Wiring up an outside light.

dp639

I'm handy enough with DIY but tend to stay well clear of electrical work - not something to be played with. But basically I want to add an outside/security light to the gable of garage, not necessarily for security reasons more for additional light for the rest of the yard.

I've a garage with a loft in it, there is a light switch downstairs in the garage that turns on the lights in the loft. What I want to do is break the cable in the loft, add a junction box and feed another cable out of here and out through the cable to where my outside light will be.

My question is what do I need to do this, what type of junction box, type of cable, etc.

Mounting the light, drilling the hole through the wall, etc is fine its just the wiring part of it.

I know the right way would be to go about putting in its own switch, but I'll try walking before running. This is a light that will only be on when I've to go down the yard, so the fact that the lights in the loft come on also is off no real issue to me.

Thanks in advice.

DublinDilbert

dp639 wrote: »

I'm handy enough with DIY but tend to stay well clear of electrical work - not something to be played with. But basically I want to add an outside/security light to the gable of garage, not necessarily for security reasons more for additional light for the rest of the yard.

I've a garage with a loft in it, there is a light switch downstairs in the garage that turns on the lights in the loft. What I want to do is break the cable in the loft, add a junction box and feed another cable out of here and out through the cable to where my outside light will be.

My question is what do I need to do this, what type of junction box, type of cable, etc.

Mounting the light, drilling the hole through the wall, etc is fine its just the wiring part of it.

I know the right way would be to go about putting in its own switch, but I'll try walking before running. This is a light that will only be on when I've to go down the yard, so the fact that the lights in the loft come on also is off no real issue to me.

Thanks in advice.

1.5mm2 cable is the standard for domestic lighting.... In ireland the live/neutral are ran separately.

You've 2 options as I see it:-

1) Take a live & neutral off one of the lights in the attic (join them inside the existing light fitting), run them to the gable end of the building. Then at the inside of the gable end put up a 10A Junction box and join onto some 1.5mm2 Flex, which can go out through a hole in the wall to the light fitting.

2) Take a neutral off an existing light fitting. Replace the single switch at the door with a double, run a new live up from this switch to the attic, up to the gable end of the building. Connect the live and neutral as before to some flex and out to the light.

In either case if the light fitting is not doubly insulated you'll need to run an earth too.

IMO i would go with option 2, its not a massive amount of work and you could fit a PIR sensor light if you wished at some stage.

(All the usually precautions about knocking off the power, and make sure your confident enough to complete, otherwise get someone who is! )

dp639

Thanks for that, I know what to do now, just going with option 1 for the moment. But I've a couple of questions just to clear things up for me.

1. The existing live from the switch on its way to the existing light runs near to where I want to go through the wall, can I break the wire here and use a junction box, or is it best to just take the live from the exiting light.

2. I see the live and neutral going to my existing light, the outside light requires an earth, where do I get this from?

3.

DublinDilbert wrote: »

put up a 10A Junction box and join onto some 1.5mm2 Flex

Is this Flex only needed as the wiring is going outside, and if it was for an inside light only I could just run the live and neutral to the light without the above?

Thanks again.