When changing the lights in your home, sometimes its not as simple as a swap over, there are a few things to check first to make sure you buy the right light fixtures and fittings for your home and the rooms where they are to be installed.
One of first things to check is that you have an earth cable (green and yellow stripped cable) which is connected to earth at the fitting, this is really important as the earth cable provides a safe electrical path to earth in the event of a fault.
If there’s not an earth cable at the fitting there’s a few things that can be done. Firstly, the circuit can be rewired to include an earth, but this is not always an option due to cost, furniture in the home, wooden floors, access and a few other reasons.
Another option is to buy Class 2 double insulated fittings as long as the cabling is still safe to be used.
So, what are double insulated light fittings?
Double insulated lights have two layers of insulation which protect against electric shocks, this means there’s no need for an earth cable at the fitting. Class 2 light fittings come in a vast range of designs to fit pretty much anywhere in the home.
The pros of double insulated light fittings are;
- They don’t require an earth,
- They are normally made of plastic so they don’t corrode,
- They can be fitted anywhere in the home,
- There are plenty of choices of designs on the market
The biggest con to double insulated light fitting are that they are normally quite expensive.
The next thing to think about is where they are going to be installed, if they are to be installed in a bathroom, they need to be suitable for the location, so being IP rated is must!
So, what does IP rated mean?
IP stands for “Ingress Protection” and measures how well a device is protected from both solid objects and liquids.
In bathrooms a minimum IP rating of IP45 is to be used but I recommend lights rated at IP65 just to be on the safe side.
Before any modifications can be made to your homes electrical system it should be checked by a fully qualified and competent electrician to make sure its safe to do so.
Any electrical work carried out in your home must comply with the latest wiring regulations and Part P.
Its very important to use a registered electrician for any work undertaken in your home to ensure the work has been carried out safely, in line with Part P and to a high standard, always remember to ask if your electrician is registered and for their registration body.
At JJB electrical ltd we are fully insured and registered with NAPIT, we been fully vetted by Which trusted traders and carry the government Trustmark.
We have been providing this electrical service to our customers in Cheshunt, Harlow and throughout the Hertfordshire and Essex areas for a number of years now and we are more than happy to advise you on electrical safety in the home.
Give your local Electricians a call on 01992 276 087 today.
