In this, part 2 of our article on fitting wall lights, you will learn how to connect your new lights up to the power and finish off your installation.
Switching
Assuming you would like to use your existing switch to operate your new lights, you will need to run more wires from the switch to the ceiling in the same way described above. You may need to knock out an extra plate on the back of the switch housing to feed your new wiring through. The wiring in the switch is very straight forward and you should be able to simply mirror the existing wiring. Just remember you must mark the neutral wire with red tape as this is now a switched live wire.
The process is still the same if you wish to add a new switch especially for your wall lights. Simply find a location for it, chisel out the path for the wiring, attach the switch and feed the wiring into the ceiling, then plaster back over the wires.
Preparing the Feed
In order to power your new lights, you will need to add to the existing lighting circuit. To do this, simply find a live wire above the ceiling (the wires that join junction boxes together), cut the wire and insert a new junction box and wire feed. This is a simple operation as there are only 3 of each live, neutral and earth (including your new set) to connect. You now have a new feed from the supply for your new lights.
Finishing Off
All that is left now is to connect the wiring above the ceiling. Simply run your new feed into a new 4-way junction box and connect your switch and two wall lights to it. All 4 earth wires go to the same terminal, the 3 neutral wires from the feed and two lights go to the same terminal, the 2 live wires from the feed and the switch go to the same terminal, the wire returning from the switch will need to be marked as a live wire by placing red insulation tape over it as this is now the switched live and this wire should be connected to the same terminal as the two live wires from the lights. The installation of your new wall lights is now complete, so you can turn the power back on and test them out!
Still not common by any standards, wall lights can add a real touch of class to a room, especially when combined with a dimmer switch. You may think that you have to hire a professional electrician for a job like this but it is something that can be done DIY with the right tools and some effort. In this 2-part article we will talk about how to fit wall lights, beginning in this part with fitting the lights and continuing in the next talking about switches and powering your lights. Before you begin any electrical work in your home make sure you fully understand the rules and regulations set in place by the ODPM. You should check the New Rules for Electrical Safety in the Home, and Approved Document P – Electrical Safety.
Safety First
Before you even think about touching those wires, shut off the power. Although this may seem pretty obvious, a lot of people still fail to remember this essential (and potentially life-saving) step. Turn your electricity off at the mains, and to be extra safe, take out the fuse for the circuit you will be working on as this will prevent any accidents.
Fitting the Lights
The most common place for wall lights is on either side of a chimney breast or in some sort of alcove in the room. When choosing where to put your wall lights, you will also need to consider where you will run the wires from. Usually the wires will be run from the ceiling circuit, but in some cases where there happens to be a decorative feature in place at the top of your chosen wall, you may find it easier to run wiring from the floor instead.
Once you have chosen the spot for your lights, you will need to fix them to the wall and run wires through the ceiling. To do this, chisel out a path from the plaster on the wall (being careful to avoid damaging any wires you may find) and carefully drill a 10mm hole in the ceiling. If taking the wiring from the floor, you may have to lift a floorboard or two to access the wiring, but the process is essentially still the same.
Once you have fitted the wall lights and wiring, simply plaster back over the groove for a nice smooth finish with no visible wiring.
Continue to the next part to connect your new lights to the power…
For all the little things that can go wrong around the home you may want to try some simple DIY repair work before panicking. Our home won’t last forever in peak condition and every now and then we will need to tweak something to get it working again. There are some things that are fairly common occurrences for the average household so here is some quick DIY advice on these common household worries that you are likely to come across:
The toilet stops flushing
If your toilet is working fine and then suddenly will not flush regardless of how many times you pull the handle (or press the button) this can only be caused by two possible things. Either your handle is no longer connected to the flushing mechanism in the cistern or the flush diaphragm is split. Both of these problems can be easily solved in a matter of minutes. Take our DIY advice and have a quick look in the cistern to check which problem it is before hand as it will be easily spotted.
Which wire is which?
The UK wiring system has changed a bit over the years and the colouring you are familiar with may not be the colouring you see when you open up the plug or cable. To put your mind at ease here are the following wire colours:
The LIVE wire is either red or brown.
The NEUTRAL wire is either black or blue.
The EARTH wire can be green, yellow or green with yellow stripes.
White marks on brickwork.
If you notice white marks on your brickwork you may be concerned. If it is a new building you are more likely to come across white powder on the brickwork. This is a result of water escaping as the brick will not have been protected during construction. You can easily and safely remove this just by brushing it off and it should not return. If once you have removed the white powder, it returns in the same place it is more serious. This means water is leaking into the brickwork and the cause should be identified quickly. Some experienced DIY advice; do not use liquids to remove the white powder. This will only dissolve it and transfer it back into the bricks. Use a thick bristled brush at first and then a soft brush to get all the crystals out of the bricks.