Halogen lamp wiring

[Chris J Dixon]

I now have the sealed LV down lighters (6 off) , 20W dichroic bulbs and electronic transformers (2 off) to install eventually in the bathroom ceiling.

I plan to use ceramic plant pots as suggested elsewhere to cover the lamps and mount the transformers somewhere above the eventual level of the loft insulation (which may require the odd bit of timber to support them)

What type of high temperature cabling should I use to connect the lamps to the transformers? The stockist seemed particularly lacking in sensible suggestions, apparently he uses speaker cable.

What are the earthing/bonding requirements?

Chris

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The fittings themselves should have high temperature tails, so the cable can be ordinary. Make sure you use a suitable size for the distances involved because of voltage drop - IIRC the TLC website has tables.

Not normally required for LV lighting.

[Andy Dingley]

You shouldn't need any. If the "hot zone" is bigger than the tails that are already on the fitting, then you need to rework the installation and improve the ventilation. Outside the hot area, 79 strand speaker cable is just the ticket.

If you have no tails, or if you're making desklamps with visible wiring and don't want joints, then you need some silicone insulated cable and maybe even glassfibre sleeving. You can get these from RS, although buying by the reel is expensive. My stock is from scrap jet aircraft - hard to find though.

[Chris J Dixon]

The lamps have a short length of high temp cable running to a connector on an arm about 75mm above and to one side of the fitting

As I said in the bit you snipped

There is no way to be able to enclose the fittings to keep the insulation away without the connection point being within the enclosure.

Chris

[Lobster]

As also suggested elsewhere in this ng, I used the alternative method of placing lengths of 4" ducting over my lamps, using them as chimneys in effect; the ducts protruding up through the loft insulation. I drilled a small hole in the side of each duct, near the base, for the cables to pass through; thus the actual connection to non-heat-insulated wire is outside the chimney.

David