New flood lights expose cable

[leen...@yahoo.co.uk]

Hi All,

Finally got around to replacing my security flood lights with LED ones. The old ones have a solid base which attaches to the wall and the T&E runs inside it all covered.

Looking at the LED ones, the vast majority (e.g. this one https://www.toolstation.com/wessex-led-pir-floodlight-ip65/p21678 ) seem to have a gap between the bracket and where the cable connects into the light. How are these generally installed? I assume I wouldn't run normal T&E to these and exposed to the elements?

Also, for at least one of my lights the existing T&E would be too short to do this even if advisable. What's the best way to deal with this?

Thanks in advance

Lee.

[Tricky Dicky]

The type you have shown already has a suitable 0.75m rubber cable attached
in order to maintain its IP rating. To connect it to your existing T&E you
will need to use a waterproof connection box such as a Wiska box mounted
over the hole the T&E emerges and the cable from the floodlight fed into
the box through a stuffing gland preferably mounted on the bottom edge of
the box using either terminal strip or Wagos inside.

Richard

[Brian Gaff]

Seems like a lot of work, when they could have made a like for like,
dimension and void wise, one in the first place. However some floodlights
that have been up a while of the Halogen kind do cook the cables near the
end, so one may have to just go with the flow, or something might not be
suitable even if it reached to where you want it. I wonder why Halogen get
so hot though. I guess the answer may be obvious, but surly if they know
they get hot, then they should have made dissipation a priority.
Brian

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[alan_m]

They usually come pre-wired with a short piece of cable, and through a
waterproof gland.

If you already had cable suitable for outdoor use you would use
something like

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/WPQC1.html

to join the lamp cable to the existing cable.

Smaller/cheaper connectors are available of Ebay but be warned that the
smaller devices can be very fiddly to fit, especially when trying to do
so up a ladder.

In your case you probably need a small waterproof terminal box which not
only protects your T&E from external exposure but provides a means of
connecting to the lamp cable. You would also need a gland to bring out
the lamp cable keeping it water tight. The T&E could come through the
back of the box and be sealed with silicone.

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Pumps_and_Aquatics_Index/Weatherproof_Accessories_Index/Junction_Boxes_1/index.html

The grey coloured T&E is usually unsuited for external use as the
insulation usually becomes brittle and starts cracking after a few years
exposed to direct sunlight.


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[alan_m]

On 20/02/2023 08:54, Brian Gaff wrote:

> Seems like a lot of work, when they could have made a like for like,

Modern LED floods now tend to be a lot smaller than their counterparts
from the past.

[alan_m]

On 20/02/2023 08:17, leen...@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

> Looking at the LED ones, the vast majority (e.g. this one https://www.toolstation.com/wessex-led-pir-floodlight-ip65/p21678 )

With the PIR at the bottom and where the attached cable emerges it may
not be possible on these very thin lamps to angle the light too far down
before the edge of the PIR hits the wall. With lights without a PIR
attached consider how you are going to route the short piece of attached
cable to get the tilt you want. Consider when mechanically attached to
wall and tilted to desired angle see where the cable will reach
naturally without strain. Possibly the join in the cable (box) needs to
be above the light and not below it.)

If you are not careful in what you select and how high its fitted you
may find that you can only light the horizon and not your
yard/path/garden. The thin lights with PIR may only be suited for low
level mounting.

[Joe]

On Mon, 20 Feb 2023 08:54:56 -0000
"Brian Gaff" <brian...@gmail.com> wrote:


> I wonder why Halogen get so hot though. I guess the answer may be
> obvious, but surly if they know they get hot, then they should have
> made dissipation a priority.

The whole point of using halogens in the atmosphere surrounding the
tungsten filament is that by depositing back evaporated tungsten they
allow the filament to run about 300 degrees hotter, therefore with
higher visible light output efficiency.

http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/IN%20Operation.htm

Halogen lamps use a quartz envelope rather than plain glass, to deal
with the higher temperature.

--
Joe

[Andy Burns]

leen...@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

> the vast majority seem to have a gap between the bracket and where

> the cable connects into the light. How are these generally
> installed?

The attached flex is usually annoyingly short, if it's on e.g. a shed
you might be able to drill a hole and get the cable inside to connect to
it there, but if it's on a wall you probably want conduit, ending in
wiska box or similar behind the light, with a gland entry for the light.

