garden mains voltage

[perleman]

Hi
Our house was wired up in about 2005. We have a consumer unit with one RCD.
We have some outdoor lighting that is all connected to the house with armored cable
There is an IP65 junction box that then runs non-armored mains voltage to 5 up lighters in our decking, each is about 2m from the junction box or less
Each uplighter has it's own transformer built in to the unit
One of the transformers blew so I dismantled the unit, took it out and put in a GU10 lampholder + a GU10 LED bulb (I have no intention of running halogen)
Is there any problem with this? My thinking was that mains voltage was running to the uplighters anyway so it doesn't make a difference what the internals are as long as it still stays sealed & doesn't run any hotter which it won't with an LED lamp.

 

[bernardgreen]

Is there a problem ?

Probably several

Is the modified lamp water proof ? What is the IP rating ? After modifying it the IP rating may no longer be true.

Can you fully isolate the uplighters with a double pole isolator ? If not water getting into the 230 volt lamp is likely to trip the RCD and until the lamp dries out or is isolated it may be impossible to reset the RCD.

Is the modified lamp fully double isolated ? If not is the earth connection effective ?

Can the lamp withstand a heavily loaded stilletto heel without shattering and exposing live wires ?

 

[perleman]

Is there a problem ?

Probably several

Is the modified lamp water proof ? What is the IP rating ? After modifying it the IP rating may no longer be true.

Can you fully isolate the uplighters with a double pole isolator ? If not water getting into the 230 volt lamp is likely to trip the RCD and until the lamp dries out or is isolated it may be impossible to reset the RCD.

Is the modified lamp fully double isolated ? If not is the earth connection effective ?

Can the lamp withstand a heavily loaded stilletto heel without shattering and exposing live wires ?

Thanks for the advice so far

It's not modified externally & I only opened the bit that you open to change the lamp when I removed the transformer, I didn't break, remove or modify any seals.

Good point about isolator, should I install something like this at the wall junction box...
http://www.screwfix.com/p/ip65-isolator-switch-25a/15054

None of the lamps were earthed initially, they were running 12V lamps before but there was 240v running to each unit from the junction box

Re stiletto... this would be the same as before I modified it

 

[bernardgreen]

http://www.screwfix.com/search?search=double+pole+fcu

 

[perleman]

aren't they all internal ones?

 

[diyer56]

aren't they all internal ones?

By adding the internal FCU that Bernard shows, with a double pole isolator, you can isolate all external wiring and prevent the RCD protecting your house circuits from being tripped by an fault in your external wiring. Adding the external isolator that you linked would only isolate the installation after this point and therefore any faults with the isolator itself (e.g. water ingress) would cause the house RCD to trip.

 

[stem]

Aren't they all internal ones?

Yes,

We have some outdoor lighting that is all connected to the house

It can be mounted internally, as the outdoor circuit originates inside the house. That way, if there is a 'tripping' problem caused by rain ingress, you can isolate the circuit without getting wet

 

[perleman]

My key concern though is if there an inherrant problem with changing the internals over from transformer with 12v to 240v given that the units all had 240v going to them assuming that I didn't modify the external propoerties of the unit.

BTW there is a seperate trip for the outside lights on the consumer unit, is this sufficient for me not to need to put the 2 pole isolator in?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Probably not.

Unless it is a double pole MCB (vanishingly unlikely), or a double pole RCBO then it won't isolate the neutral, so if you get a N-E fault out there then you won't have a switch which will stop it from tripping the RCD.

 

[perleman]

OK I can fit a DP isolator no problem
Is the removing of the internal transformer & putting in a 240v lampholder an issue in itself?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I wouldn't risk it.

A luminaire could well not need to be earthed if the internal wiring was all 12V, but not be safe unearthed when there's 230V inside it.

 

[perleman]

OK thanks for all the help I think I'll buy a new unit to be safe and also fit the isolator
THanks