OK all you bright sparks.
I have browsed the thread here :
http://www.theforumsa.co.za/forums/s...20V-downlights
and very informative, but also total information overload ( pun intended ) !!
I have had to replace a bedroom wall spotlight and opted for the LED version. Very impressed with the 3W output, so am thinking it is time to do the rest of the house.
Here's my plan :
Install 3 or 4 x 220V 3W LED downlights in all rooms. This will suffice for 95% of the time lighting is required in each room, and the central ceiling fan light can be used for the other 5% of the time when more lighting is actually required.
To have 1 downlight in each room connected in line to my backup UPS ( so 8 lights in total on 1 line ), so in the event of a power failure, I have 1 LED workable in each room.
Problem 1, if someone does fit 50 watt lamps, ups will go flat, so you install 12volt lamps instead of 230 volt lamps, which means you just need a battery and no invertors etc, you can take the battery to a different location and charge it if you need to, and you can use a solar powered system, even better.
I am about to re-roof the entire house ( incl. battons and sisalation insulation ) so it is probably an ideal time to do this project.
Yip get in there before they cover up, summer is almost here and you dont want to be climbing around in the ceiling. A tip, install lights and a switch in the roof space while you are about it, and a plug socket if you dont have battery operated tools, while you are rebattoning etc, install planks for walk ways, cutting strips of shutterboard would be the cheapest option, just makes life easier for everyone and reduces the risk of someone landing on you dinning room table.
My thinking is to get it all installed and wired up, then get a qualified competent and experienced electrician to check it all, connect to the main board, and issue a COC.
This could prove to be a challenge, but there are a few people who would do it, maybe dave could send one of his inspectors and just say you are selling the house and require a COC, they could check the rest of the electrics, just to be safe, i dont see an issue with doing this. I could do it but i charge R950 for an inspection report for a small dwelling and i am too busy at present, will only be available to take on new projects in january 2013, thats if none of my regular customers dont book my services first.
So here's my questions : ( ps ... I want to do this the right and safest way - cheap and nasty to save is not for me - my kids and wife are worth so much more, and I don't want my house burning down ).
1. is there a specific rating that I need for the fittings ? Bearing in mind that I plan to use LEDs but there would be a possibility that someone in the future could use 50W bulbs.
230 volt side, 1.0mm square twin +e wire is the smallest, you can use, with a 10 amp circuit breaker. The size of the wire is determined by the size of the protective device you install or connect the circuit to. The 12 volt side of it, you would need to do some calculations and work out the volt drop for the load and distance from the source. I have installed my power supply (battery, charged by the solar panel) for my led lamps in the middle of the circuit, it is not connected to the municipal supply. I have 2 spare fully charged batteries just in case the one online fails, or we have a couple of cloudy days.
2. what type of wiring to use ? heat resistant / thickness / etc.
The wiring at the light fitting should be heat resitant, as are the downlighters supplied, shown in a pic in another thread.The rest normal twin +e is fine, lay it flat on the ceiling board under the rafters and no clips or mounting is required. You make it look tidy by rolling out the cable (do not pull from the centre) then tie it to something secure, and use your thumb to straighten it, if you have soft thumbs, use the handle of a hammer it works great for the newbies/softies.
3. connection boxes ? Do I run all fittings for 1 room to a common junction box, and then from there a main line to the lights breaker at the DB ? Which wires need to be in pvc conduit ? Better to mount the junction box on the side of a wooden truss, or loose on the ceiling board ?
Try centralise the box in each room, then run the cable to the lights for each room from the junction box or you can run a 3 way box to each light, using the 2 outlets for power in and out and the other the supply to the light fitting, just means more joints/more chance of problems. fit the covers with one screw but leave them open so that the electrician can check the joints
4. Anything else I should know before I start this ? ( yes, i know I should know what I am doing, and that's why I ain't connecting this lot to power until it has been checked over. My belief is that with the advice and knowledge learned here, I can do just as good a job as the ( also unqualified ) electricians helper, and save a chunk on labour charges for the bits that expertise really aren't needed ).
If you go past the electrical wholsalers during the week there are always, so called "electricians" who have a pretty good idea what they are doing and, sometimes have worked for an electrical contractor for years, get a number and get him to come in on the weekend, there are also plenty of them who do "private jobs" on the weekend, the trick is knowing which one is not conning you. House wiring is the simplest form of electricial, there is not much to it, and you dont need to be a brain surgoen to do it, its the people who do it, who make a big thing of it, my mate and i use to rewire a house on the weekend for pocket money,when we were still appies, strip the place on a friday evening rewire satuday and sunday, by sunday afternoon we woul reconnect and test. If you use twin+e, you can wire up all the lights on the ground, then roll it up and install it pre connected with tails for the light points, the problem with doing it this way you have to lay the cable on top of the rafters and install a batten to protect the twin +e or push it right into the lowest pitch of the roof
Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.