Kitchen ceiling spotlight help

[mrbreckles]

Disaster.
Im renting and the bulb went in one of the 6 spotlights in the kitchen. So, purchased a new one, come to fit it and the actual fixture itself has moved.

unfortunatly i cant take pictures so ive used my amazing skills with paint to try and illustrate the problem.

The red bit i have off as it just twists off but in doing that i created my problem.

Where the metal spring-clips are, well, they are currently sat above the ceiling. where ive put lines in black are where there are 2 other longer pieces of the same type. These move when the smaller spring ones move, im assuming these longer ones will lie flat against the ceiling (the top of it that is) and the 2 smaller ones provide the tension which holds the thing in place within the hole.
I need to get both of these smaller bits in the hole however im only able to get one down because i cant fit a finger in the other side to pull the other one down at the same time. So this is leaving the whole thing lop-sided, without any tension on the one side.

How can i go about sorting this? Also, i live in a rented apartment so access from above is a no-no.

Really appreciate any help.

Untitled

• mrbreckles
• 12 Jan 2010
• 1

 

[wingcoax]

Can you push the fitting back flush? If you can then grip either side with finger tips and pull down evenly. this may require some effort.

 

[mrbreckles]

i can push the fitting so it goes completely up. i can see the floorboards/concrete of the above apartment's floor.
So basically grip either side of the fitting and pull down until the 2 smaller clips are forced down and to spring out under the edge of the hole ? Wont this be to much force and break the ceiling?

Thanks for the advice, i'm not complaining, just very wary as its rented.

 

[wingcoax]

As mister punch would say "Thats the way to do it"

 

[333rocky333]

From within the fitting with the lamp out, you will see the spring spanning across two lugs, just unclip the spring there, then retrieve it once the fittings out.
Be carefull it dont ping above the ceiling so you cannot retreive it.

 

[333rocky333]

Wont this be to much force and break the ceiling?

If both parts of one spring are above the ceiling, then it will break a big lump out the ceiling if you just pull it down.

 

[mrbreckles]

right, what i've done is pushthe fitting up all the way and turned it on its side so i could grab the levers on the one side with a finger and pull them through, then just pulled down hard and the other one popped through with a pretty big bang bit it worked. Worked in the sense that all i need to do now is to push it back up again but only so the top levers (the long ones, pop back through and sit flush with the other side of the ceiling. This is going to make another bang so i'll leave that for tomorrow when i get back from work.


Thanks again both of you for the advice

 

[333rocky333]

Hold the short legs to the fitting as you push it in.
This takes the pressure off the edge of the hole and reduce the risk of chipping it, release gently as you push it up