How to Install Downlights With No Access Above | It is Possible!
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- čas přidán 15. 09. 2023
- In this electrical DIY guide i will be showing you how to install downlights when you have no access above the ceiling. I will take you through the process step by step so that you can install spotlights in your ceiling! We will cover everything from drilling through joists to wiring the lights. If you like the video then leave a like, please subscribe for more content like this and check out the other videos on my channel, there are a lot more electrical guides!
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What’s next? Loads planned for the autumn and winter! 😊
I think you should show us how to install glass doors
Can you show us how to tile?
and how to plaster?
Show all the old bulbs from the old ceiling lights
Nice content. Could you please do a video on mounting onto metal stud walls. I do a lot of wall hangings and brick and timber frame walls are ok but these modern metal frame walls do my head in.
I saw this video before the first one as I wanted to install downlights in my living room, and I was a bit scared to drill the extra holes and through the joists. However, I saw the first one, got a bit of confidence to attempt it in my bedroom with loft access, then went back to this one and did my living room and it look absolutely amazing. Best guide on here.
Great to have someone to come to who knows what they are doing and can simplify everything for amateurs like me. Many thanks
One of your the best videos yet, after serving as an apprentice and alway been given these type jobs you really made that look effortless can’t believe all the gadgets that are available these days. Keep it going.
Wow, thank you!
Great video, another time saver tip, if you drill your cut out holes on the joist, then notch your joist for cable then use metal box lid over the notch. Plaster board cut out will then go back , less faffing about making good. The hole saw needs to be bigger than width of joist. Also dont need to check both sides of joist, for cables/pipes.
Thanks Cameron, I love learning from all your uploads. They are super helpful.
Glad you like them! Thanks
You are a top Geezer. This is what CZcams is supposed to be about.
This is the exact job I have to do this week, the timing is perfect! Thanks for a great video.
Great, you got it!
Nice one Cameron, every detail covered. I'm sure a lot of home DIY'ers get worried about drilling in to the ceiling, terrified of what damage they could cause, but thanks to the excellent explanation of use of little tools you have taken most if not all the fear out of it. Another cracking vid, Paul.
Thanks a lot Paul for the continued comments and support. It doesn’t go un-noticed 👍
@@TheDIYGuy1 I do it as I really enjoy the guides, sadly I'm not rich enough to add to the Patreon (but would do if I was). But yes, dead interesting content that deserves a thank you from us lot.
Yeah and how to kill them selves not to mention empowering mere morals with trade secrets. Way to go big guy!
If your not a qualified part P ot NIC EIC or equivalent electrician you legally cannot do this , take no notice of unqualified Pratt builders ,
@@mikebotta4494 When giving an opinion or point, there's no need for ignorant abuse..
Im a fully qualified electrician. Great job mate and brilliantly done. Ive just finished a job like this that had no access above and this is exactly how I do it well done!! 👍
Thanks a lot 😊
Did you check the opposite of the joist for clipped cables?
Yes, I did show that in the video using a ferret pro inspection camera
I wasn't meant to send that. I pasted it in error and the phone died.
I enjoy your videos and they are well detailed.
Good video and the way to do it. Would be worth a mention that it would require a certificate, and switching it on is not testing it is it? Bit more to it. But looks better than last job done by a bedroom fitter that I fixed!
Brilliant! I felt I was actually there in the room doing it. Many many thanks.
Best wishes
Peter
Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers
Great video! Thank you so much for posting! We have a couple of jobs come up. And one without access which we were about to leave due to the access. This is brilliant! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
As an electrician of old it’s good to see the advancements in the technology and skills now employed. This video is really helpful to keep up to date. I’ll definitely be looking at the quick wire products. 👍
👍 Absolutely
This is exactly what I've' looking for for weeks! Thanks
Glad I could help!
When replacing the ‘puck’ into the holes you make to drill through the joists it’s a good idea to remove the backing paper from the upper side (that you won’t see). This gives just a little relief for when you a filling the hole to give a better finish. Also using a fine ball-chain on the lead end of the rods makes it easier to fish the rods out using a hook or magnet.
Thanks for sharing your methods
Excellent video. Did most of this a few months ago. But the ceiling was seriously chaotic with solid insulation, nails, screws... it's a loft extension ceiling under a flat roof. There was space above insulation under OSB with wedges over the joists for the roof slope. Got there in the end. Screwfix had a refurbished Magnussen inspection camera that I snapped up - exactly what I needed. I prefer 1.5mm² but my lamps struggled with it. In this case, I used 3-core flexible cable and ferrules. Still got my dust holder for the hole saw, thank goodness. Took a week for skin to get over the scraping from hand and arm in the holes!
