easy to change the Lamp bulb and all issues are averted. The LED lamps that we sell by Eglo all have a five year guarantee on them, so if you do have a failure then you can get a free of charge replacement. Some of the best LED lamps on the market the manufacturers still expect a 2 to 3 percent failure rate! Decide where you wish to place your chosen downlights measuring out the ceiling and marking the central point of the light.

Now drill a small pilot hole through the ceiling. You should be able to see a small pinprick of light coming through the ceiling where you drilled the pilot holes. If you are unable to view the ceiling from above, it gets trickier. The best way is to determine which way the joists run and what the spacing of them are. You could then use an old wire coat hanger bent at a angle to the width of the downlight.

Insert the wire through the hole until the bend is through. Now twist the wire a full and hopefully it will not bump into any obstructions. Remember that it is good practice to make sure there is more room around where the downlight is to be fitted so that the downlight is not positioned too close to a joist or other obstacle.

A 6 inch gap should be maintained around the downlight to ensure the fitting does not overheat. In the instructions or on the box of the downlights it will say what the cut-out for that downlight will be.

For the best results I will generally use a hole saw a type of drill bit to the correct size of the downlight which can be purchased very cheaply from most DIY stores.

Alternatively, the use of a plasterboard saw Pad Saw can be used which eliminates the need for a drill and hole saw.