I am replacing some old wall lights with some new Där fittings. I was somewhat surprised to see that the wallplugs and screws supplied were of different lengths. The wallplugs were 25mm x 5mm, and the screws 35mm x
3.5mm. The diameters match well, but why would you use a 35mm screw with a 25mm wallplug?
Is the object being screwed to the wall 10mm thick by any chance?
Surprisingly, not an IKEA product.
What was my first thought, which model?
Allows for 10mm of plaster?
You recess the plug into the wall so that it is not putting any strain on the plaster.
As long as the hole is at least as deep as the total length of your screw then there's no problem. It's not like you have a high load trying to pull them out of the wall.
Patress mounted lights? Brian
A wall plug works by the screw expanding it so it grips the brick or whatever. The hole in the wall must be longer than the screw anyway.
Mandatory in my place with 1925 lime render and skim coat. Failing to do so pulverises about 30mm diameter area of render around the hole into dust.
Me... Just put 6 into someone's outside wall, and was careful to make sure they were below the render.
BUR0975
Needless to say, the instructions in the pack show a lot less info than the pdf downloadable on that webpage. However, the diagram on page 4 shows the screws the same length as the wallplug! Not that it means anything, of course, as fig 3.5 shows the cable going through a hole in the bracket. The actual hole is 3mm in diameter! I have no idea what the hole is for. It is also impossible to get the cable into the connector block as Där have mounted the block deep in the body of the fitting, giving no thought to how much cable might be available. I had to unscrew it from the fitting before I was able to get the cable gripped properly. But then, of course, it was not possible to get the connector block back on its mounting. So I now have a loose block in the fitting.
NB to answer the point raised, the mounting bracket is about 1mm thick - not 10. Considering that the weight of these fittings is pretty low, I can see no reason for a 35mm screw; 25mm would have been fine.
As an amusing aside, these lights are going to replace the current wall lights in the lounge, which are all picture lights. But these are all different designs (there are two other picture lights - one in the hall, one in the kitchen, which neither match each other nor any of the lounge picture lights)! And then we come to the wiring, which is white PVC - red, black, and earth, although I have yet to check if it actually /is/ earthed. And the cabling is very weird. Being a bungalow, you'd think it pretty easy to have cables fed from the loft to the wall lights, but no. Two of the lights do have cables from the loft. These are the two nearest the wall switch. But only the one slightly further from the wall switch is actually connected to it. The other, nearest, one is on a separate unswitched cable. It is operated by a switch on the light fitting itself. Now the one furthest away is turned on and off by the wall switch, but not from cable in the loft. The wall switch also controls an old 2 amp 3-pin lighting socket (which had a label on it marked "disconnected" when we moved in!). That socket is right against the outside wall, so whoever wanted the picture light drilled a hole through the wall into the back of the socket, and took a spur to the outside, through some conduit, then back into the lounge a couple of metres away to feed the wall light.
And I have to fit a matching ceiling light. It would have to be wired up through the loft, and it is awkward to get to. Maybe I'll get a pro in to do that. I'm just concerned that the proverbial can of worms will be opened if I do that...
The correct answer is to throw the screws and plugs away, then go to your toolbox and get a pair of your decent ones...
Me: Fischer UX6 x 35 or UX6 x 50 work extremely well with 5mm screws (will take smaller).
I also like the Fischer rimless plugs but since TMH is now such an occasional visitor I think it only fair to mention his oft-repeated comment that Rawlplug "UNO" plugs are the mutts ;)
I always keep a handful of yellow/red/brown/blue/grey ones in the tool tote, along with corresponding sizes of bosch multi-material drills
What's so good about Rawlplug Uno? I notice they don't have a hole at the far end - is it intended that the screw goes through the end of the plug?
I've always been a bit of a fan of Plasplugs myself
Io screw a 10mm something on with?
I do. Sand/cement skimmed plastered wall. Two reasons, one to avoid risk of plaster cracking, two I am securing item to the brick, not the plaster. I often discard supplied screws and plugs and fit longer ones.
I've always found that any old junk works fine as a wallplug. I've used wood many times. On rare occasions I've had no plugs within getting distance & resorted to bits of discarded plastic or even slivers of ceramic tile once. I also have a vague & possibly faulty memory of once using 2 or 3 screws to replace a plug.
The only reasons to go higher tech are severe loads or hollow walls.
NT
Agreed. Use a screw backwards to tap it in.
Bill
So f****ng what? It's the same principle.
Bill
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