[Tricky Dicky]

Here is how I installed some LED floodlights that came with attached
cables. The first one has the T&E coming down in plastic conduit into a
Wiska box and the cable from the floodlight enters through the bottom using
a stuffing gland

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ludgal07mpri6t6/2023-02-20%2011.26.34.jpg?dl=0

The second has the T&E entering through the back of a Wiska box and again
the cable from floodlight enters the box through the bottom via a stuffing
gland

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b134nj1lvzvd8af/2023-02-20%2011.26.53.jpg?dl=0

Richard

[wrights...@f2s.com]

On Monday, 20 February 2023 at 11:36:43 UTC, Tricky Dicky wrote:

>
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/b134nj1lvzvd8af/2023-02-20%2011.26.53.jpg?dl=0
>
> Richard

You didn't really leave all that loose cable flapping about did you?

[alan_m]

I would have trimmed it but still have left a drip loop. The cable is
taken below where it enters a box/lamp to form a low point for rain
water travelling down the cable to drip off.

[ARW]

On 20/02/2023 11:46, wrights...@f2s.com wrote:

No he Photoshopped it in:-)


I usually fit the adaptable boxes above/behind the LED flood light so
that the boxes cannot be seen.

[Tricky Dicky]

There is a reason I am considering using that floodlight elsewhere and
replacing it with something else so I did not want to cut the cable back
until I was sure how much I needed but if it makes everyone happy I will
for the time being clip it back just like the other.

[Brian Gaff]

Yes and for goodness sake only handle them with clean cotton gloves. It
seems the grease of a finger creates a hot spot and eventually it goes ping.
I often wondered how they made them work in a car.

Brian

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[Joe]

On Tue, 21 Feb 2023 15:45:54 -0000
"Brian Gaff" <brian...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Yes and for goodness sake only handle them with clean cotton gloves.
> It seems the grease of a finger creates a hot spot and eventually it
> goes ping. I often wondered how they made them work in a car.

By using the same warning.

The lamp of a halogen oven is exposed, and gets splattered with grease
and other stuff. They go on for years.

--
Joe

[Rod Speed]

On Wed, 22 Feb 2023 02:45:54 +1100, Brian Gaff <brian...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Yes and for goodness sake only handle them with clean cotton gloves. It
> seems the grease of a finger creates a hot spot and eventually it goes
> ping.

Never ever had that happen and never ever wore clean cotton
gloves or anything else to avoid touching bulb with my fingers.

> I often wondered how they made them work in a car.

They are MUCH thicker glass than a normal bulb.

[Peeler]

On Wed, 22 Feb 2023 10:11:11 +1100, Rcantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

<FLUSH the abnormal trolling senile cretin's latest trollshit unread>

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[John J]

The last few small floodlights I've fitted I mounted the unit on a plastic adaptable weatherproof box lid. Brought the short unit cable into the box through a snug fitting hole in the lid sealed with silicone. Supply cable into the box from behind or below depending on location.

[leen...@yahoo.co.uk]

Thanks very much all. My wife was in lidl and saw some in the centre aisle so bought them. Looks like these don't come with a cable at all. They come with a cable gland which sticks out of the back of the light and you wire your cable directly into the back. Looks like cable needs to be round so even if I had the length on the T&E these wouldn't work.

So started looking for prewired ones with a wire long enough. The occurred to me that if the connection is inside the house (under the floorboards) then replacing them when the LED goes is going to be a PITA. I am trying to avoid having a junction box on the wall if I can help it but not looking good. Maybe a better option would be to the lights I have an get LED replacement bulbs like these ( https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-r7s-linear-led-light-bulb-1901lm-15w-118mm-4-3-4-/383pp ). Anyone had an experience of them?

I am thinking of adding 2 to the front of the house so unlikely to be able to get the same ones I have around the rest of the house so still have the challenge there I guess.

Thought this was all going to be a straightforward replacement.....

[alan_m]

On 23/02/2023 07:17, leen...@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

> So started looking for prewired ones with a wire long enough. The occurred to me that if the connection is inside the house (under the floorboards) then replacing them when the LED goes is going to be a PITA. I am trying to avoid having a junction box on the wall if I can help it but not looking good. Maybe a better option would be to the lights I have an get LED replacement bulbs like these ( https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-r7s-linear-led-light-bulb-1901lm-15w-118mm-4-3-4-/383pp ). Anyone had an experience of them?

I doubt if you find a prewired unit with more than 0.6/0.7 metres of cable.

LED don't like getting hot. The new breed of LED flood lights tend to
have the LED itself bolted/bonded to a fairly large heatsink.

The screwfix lamp you list may not appreciated being in an enclosed case
without a direct connection to a heatsink nor any free flow of cooling air.