😂 classic example of it not being an easy job! At least you got it done! Thanks
Superb video, just done this in my kitchen project! El3ctrician with 44 years experience!
Brilliant, thanks 🙏
Pukka video mate. I've wanted to do this for ages but was never sure how to tackle this. Will definitely give this a go.
Go for it! Cheers
Great one Buddy this is a real winner of a video from someone who know's what they are talking about
👍
Another great videos Cameron 👌 nice to hear about the insulation issue as well as im about to do our bathroom ceiling, quick wire looks the bees knees !
Thanks 👍, all the best with yours
Great video and great tips. Never been a fan of down lights myself. But great video none the less.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for this great how to. I’m on with the project today !
Drill the holes further from the joist depending on the length of your wood bit then use a nice wee angled chuck. That way the holes through the joists are horizontal and a bit easier to get rods through. Also makes it easier to reach the back of each joist if you need to move cables out of the way. Not tried that lighting system yet but it does look handy.
Good tips 👍
Another excellent video! Just one point to add, it's worth getting the ceiling check for asbestos which is dangerous to breathe in, I recently found I have asbestos which prevented me installing downlight until I get it removed. I hope you don't mind me mentioning this, in older houses it is important to check.
Yep I agree 👍
Most artex ceilings are asbestos, it’s how they got the pattern to hold its shape
Love this content. Just bought a new house with lots of DIY to crack on with. Learned a lot so far, ty
Great to hear!
Great video, and I have done this exactly like you, several times. Honestly, the toughest part for me is what you show at the end, the Drywall patching. On a Ceiling you need the drywall repair to be pretty much perfect. Seriously. You almost always view a ceiling from an obtuse angle and that shows the flaws much more than a wall does. Anyway... when you patch, I always use a Primer like Kilz or similar. Otherwise you will see the Mud thru the paint, it will be slightly off color. I almost always repaint the entire ceiling in a room that size.... Scary the first time you do one, it looks like a Gopher infestation when you cut all the holes you need to wire thru the Ceiling Joists. TOTALLY worth it in the end! Primer is cheap... use something like Kilz over the patch
Amazing , I wanted to know how to do this since your first video on downlights , thanks so much for this , really useful
Glad it was helpful!
I’m just about to embark on my first house purchase and it’s needs a refurb and I’m defo going be doing the majority of it to save on the costs you make it look so easy cheers Cameron
Brilliant good luck
As a fully qualified spark it warms my heart to hear you call it a CPC 😂 great video as always. My favourite channel on youtube 👍🏻
Haha yep you have to say cpc these days ;). Thank you very much!
Your vid gave me inspiration to start a kitchen project. I needed all the advice from the brilliant quick wire downlights to repairing the holes.
Mine was different as my looping was done at the light switch with no switch live info and at points I had double joists to go through.
But it looking good.
Glad I could help, good for you
Very good and helpful advice good video I’ve used them when they first came out and I’m doing the bathroom and I try the downlighting one 👍👍👍👍👍
👍
Best video ever well and truely explained and very professional job.
Glad you liked it!
this is exact guidance I needed. thank you for this @The DIY Guy
Anytime
Thanks for taking the mystery out of this task. I'm tempted to give it a go as I've got two single light and they have always looked a bit "lost".
Do it! 👍
Ha! Did this job a week before... Exactly like this but I found holes carrying existing cabling I could use. A plugable solution is great for when the plasterer comes in. Great video as always.
Thanks, nice work
Nice job, thanks for sharing. keep up the great work.
Those Quickwire jobbies make for a neat install!!
Indeed!
wow seen a few downlight videos and none were explained as slowly clearly and concise as you did and none made it look half as easy as you showed with the connectors and lights ect im seriously considering doing this to my flat im just a DIYer but think i could do this, if anyone has watched and feels the same please reply be ace to hear if anyone has tackled this at there home and how its come out would give me even more confidence to try myself cheers guys and cheers DIY GUY for the awsome vids
The best thing about putting them in yourself is that you don't run the risk of a pushy workman persuading you that you need ½ as many again as truly necessary.
Doin myself out of a job here, as was, I don't think that I've been on a site or even watched sthg like Grand Designs, without me shouting
"Too many downlighters, it's like a airport runway or office building in here!"
Good luck and wear goggles if you're going to do it. Nothing worse than a past owner's inter~floor dust and gubbins in yer eyes or ears even!
