How to wire an old pull-down light

[misspiggy]

I have recently purchased an old second-hand light (pull down variety). The light comes with no backing plate or ceiling fitting. Basically it has a large black cover over the mechanics that operate the pulley. There are 3 wires that come out of the top with a hook to secure it to the ceiling. I have tried to wire it in to a conventional ceiling rose backplate but there is no room for the hook. My question is, how can I wire this light fitting to the ceiling without the conventional ceiling rose, so that I can have room to fit a conector to the ceiling so that the hook in the light can fix to it?
Is it possible for me to fix the corresponding ceiling wires to the wires from the light directly?

In anticiaption...
MP

 

[Blakey1]

You can remove the ceiling rose and us a connector block to join wires to new light, as long as you keep you loop (red/brown) together, switched live to live on light and neutral to neutral on light, and of coarse your earths together. Hope this helps.

 

[bernardgreen]

It is best to hang these lamps from a hook screwed into a joist and not to plaster. While a hook into the plaster may hold it at first the repeated pulling down can weaken the plaster enough that eventually the plaster cracks.

Leave the ceiling rose in place but remove the two core pendant flex and replace with a 3 core flex from the rose to the lamp. Three core as the lamp must be earthed,

 

[misspiggy]

Great, thanks for all the advice. I think that I will get a connector as there isn't room to leave the ceiling rose in place. I presume I can fix the connector to the ceiling?

MP

 

[sparkyspike]

The best way would be to connect all the wiring into terminal blocks, pop these into a 'choc-box' terminal box and then pop it into the ceiling void. Leave a hole in the ceiling large enough for the 'choc-box' to be withdrawn if required, and close enough to the joist so that the hook fixing plate covers the hole and you can still get a screw into the joist.

Using a junction box on the ceiling next to the hook will look messy and you will see the cables going in and out of it.

 

[sparkyspike]

This is a choc box. And you can use these to connect the cables up with.

 

[misspiggy]

Marvellous stuff - many thanks for your help.
Just one more question - promise...

What Amp terminal block should I get? I can see them at 3A, 5A, 15A and 30A.

many thanks
MP

PS. yes, I think those are your feet!

 

[sparkyspike]

PS. yes, I think those are your feet!

Thank goodness for that!

Get the 5 amp blocks.

Put them in the choc box and then trim the cables to fit so that the sheath sits nicely under the plastic clamp. The plastic clamp screws into the two small holes at each end of the box and stops the cables from being pulled out.

 

[misspiggy]

Thanks so much sparkyspike - if you don't hear from me again then it has been a resounding success (or I will have blown myself and the entire street up)!


MP