replacing ceiling pendant with 10x gu10 downlighters

[googlepeakoil]

Hi. I am wishing to replace my ceiling pendant light with mains downlighers gu10's (either 2 rows of 4 or a rectangle of 10). I've bought 10 x 7watt fluorescents so the wattage will be low (but for future compatibility somebody might want to fit 10x50watt halogen though god help their electricity bill) I have been advised to wire them as 2 seperate lines coming out of the old ceiling pendant (4 or 5 per line depending on if i go for 8 or 10). However each gu10 connector only has 2 connections (+ and minus). How can it be wired in series if each gu10 only has room for a lead to go in - not for both an in and an out (room for 2 cables).
I was hoping i'd be able to do a formation like this:
O==O==O==O==O==[pendant]==O==O==O==O==O
if that makes sense. Each == is the cable and the O's are the downlights.

 

[Chri5]

You must wire the lights to take any max load, so lets work on them being 240v / 50w x 10 / 230= 2.2a (ish).

Wire them all in one circuit pendant ==0==0==0==0==0==0==0==0==0==0.

Cable with either 1.0mm TE or 1.5mm TE. You should have no problems getting live and neutral x 2 correctly terminated under the choc blocks that come standard.
The GU10 fittings should come with a 3rd terminal for earth, even if this is simply a connection point (rather than being functional).

Then all you have to do is wire the neutral to the neutrals in the pendant and the live of your cable to the GU10's via the switched live, which takes the live down to the switch and back up to the live feed in the pendant / ceiling fitting.

Make sure all earths, even if not used are sleeved and terminated and that the switch wire has sleeving (normal = brown) to ID them as switch wires.

 

[securespark]

Lights are not wired in series, but parallel.

Surely the fittings have space for two incoming cables? If not terminate each drop into a JB and take flex to the fitting.

 

[Chri5]

We don't like JB's in in-accessable places

If the choc blocs are too small you're either wiring in 2.5mm TE or you have bought some rubbish from the Eastern area of the World.

The alternative is to replace the small substandard choc blocks with one's of a suitable size to take the cable and the 2 wires that feed the juice on to the fitting

 

[googlepeakoil]

You must wire the lights to take any max load, so lets work on them being 240v / 50w x 10 / 230= 2.2a (ish).

Wire them all in one circuit pendant ==0==0==0==0==0==0==0==0==0==0.

Cable with either 1.0mm TE or 1.5mm TE. You should have no problems getting live and neutral x 2 correctly terminated under the choc blocks that come standard.
The GU10 fittings should come with a 3rd terminal for earth, even if this is simply a connection point (rather than being functional).

Then all you have to do is wire the neutral to the neutrals in the pendant and the live of your cable to the GU10's via the switched live, which takes the live down to the switch and back up to the live feed in the pendant / ceiling fitting.

Make sure all earths, even if not used are sleeved and terminated and that the switch wire has sleeving (normal = brown) to ID them as switch wires.

I have bought 6m of 1mm wire (twin and earth) - but might need to buy some more.
The chocblocks you speak of are about 1cm by 2cm with a tiny screw in each corner and a flap bit in the middle. 1 end is wired with the special (heat-resistant?) cable to the back of the gu10 socket.
I was expecting the chocblocks to be more of a T junction so i didn't have to cut that 6m of cable into 10 lengths - but I think i see what i need to do...
When you say "Wire them all in one circuit pendant" do you mean wire them in one big loop rather than 2 spurs? And that each gu10 chocblock should have a wire going in and a wire going out (2 in the choc-block).
Yep will have a look for the Earths... it's all going to be a bit tricky as I'm taking up the bathrooms old flooring (which needs replacing anyway) to get to the cables and will have to be drilling some tiny holes through the joists to get the wires round.
PS. The lights are a pack of GU10's 4 pack from Wickes (8 quid down from 12) - so probably some cheap Chinese stuff - but they look the part and dont have a back so can fit the larger 7watt fluorescents without sticking out the front!
thanks for the replies all - this was my first post here!

 

[r.bartlett]

I have 9 in our kitchen currently c/w 50w halogens. I have arranged them so there are two separate circuits so the switching is
1 x 4 or
1 x 5 or
2 x 9

This is better than an all or nothing and you may possibly regret not doing this when the floor boards were up. (assuming you can run the 2 x 1.00mm T&E needed to the new double switch

Cheers

Richard

 

[securespark]

We don't like JB's in in-accessable places

What's the difference between a JB in a ceiling void accessible when the fitting is removed, and integral connections on the same light fitting??