@@JP_TaVeryMuch oh yea deffo mate dust mask as well health and safety is key always key and a fibre glass step ladder just incase
Some great tips and nice explanations on the job in hand .
Thanks 👍
Those QuickWire junctions are really neat.
Those connectors are ace. Done a few lights in my time and nowhere as neat as that 👍👍
Yes they are, cheers
Awesome video!!! Love that Quickwire Kit ;)
Me too! Cheers
Very similar to what I did in my lounge. You're right, it's not quick or easy, that cable fishing business! Mine took a full day, but I did also run cables down the wall and fitted a 4 gang switch so each row of 2 lights could be controlled separately. My downlights are quite deep so before drilling I made a small hole and used a single wire from the 1mm cable bent into an L shape and spinned it round to feel for obstacles. Another tip is don't be shy about making as many access holes as needed. Even if like me you're going to use Polyfilla and sandpaper rather than re-plastering it doesn't take long to fill them in perfectly.
Great, thanks for sharing 👍
Im a builder n i find your videos pure brill. Great advice, easy to follow n I might need to hide this channel from my wife lol
Thanks a lot 👍. 😂 brilliant
cheers guys for the video
Great video mate !
Thanks a lot!
Absolutely solid video. Been waiting for a solid DIY downlights with no access above for ages. No one else does the guides like you. Spot on bud, keep it up
Brilliant thanks a lot!
How to recreate that fishfin texture on the patched ceiling area?
I'm loving ur videos, being a diyer all the tips are brilliant
Glad you like them!
Nice one mate, good to see your channel doing well
Thanks a lot 🙏
Always wanted to know how to do this. Now I know. Many, many thanks.
Any time!
Great tutorial video, thanks a lot!
You're welcome!
Enjoyed your video
Need to watch the wiring part a few more times but very good many thanks!
Glad it helped, cheers
All good chap, but one little tip when drilling holes for downlights, keep the hss drill bit as short as possible in the hole saw, it only needs to guide in the hole saw and keep it from skidding off line, if it's sticking out 2" it asking for trouble hitting unseen cables or pipes.. from my own experience..:)
Very informative video. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic job
Thanks a lot
Absolutely awsome 😊😊
Thank you! Cheers!
Cheers got to do this perfect timing
Awesome
good video lad keep em coming
Thanks, will do!
Really helpful, great detail and easy to follow. Thank you very much. Have you got a video about installing a separate switch for the spotlights? Or converting a single switch to a double switch? Thinking about situations where you want to have a centre main light and spotlights around it that you can switch on and off separately. Thanks in advance.
Fantastic my man.
Cheers 👍
Great video - thanks.
Glad you liked it!
Great explainer video! Well done!! 👍
Thank you! 👍
Great video !! thanks
Glad you liked it! Cheers
Cracking job
Cheers
I've lurned more from you than 4 years in Electrical Installations at college
Awesome 🤩
Great video 👍
I need same thing done on my kitchen
But worry of the asbestos side
It’s same ceiling as showing on n your Video
Effin brilliant = thanks!
Glad you liked it!
He's scrummy! I'm subscribing!
Thank you, subscribed and liked 👍
Thanks for the sub!
I have used the quick wire on my house rewire didn't know about the quick wire lights though but the connectors are absolutely excellent also don't forget about the little you can get so you can release your cables just incase you accidentally put a cable in the wrong because you didn't take the time to mark it up 😅
Great point on the disconnection tool. I do have one but didn’t show it in the video. Cheers
An engineer's view on this: holes should be drilled along the neutral axis of a joist to prevent weakening of the structure. Drilling through the bottom half of a joist weakens the portion that is in tension.
Great video for DIYers, thank you for the tips especially to cover up the extra holes, I have to install some pot lights and I was scratching my head thinking how to deal with the joists and extra holes. Junction connector is good idea but I can't use it, our local code in NYC requires electrical box as Junction connection.
Glad it was helpful!
You are very good. I have learnt a lot from you. I have even subscribed to your channel
Thanks and welcome
Great tutorial, it's important to mention that all lighting circuits in domestic household premises must now have RCD protection. Reg. 411.3.4 as of 18th edition wiring regs in UK.
A lot of lighting circuits in older houses haven't got this as they were installed to older versions of the electrical regs.
Yes you can do like for like upgrade of existing light points, but if you are adding new wire, it's classed as an addition to the existing installation and the circuit should be brought up to meet current standards. If the circuit doesn't have RCD protection, then you should get an electrician to assess, test and upgrade the lighting circuit first before doing this work as this is classed as an "addition / alteration to the electrical installation".
