Space behind illuminated bathroom mirror

[EFLImpudence]

Ok. Here goes.

Why do you want a back box?

Why cannot the cable just come out of the wall and into the mirror (ideally at the correct location, but if not known...) as it would with any similar appliance like a shaver light or indeed any kind of light on the wall or ceiling?

 

[Murdochcat]

Why cannot the cable just come out of the wall and into the mirror (ideally at the correct location, but if not known...) as it would with any similar appliance like a shaver light or indeed any kind of light on the wall or ceiling?

Because there is no mirror as yet ?

 

[Murdochcat]

The topic is the likelihood of there being a void behind and illuminated mirror,

As per my earlier response MANY mirrors do NOT have a void behind them

Why are you so determined to over complicate matters? I could say as usual!

 

[EFLImpudence]

So - if I remove a wall light until I get a new one, do I have to fit a back box?

 

[JohnW2]

Why do you want a back box?

I don't necessarily. However, I do need to do something to 'make safe' the ends of a live cable for a period (p[probably months, maybe longer) until (if!) a mirror is installed.

Why cannot the cable just come out of the wall and into the mirror (ideally at the correct location, but if not known...) as it would with any similar appliance like a shaver light ....

I could but, as above, not until quite a long time into the future when (if) the mirror is installed. Furthermore, I suspect that it might be easier to wire the mirror with flex from a 'connection point', rather than doing it in T+E. By analogy ....

..... or indeed any kind of light on the wall or ceiling?

... I would not dream of having a lampholder dangling from the ceiling (i.e. 'pendant') on the end of T+E

 

[JohnW2]

As per my earlier response MANY mirrors do NOT have a void behind them

Yes, but that is your opinion and/or experience, not necessarily shared by everyone else ...

The one i have just installed in the ensuite has a 20mm void behind it so will comfortable accept a blanking plate on a recessed backbox.

It's more than a fair assumption to expect a small recess but i suppose just to be sure you could always set in a round conduit box with a flush lid then you have it covered either way.

Why are you so determined to over complicate matters? I could say as usual!

I asked a very simple question ("is it luikely that...?" to which a simple yes/no opinion would be adequate in reesposnse. It is YOU, and only you, who has over-complicated the thread.

Are you trying to 'ruin this thread', , perhaps out of some sort of spite/

 

[EFLImpudence]

I don't necessarily. However, I do need to do something to 'make safe' the ends of a live cable for a period (p[probably months, maybe longer) until (if!) a mirror is installed.

Is that beyond your capabilities?

I could but, as above, not until quite a long time into the future when (if) the mirror is installed. Furthermore, I suspect that it might be easier to wire the mirror with flex from a 'connection point', rather than doing it in T+E. By analogy ....

Then use flex all the way.

... I would not dream of having a lampholder dangling from the ceiling (i.e. 'pendant') on the end of T+E

Don't be silly. That is not what I wrote.



Yes, it is likely the mirror will have a gap behind but you might buy one that does not.



Has someone else taken over JohnW2's identity? I find this thread rather hard to believe.

 

[JohnW2]

So - if I remove a wall light until I get a new one, do I have to fit a back box?

Of course not - but (as I need not tell you) nor should you leave unprotected potentially live conductors sticking out of the wall until you'get a new light (and even more so if that was not likely to be for quite a long time)

 

[EFLImpudence]

Of course not

There you go.

- but (as I need not tell you) nor should you leave unprotected potentially live conductors sticking out of the wall until you'get a new light (and even more so if that was not likely to be for quite a long time)

You need not, but you did.

Now - what on earth could I do to make it safe?

 

[JohnW2]

Is that beyond your capabilities?

This is getting very hard going, and makes me sympathetic to those who come here who ask very simple questions!

Of course there are other ways in which I could make the situation safe. However, you don't seem to have grasped the fact that (per my OP) I am "making provision for the (possible) future installation' of an illuminated mirror - so I want some which is aesthetically reasonable in the meantime (and possibly even 'for ever'.

Then use flex all the way.

No comment!

Yes, it is likely the mirror will have a gap behind ....

Thank you. That is an answer to the (only) question UI asked, and corresponds to my expectations. But ....

but you might buy one that does not.

No I wouldn't. If I wanted to leave a protruding blank plate behind it (although I now don't think that would actually be necessary, anyway), I would obviously buy one which had the necessary gap! As you say (and as I expected) it would seem likely that there are many out there which do have gaps.

 

[JohnW2]

Now - what on earth could I do to make it safe?

You know at least as many ways of skinning that cat as I do.

However, as I've just written, I want something which is aesthetically acceptable, for quite a long time, maybe for ever.

 

[JohnW2]

@EFLImpudence ... back on-topic, I should have asked you (as I asked Murdo) whether you see any reason why I couldn't leave Wagos or a connector block 'exposed' (to the back of a mirror) once the mirror was attached (screwed/whatever) to the wall in front of them/it?

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

back on-topic, I should have asked you (as I asked Murdo) whether you see any reason why I couldn't leave Wagos or a connector block 'exposed' (to the back of a mirror) once the mirror was attached (screwed/whatever) to the wall in front of them/it?

No, I do not see any reason why you cannot do that nor would I call it exposed.

However, nor do I see a reason why you need to do that and join with anything.
I maintain that it would be better to install (small) flex long enough to reach the mirror connections.

I think in your circumstances because of aesthetics, we/you have decided that this could be stored in a back box with a blank plate which may be discarded in future if there is no room for it.

 

[EFLImpudence]

One question - is the basin in place already?

 

[JohnW2]

No, I do not see any reason why you cannot do that nor would I call it exposed.

Thanks. Nor would I call it 'exposed' in the normal sense, which is why I wrote "... 'exposed' (to the back of a mirror) ..."

That view obviously relies to some extent on the mirror being 'fixed' to the wall ('cannot be removed without use of a tool'). If the mirror could simply be 'lifted off', then people might be less happy, probably with good reason.

However, nor do I see a reason why you need to do that and join with anything. I maintain that it would be better to install (small) flex long enough to reach the mirror connections.

That's obviously a possibility. However, the feed will be coming from a lighting circuit which is ('as the cable flies') a good few metres from the mirror position, and I wouldn't normally use flex for that.

.... just as for, say, a hard-wired cooker, the final bit of cable is obviously flex, but I would not run flex all the way back to the origin of the circuit.

I think in your circumstances because of aesthetics, we/you have decided that this could be stored in a back box with a blank plate which may be discarded in future if there is no room for it.

Yes, that could be done but, as above only if I used flex all the way back to wherever i was getting the feed from. Would you do that?

I wouldn't say that it is all that unusual to have hard-wired loads fed by a short length of cable (usually flex) from a nearby 'connector' of some sort, is it?> In fact, at least some of the wall lights in my house have such ';local connectors'

Kind Regards, John