Pluggable ceiling rose for outdoor use?

[Andy Dingley]

I've now converted several of our indoor pendant light fittings to a Klik ceiling rose, which allows them to be easily unplugged and lifted down, without tools.

is to fit a hanging lantern in the porch - an open-fronted Victorian pitched roof affair. Is there any similar sort of device to the Klik socket, which is weatherproof? Otherwise I'll be using choc- block in a sealed junction box, and that means the pain of making overhead choc-block connections at height.

I've used the Click CT100 connectors inside the workshop for a similar task, but they're not weatherproof and nor will they fit through a cable gland entry into a sealed box.

themselves make an IP66 rated box and lid, but I've yet to find a stockist who will sell singles.

Any thoughts on a simple connector for an outside light? Thanks

[Dave Osborne]

Lewden PD213/3P and PD213/3S

're not designed for ceiling hanging, so have no weight rating, but the plug screws to the socket, so that's not going to be a problem; the problem will be the strength of the cord grip in the plug. I would think that 5kg is a reasonable rating.

[Dave Osborne]

Sh*t, I just noticed the price! Ebay is your friend (eventually, maybe).

[Spamlet]

> Next is to fit a hanging lantern in the porch - an open-fronted

> Klik themselves make an IP66 rated box and lid, but I've yet to find a

I have converted cheap Screwfix 'porch' lanterns, both for the porch and hanging in a tree over some garden stairs. (By converting, I mean one has to carefully saw the bottom off to let the light shine downwards and enable simple lamp replacement. Stupid designers...). However, the lanterns are held up by chains so I don't see your problem: replace the existing flex and you can use as long a lead as you like and connect it wherever you like (my porch one goes to a photoswitch that controls 4 other outside wall lights too: all 7-9W CFLs.)

S

[js.b1]

Cheaper than Lewden is a Clipsal Series 56 IP66 socket and IP66 plug. The plug is fused and screws into the shuttered with clear cover socket. I would say 5kg would be ok as with Lewden.

Ebay has a cheap socket - 220655745945 - =A30.99 + =A35 postage, alternatively there is an isolator-socket combination which is -

300458491069 - =A310 + =A32.99 postage. You can get either of these from Screwfix (search under IP66 socket).

Unfortunately screwfix no longer carry the IP66 plug (geniuses) and the older PDL plug is actually better because it has a double labyrinth push-through seal which will seal on small diameter flex whereas the later version (bigger Clipsal series 56) does not seal so well on very small (say hedge trimmer or pressure washer) or very large (say 1.5mm H07RNF or 2.5mm H07RNF which is virtually impossible); the rear seal design is an idiotic design and water runs past it.

The lewden is well proven, often on Ebay.

[ARWadsworth]

> Next is to fit a hanging lantern in the porch - an open-fronted

How waterproof does it need to be?

I cannot speak for your set up but quite often I would not consider the roof under a porch to require any special waterproof connections.

Cheers

[Spamlet]

>>> Next is to fit a hanging lantern in the porch - an open-fronted

For some reason the hanging 'porch' lanterns which were the only hanging ones widely available when I did ours, as sold by Screwfix (Amazingly cheaply - I bought several.) et al, had the curious 'not suitable for outdoors' note on the box. I could not actually see very much difference between these and the side mounted lanterns, but, to make sure, I replaced the flat flex with outdoor, thicker, round flex, and sealed with rtv. No water has got into one that is hanging in a tree: unlike the waterproof outdoor switch for it, which collected water behind it's flip cover, until I sealed that with rtv too!

S

[Andy Dingley]

#1 The porch is a cute Victorian gable roof with side walls, but no gable wall to it other than the gingerbread barge boards. The socket is an inch or so above a horizontal line from the lower edge of the timber. It's not an exposed site and inside the porch is generally pretty dry from rain, unless the wind is easterly (rare), but there is some risk.

#2 I'm going to need to satisfy a BCO (or their agent) inspecting the whole rewire afterwards.

I think the best option is to find a source for Klik's IP66 box. That would be ideal, but non of my usual dealers seems to carry them, except one who would need to special order them as a box of 10.

[js.b1]

If a BCO is fussy enough to baulk at a non weatherproof light in a porch, they might baulk at Klik which uses unshuttered terminals.

The Klik IP66 box from the photo is a bit of a "Masterseal" affair, rather than an IP66 version of a Klik ceiling rose. So I am not sure what benefit it has - the cord outlet is at the bottom so you can not suspend a light from it as far as I can tell. A masterseal socket is shuttered so has that benefit - that it is 5A supply off a light circuit is immaterial.

If really bothered you can get an IP65 (Eterna?) 1G enclosure into which you could fit an MK shuttered 5A socket thereby designating it clearly as a lighting circuit whilst also being pluggable & waterproof.

Unless someone is using a hose I do not see a problem with normal wiring accessories.

[Andy Dingley]

My planned lantern would be quite heavy, so is going to be hung from chain on the original hook. The cable will be separate to this.

I'm currently inclining towards making my own version of the Klik IP66, as you describe. Maybe gut the insides of a Masterseal and replace with a Klik or round pin socket. Masterseal aren't cheap (and don't sell an empty, AFAICS) but they do have the right sort of lid and cable outlet, and their sealing is far better than the other makes of the same product (which I've generally found to be pretty poor).

I'm not sure which Eterna you're talking about, but all of theirs that I've seen have had screwed lids and the only cable outlets are via glands, which would pretty much negate the benefit of using a plug.

[ARWadsworth]

is an empty Eterna box.

You could put a 5 amp socket into it, plug the lamp into it and close the lid. It will still be waterproof.

Cheers