Sometimes, 2 separate lighting circuits in older houses shared neutrals between 2 or more fuses/breakers (upstairs/downstairs) and this can cause a problem when trying to add the RCD protection to one of the circuits! In addition to this:
Class 1 downlights must be earthed, some older historic lighting circuits did not have an earth connection! So you must use Class II downlights or have the circuit re-wired to ensure you have a continuous CPC all the way back to the fuseboard.
No basic coloured insulation should be visible outside of enclosure, or termination above the light,
If in a special location such as a bathroom they should be suitably IP rated to stop steam from entering the fitting,
Loop impedance test should be carried out on the last light on the daisy chain to check continuity of the CPC (green yellow earth) and make sure that, in the event of a fault, the circuit breaker will trip within 4ms,
RCD should be tested from the last light as well as the switch point.
If you have a bedroom above the room you are installing downlights, I strongly recommend these should be fire rated to prevent the spread of fire from lower floor to upper floor.
....and lets not go down the rabbit hole of led dimmable downlights vs. older dimmer switches and all the flickering and premature failure issues that can cause!
It's mad that this is one of the few comments without a reply from him...
Home insurance products can not cover anything not within regs.
50mm noted but no RCD mentioned, easier ways 🙄
'to meet current standards'
Sure. But what about the voltage standards ? 🙂
Great comments BTW.
Well explained thanks…& he’s good looking…Win Win :P 😊 😅
Don't forget you could hit noggins between the joists. Also floor boards could be attached at the upper level making it necessary to drill access holes at all lights.
I'd suggest you drill/cut an inspection hole each side of the joist where you are about to drill through. Also, I'd suggest your hole saw pilot drill doesn't stick out so much (in case there are wires/pipes resting on the ceiling. What about the Part P aspects (earthing, circuit protection, testing, certification, etc)?
What about Part P ? ?
Briliant channel that I've just discovered and subscribed to. Your videos are very well presented and helped me a lot. However, got a bit confused in this one regarding feeding the wires through and the order. I think a diagram would be very useful for us novices!
Welcome aboard! Good suggestion
Thanks , he’s good.
Mate your ceiling is stunning! How did you do that?
Nice one Cameron, another good job. What do you do full time ?
Great as ever...costing me a fortune in new gadgets....but worth it, my ferret arrived yesterday wife a bit fed up with me playing with it in bed...so far 🤣🤣
😂😂😂 brilliant comment that one. Cheers
Thanks Cameron. Great video. Would you kind enough to show us a diagram of how you daisy chained your wire in conjunction with the ceiling joists please ? would be great to see a visual diagram of the wiring and the holes you made. thanks
You are a genius...
Very kind of you 😁
Hello Really liked your video it helped me install downlights, Quick questions how many downlights can I connect after removing a ceiling rose?
6:29 interesting mix of bulbs in there! It looks like there are CFLs, halogen/incandescent, and some difrent shaped ones lol 😂 can you do a video of all the bulbs and show them working
Thank you, brilliant tutorial, do you know; if I follow this guide for a new built home, with metal studs instead of wood studs, this would be similar in achieving same results?
Good job. Iam
A spark .. well
Done
Thanks a bunch 👍
Another great video. I know your channel is called DIY Guy but are you a pro helping out DIYers mate?
Excellent video ..i need some f these lights in a small room
You should!
This is exactly how I did it in my kitchen... New builds offer no access above😂 seems mad cutting loads of holes but those plaster circles just screw into place with a small batten underneath for support then a quick skim of filler... Messy though but worth it.. I also used a camera and fibre glass rods to feed the cables as we had insulation which hindered the cable being pushed.. Joy 😂
Haha well in 👍
Brilliant
Thanks
very good
Thanks
Good video. Could you do a video on wired wall sconces on each side of a bed?
Great suggestion!
Great info although I drilled a small hole first and used a piece of wire bent 90 degrees to check I had clearance for the 70mm hole drill..
👍
brilliant video! really covers it all!
a question not really about the installation, but... how big is this room? and how do you decide how many lights to use?
Thanks. The room is around 4x4m give or take. It really depends on a lot of different factors! There are calculators on some light supplier websites that may help you.
Hi Mate, excellent video. how would I connect 4 Downlights around my existing ceiling light ?.
Very nice job 👍🏻 well explained, but what if you’ve no down light in the room and only have wall lights to feed off?
Cheers
It’s do able! But does require a slightly different approach.
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