Poxy metal ceiling rose

Daughter in law has bought some crazy light fitting that she would like put up before Xmas. It comes with a metal strip to fix to the ceiling and a couple of grub screws for attaching the actual rose. In my mind's eye I could just loosen the screws holding the existing ceiling rose (assuming there ARE two good fixings), shove the plate behind it, and re tighten the screws. Earth it, and bob's your uncle. In other words, no new fixings to the ceiling and no need to remove cables from their terminals. The metal one is at least twice the size of the plastic so room for some improvisation. Maybe this is how they're designed to work but can't find any instructions online. I'm sure I've fitted similar in the past but all I can remember is a lot of swearing and dropping of grubscrews.....

Reply to
stuart noble
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Yup, a common arrangement...

Well its a nice idea ;-) There are quite few "ifs" there though. However it it works, nothing wrong with it - you can use three core flex in the drop wire position to power and earth the fitting.

Normally they are too small, and only come with s lump of terminal strip (and then often only three ways). Hence the huge number of taped up lumps of bodged chockie block hiding behind so many of them!

Reply to
John Rumm

Thanks John. I'll suck it and see. As long as it looks cool.....

Reply to
stuart noble

Looks like there isn't the usual single earth terminal in the existing rose. Instead there's a series of 3 terminals with an earth symbol label. Is that normal? Maybe it's just an old fashioned design

Reply to
stuart noble

Might even be a newer design - some manufacturers seem to favour single terminals. You will have to use one of them twice for the fitting earth.

Reply to
John Rumm

You should have popped round to Mrs Doyles the other week for a tutorial, I fitted two lights for her :-)

I usually take the old loop in rose down & start again. Wago connectors are the way forward!

Those grub-screws are a PITA. I had to buy a 'screw holding screwdriver' in the end.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

You should have popped round to Mrs Doyles the other week for a tutorial, I fitted two lights for her :-)

I usually take the old loop in rose down & start again. Wago connectors are the way forward!

Those grub-screws are a PITA. I had to buy a 'screw holding screwdriver' in the end.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Yeah, that would give her a fright:-) Newish house though, not lath and plaster like the son's place

Yes, they look interesting. I need a head torch and x3 magnification glasses to do anything at all to a ceiling rose, and then a photo to remember where everything went before I dropped it :-)

I rely on a bit of masking tape but, as the shakes get worse, that might be an idea. Getting the holes lined up is a bitch IIRC

Reply to
stuart noble

I use a tiny dot of blutak or plasticine in the screwhead recess. At one place I absolutely needed something, no blutak or anything like it anywhere, ended up using a dot of jam from the fridge - did the job.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

Sticky fingers I don't need! I did look on the net for "screw holders" but the blurb was a bit ambiguous. Magnetic bit holders I don't need!

Reply to
stuart noble

So why don't I ask TMH what he bought to solve the problem? :-)

Reply to
stuart noble

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Brilliant!

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Thanks. That will be in my stocking, even if I have to put it there myself. However, one of today's ceiling rose "grubscrews" needed an allen key (not supplied). How bloody helpful is that when you're half an inch from the ceiling. Wrapped them in masking tape a) to provide a kind of handle for hand turning and b) so that, if I dropped them, they'd be easier to locate. The fashion for fabric covered flex is puzzling. Who the hell cares if it has red stripes? Well, my DIL for one! Anyway, mission(s) accomplished. Couldn't have done it without my Poundland LED head torch. Saved my life a couple of times in the gathering gloom.

Reply to
stuart noble

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