can i use terminal blocks for fluorescent connections?

[fuzzyone]

Hi guys,

In the garage I have what i believe is a 4 way junction box, on the ceiling there were 2 rose pendants which i'm removing and now installing 2 fluorescent lights. I havent wired them up yet as the existing cables are not long enough. I've bought longer 3 core cables.

my quesiton is, can i use terminal blocks to connect the power/ground/neutrel?

As in, 1 wire will be power connects to the terminal block and other end have 2 feeds to the lights, same again for ground and neutrel. Though not sure where neutrel will come from as it only existing in the old rose pendant casing.

can i make my own neutral by earth it to the metal case of each housing?

So it seems one cable coming from the junction goes up to the ceiling and that feeds the old light, i want to patch into that cable and extend it. Bit lazy i know but can i do that without rewiring as the existing cable is stapled to the wall and i have painted it recently. In hindsight, I should have done it properly and rewired the whole thing.

thanks for the help!

 

[dormermike]

Ta da!

And this, ladies and gentleman, is presumably why Part P et al were introduced.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

can i make my own neutral by earth it to the metal case of each housing?

And that staggeringly dangerous, ignorant and illegal notion alone is absolute proof that the only thing anyone here should consider telling you is to please get an electrician before you kill someone.

 

[Chri5]

Sorry but you really are not skilled enough to do the work.

Why not retain the roses and get new long flex and run that from the existing roses to the new fittings?

 

[fuzzyone]

Hence why this forum was created

I can retain the roses and run the 3 cables to the fluorescent from them both.

Ah in hindsight I worded it wrong, let me try again.

Current setup: from junction box, 1 cable go up and feeds into the first rose, this rose is too short to go to the first fluorescent light. There's another feed from the first rose to the 2nd.

Now I want to use fluorescent fixtures. It has live, neutral and earth.

How shall I proceed, should use a flex cable and connect to the first rose and run it to the new fixture. Then add another cable from the first rose and run it to the 2nd fixture? Initially the terminal blocks is was an idea for connecting the cables together but I dont need it with the setup above.

 

[Chri5]

If the current set up is ok, as in the lights work and switch how you want. I'd mimic the existing set up and simple run 3 core (the strips have an earth) flex from each rose to each fitting.

If say each rose is on a different switch, and you want one switch both lights then daisy chain. Flex from one rose to first fitting and flex from fitting one to fitting two.

You don't give me much confidence, so please isolate the supply, check you have isolated, double check you have isolated etc.

 

[fuzzyone]

It's already daisy chained with 1 switch.

I'll leave the first rose and have 2 flex cables from the rose to the 2 new flourescent. The fixtures already have a neutral terminal on both, so guess I'll use the rose to connect like for like.

I wasnt sure hence why I asked, I replaced all ceiling lights like for like, rewired my boiler pcb and recabled th water pump.

 

[EFLImpudence]

The fixtures already have a neutral terminal

I am mystified why you keep saying this - or similar.

Do you think they would work if they had not?
Or - have you appliances which do not have a neutral terminal?

 

[fuzzyone]

I was a bit confused because there's 3 cable going into the rose, then another ground and live into the bulb holder. Surely I take the connection where the 3 cables are and not from here the wire connects to the bulb holder.

That was where I was confused.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I was a bit confused because there's 3 cable going into the rose, then another ground Not ground, this will be the neutral, and live into the bulb holder. Surely I take the connection where the 3 cables are and not from here the wire connects to the bulb holder.

You will not be using these two WIRES.

Just connect the main wires to the fluorescent fitting.
Red or Brown to L
Black or Blue to N
Green&Yellow to E - or this symbol

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I still think that we have someone here who doesn't really understand the difference between earth and neutral....

 

[sparkwright]

Send pictures so we can check exactly what have there.

Any ceiling rose will contain a switched live, a neutral and nowadays an earth.

There MAY also be permanent live wires connected in the centre terminal, but you wouldn't connect the light fitting directly to this.

So, at each rose, you would connect your flex to the terminals where the lampholder flex goes to. And get the earth from the earth terminal.

Don't start changing things, you are just copying the existing wiring, but including an earth from the earth terminal.

Earth is earth, neutral is neutral. Don't know why you are trying to combine the two. If there is no earth connection, you can't fit metal lights.

Back to your orginal topic heading, you (or someone more experienced hopefully) can remove the rose and fit the fluorescent over it. You can do a joint inside with connector blocks and run a short piece of 3 core flex to the fluorescent connector block.

You have an appalling lack of knowledge in this matter and need to learn more before even contemplating this work and I strongly advise you get an electrician to do this for you.

 

[fuzzyone]

i think i started this thread off very badly, forgive me as I was tired and working abroad and not doing the actual work till i'm back in a few days.

ok so from the junction box, the cable (3 core) is too short to go to the first new fixture (has L/N/G) so rather than re-wire it (the wall is painted) I want to patch a new 3 core flex cable using terminal blocks (what ampage), can i do this? if not then lets move on, I can use the existing rose without the bulb holder and from there patch 2 flex cables into the terminals which comes from the junction box. Then route these to the new fixture terminals (L/N/G).

I'm just trying to see if I can do without the rose as its just serving as a terminal block in the new setup. The wiring is the same, 2 lights running from 1 switch.

The flourescent light is 58W each, the old bulbs were the halogen 60W.

 

[fuzzyone]

This post is very old but thought i'd update this.

Again I've confused some bits in my wording however this was done when i got back from my trip and works perfectly. I'm no strange to electrics just not a pro at explaining it all.

I extended the connector block so its out of sight, rewired with new 3 core flex cables to the same area but I installed fluorescent lights and both come on at a flick of a switch.

In hindsight, I would get the tubes with more watts, guess I'll wait till they go bust before replacing them.

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[dhutch]

Scary.