Recess in a partition wall

[Sean fsy]

if you want to wire them in independant to your normal main light then you are going to need another switch fitted some where, if its not much hassle i would fit a new switch on the outside wall of the bathroom. if you dont want the switch to be seen you can always put the switch inside a airing cupbnoard or somewhere similar. all you need is a permanent live off your light ring main leading to a switch, then from the switch to a normal single socket on a pattress box to plug your transformer into it. easy enough for a competent diy'er, if not sure then ask someone who knows then last resort phone a sparky. ive never had a problem with robus lights(some fitted 4 years ago) and on their site they state the led's have a continuos life span of 50,000 hours. you would have to replace all 10 lights at the same time X10 to feel the benefit of a £50 a shot light. i fitted cheapy £20 for 6 deck lights in my old house over 3 1/2 years ago and i know they are still all working perfectly.

 

[Colour Republic]

These are the same lights as mentioned in this thread, fitted Jan 2004, picture taken last month:smilewinkgrin:

 

[simhopper]

These are the same lights as mentioned in this thread, fitted Jan 2004, picture taken last month:smilewinkgrin:

Shows they last then!

Most bathrooms we do are in excess of 8k so a few £50s make no difference, I would only ever fit a ip68 rated fitting in or around a shower area with the drivers fitted into the ceiling space.The cheaper drivers can also not be dimmed and some of the collingwood lights are suprising bright for LEDS

 

[Colour Republic]

Shows they last then!

Most bathrooms we do are in excess of 8k so a few £50s make no difference, I would only ever fit a ip68 rated fitting in or around a shower area with the drivers fitted into the ceiling space.The cheaper drivers can also not be dimmed and some of the collingwood lights are suprising bright for LEDS

I sort of agree....

Most of our bathrooms are in the same price range, the en-suite in the picture was £7.5k in 2004 and at the time not many people were using them as accent lighting and even though it is a growing trend not many people are asking for it today, it seems it's almost always us that suggest these enhancements.

The bathroom above had 8 LEDS although the pack came as 10 (the other 2 ended up on my boat:smilewinkgrin🙂 (£57 + labour) so given that it is an extra I know most of my customer would not have it done if we pitched it at £500+ labour. I agree that the single units are better but in most applications are they really 10 x the price better? If budget is not a factor and also if the LEDs are on show (or in zone 1) I too would opt for the single unit option.

It has to be said that the Robus LED packs are also pre-wired so will not suit every installation due to its limitations but will suffice in most cases

I too prefer the warm white LED's but these have only become readily available in the last 3/4 years as the demand has grown and technology advanced.

In addition I think we will see an increase in the use of LED's as a direct replacement of GU10's as the bulbs coming on to the market are brighter and warmer than in years past. So this is also a cheaper way to incorporate LED's albeit in a larger size but with less initial outlay and massive savings in energy bills

 

[DazJWood]

if you want to wire them in independant to your normal main light then you are going to need another switch fitted some where, if its not much hassle i would fit a new switch on the outside wall of the bathroom. if you dont want the switch to be seen you can always put the switch inside a airing cupbnoard or somewhere similar. all you need is a permanent live off your light ring main leading to a switch, then from the switch to a normal single socket on a pattress box to plug your transformer into it. easy enough for a competent diy'er, if not sure then ask someone who knows then last resort phone a sparky. ive never had a problem with robus lights(some fitted 4 years ago) and on their site they state the led's have a continuos life span of 50,000 hours. you would have to replace all 10 lights at the same time X10 to feel the benefit of a £50 a shot light. i fitted cheapy £20 for 6 deck lights in my old house over 3 1/2 years ago and i know they are still all working perfectly.

Hey thanks for the detailed reply. Just a couple more questions:

When you say 'then from the switch to a normal single socket', where are you locating this socket? And if it's only the permanent live, how does it wire up?

I actually bought a transformer that specifically wasn't one of the ones that is built into the plug. I did it this way as my plan was to wire it directly in to a fused spur that I would install on the outside wall of the bath room and the transformer either sit in the partition wall cavity or under the bath. This would be on the ring main, but I hadn't quite sorted the switching aspect out (other than via the fused spur). Is it possible to install a fused spur on the bathroom side if I used one of those outside waterproof sockets? It would sit under the bath.

I like your idea of using the lighting circuit however and I could install this outside the bathroom too. I'm just a bit confused by the wiring side.

Has anyone tried those sensor type switches that can be installed behind tiles? Are they worth using or not?

Thanks again all,

Daz

 

[simhopper]

I sort of agree....

Most of our bathrooms are in the same price range, the en-suite in the picture was £7.5k in 2004 and at the time not many people were using them as accent lighting and even though it is a growing trend not many people are asking for it today, it seems it's almost always us that suggest these enhancements.

The bathroom above had 8 LEDS although the pack came as 10 (the other 2 ended up on my boat:smilewinkgrin🙂 (£57 + labour) so given that it is an extra I know most of my customer would not have it done if we pitched it at £500+ labour. I agree that the single units are better but in most applications are they really 10 x the price better? If budget is not a factor and also if the LEDs are on show (or in zone 1) I too would opt for the single unit option.

It has to be said that the Robus LED packs are also pre-wired so will not suit every installation due to its limitations but will suffice in most cases

I too prefer the warm white LED's but these have only become readily available in the last 3/4 years as the demand has grown and technology advanced.

In addition I think we will see an increase in the use of LED's as a direct replacement of GU10's as the bulbs coming on to the market are brighter and warmer than in years past. So this is also a cheaper way to incorporate LED's albeit in a larger size but with less initial outlay and massive savings in energy bills

I am yet to see a GU10 LED bulb that would produce enough light, The Megaman range are about the best and these are still too dim

I am not a fan of GU10 Halogen bulbs, Have recently been fitting the Halolite energy saving bulbs as these fit in reccessed spots, No good for a wc room but for a bathroom there fine as they have a warm up time of only a few minutes

 

[Deleted member 1779]

Recess or niche for storing things....

If its in a wet zone then as mentioned tank and run off

I didnt bother in the shower though... (lost my bottle!) Just put a glass shelf above head height.

 

[Sean fsy]

off topic, thanks for my new 115mm drill 365, came today.

 

[Deleted member 1779]

Thanks Sean!

I'll keep it on-topic with some more pics!!!

 

[DazJWood]

Hey thanks for the detailed reply. Just a couple more questions:

When you say 'then from the switch to a normal single socket', where are you locating this socket? And if it's only the permanent live, how does it wire up?

I actually bought a transformer that specifically wasn't one of the ones that is built into the plug. I did it this way as my plan was to wire it directly in to a fused spur that I would install on the outside wall of the bath room and the transformer either sit in the partition wall cavity or under the bath. This would be on the ring main, but I hadn't quite sorted the switching aspect out (other than via the fused spur). Is it possible to install a fused spur on the bathroom side if I used one of those outside waterproof sockets? It would sit under the bath.

I like your idea of using the lighting circuit however and I could install this outside the bathroom too. I'm just a bit confused by the wiring side.

Has anyone tried those sensor type switches that can be installed behind tiles? Are they worth using or not?

Thanks again all,

Daz

Anyone help with this?