Connections behind flush fitting ceiling/wall lights

[neverwas]

Another idiot-boy question which follows an afternoon spent fitting a flush light to a ceiling with very limited access from above. It is, in summary, is there anything which can be fitted from below to serve as enclosure/junction box for flush ceiling lights?

The problem I had was fitting a new light in a bit of the ceiling where there is less than 150mm between the ceiling and the slates. I managed to fish the new 3 x 1.5mm T&E cables through the hole. But there was no way I was going to be able to work on the loft side of the hole to fit a junction box to the joist or the like. And I couldn't use a ceiling rose 'cos it was a flush fitting light. I searched (including through Google's uk.d-i-y archives) but couldn't find an answer:

o I didn't want to just poke choc strip through the hole (not even wrapped in tape) o I didn't think I'd get 3 x 1.5mm T&E plus the light's flex into a choc box to poke that through o I might have stuffed a 60mm junction box through but that still wouldn't have been fixed to a firm surface o I tried using a round, 35mm deep dry lining box with choc strip and a cover drilled to admit the flex but could not get everything to fit into the small space without risk of cracking the box - and even then would not have had the choc strip fixed as such to the box so I think wd have been outwith the regs.

What I've ended up doing is gluing a surface mounting metal box into position in the loft over the hole (by feel at arm's length); taking the cables through that into choc strip; connecting the flex; and then screwing the choc strip to the box with self-tapping screws. But it's not pretty. It's going to be a bugger to seal it against water vapour. I'd much rather replace it with something better. And I've got 2 more such lights to do (plus some wall lights into plasterboard with similar issues).

So do please tell me I'm an idiot and that there's a better way (short of waiting until the roof's off). Eg with so many such lights now (and all the wall lights which have to be fitted to plasterboard) is there something for the job? Perhaps something a bit like a cross between a ceiling rose and a dry-lining box?

[stevelup]

These any good?

[Lobster]

You can get standard but very small junction boxes suitable for lighting circuits which are certainly small enough to push up through the hole made by a downlighter:

're still going to have the problem of screwing that to a joist or somewhere if you want to do it by the book, but I'm not sure I'd lose too much sleep over not being able to do that.

BYW how much clearance above the downlighter is stipulated by its manufacturer? Sounds like its a bit tight...

David

[neverwas]

box" where I tried and failed to get a fully compliant fix.

[neverwas]

passing they are marked on the back "2 x 1.5mm" so I was left unsure if they'd pass inspection with 3 plus the flex.)

I may yet go that route and then use a dry lining box to help achieve the vapour seal. But I felt there really had to be a way to tick all the boxes..

Not a downlighter. Just a bog standard bathroom light which fits flush to the ceiling. I have in fact 2 different kinds to deal with:

Neither makes provision for cable connection within the fitting. Both seem to expect one to be able to feed the flex through the ceiling to a connection on t'other side. (And then there are the wall lights to come where I'm similarly baffled as to what the pros would do.)

[robert]

Or

[neverwas]

and others' comments, went with them (plus drylining boxes and covers to help make the vapour seal). Finally got around to fitting them yesterday and have to say they do make the connections really easy.