Ceiling blanking plates

[Stephen Gower]

Replacing the lighting ciruit, where the rubber insulation has gone, I want to remove completely the pull-cord in the bedroom which with our furniture layout dangles over the wardrobe. The trouble is, this switch was acting as the junction box for sending the lighting circuit into the next room, so I will need a terminal-block in there, and can't just plaster it over. So what I'm looking for is a round blanking-plate the same size as a ceiling rose, but so far I'm failing. Any suggestions?

[Martin Angove]

Ummm... buy a junction box (I'd suggest a 20A 4-terminal rather than a

5A as you get more wiring space) and push it back into the attic when you've finished. Make good hole in ceiling. Does this help?

On the subject of rubber insulation going / perishing I would seriously consider replacing *all* the rubber cable in your house if a lot of it has started to go. If it's a rubber install it's going to be some 40 years old probably and you should ideally also get the earthing, bonding and general soundness of the installation checked. For example, does the lighting circuit carry an earth? Many older ones didn't.

Hwyl!

M.

[BigWallop]

Have a look here:

" Boxes (Plastic) " you see a recessed circular box that can be pushed into the ceiling and covered with a piece thin plywood and painted if you wish.

[Christian McArdle]

Use insulated crimped connections. These can be permanently concealed (i.e. behind plaster) with no requirement for future access.

Christian.

[Stephen Gower]

Sorry, forgot to mention that this is a flat, so I have no access from above, and it's concrete, so I don't want to make good by plastering, in case I need access to the duct again in the future. I was in a seminar room earlier, which had round blanking plates on the wall. Very annoying.

Yep, doing that already. I was planning on leaving the lights until I had done the mains socket ring, but then my mum visited, dusted a lampshade, and bang went the fuse. Mrs Socks is getting a bit fed up with us only having table-lamps.

[Dave Plowman]

I think a standard round conduit box (BESA) cover will fit. Or an equivalent plastic type which you might well find in the sheds - as part of circular PVC conduit.

[Owain]

"Stephen Gower" wrote | Replacing the lighting ciruit, where the rubber insulation has | gone, I want to remove completely the pull-cord in the bedroom | which with our furniture layout dangles over the wardrobe.

Replace it with a new pull-cord switch, but shorten the pull-cord or simply omit it if the switch is one that has a stub of cord and a coupler.

Then when you or a future occupant has a different furniture layout, simply lengthen or add a cord and hey presto! a Useful Amenity.

Owain

[Stephen Gower]

Ooh, yes. Thanks for this suggestion!