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LED's behind a freestanding bath


Russdl

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Our bath will be freestanding, maybe about 50 - 100 mm away from the wall at most. We wanted some LED lights on the wall behind and below the bath for the occasional chilled out soak . Our M&E guy was going to send us a link to some lights that he thought would do the job well but we didn't get that.

 

I'm pretty sure that something like this is what he had in mind.

 

image.thumb.png.f8878e2370b72884ba9316c629d224b4.png

 

They are decking lights and IP67 rated. It seems like a great idea to me but how would we do it? I know almost zip about electrickery.

 

At the moment we have a grey cable coming through a hole in the plasterboard that is for LED lights. Do we just:

 

1. Cut the string of lights off from the transformer.

2. Join that string of lights to the in situ cable.

3. Find the other end of the in situ cable and attach the transformer to that.

4. Plug in. Switch on. Chill out?

 

Or is it way more complicated than that? Help appreciated ?

 

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17 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

How about some candles?

 

Hmm candles instead of complex (to me) and expensive LEDs. Not a bad idea, not a bad idea at all, and definitely cheaper. It reminds me of the American pen/Russian pencil story.

 

During the height of the space race in the 1960s, legend has it, NASA scientists realized that pens could not function in space. They needed to figure out another way for the astronauts to write things down. So they spent years and millions of taxpayer dollars to develop a pen that could put ink to paper without gravity. Their Soviet counterparts, so the story goes, simply handed their cosmonauts pencils.

 

Apparently not true, but as I was once told, never let the truth spoil a good story.

 

 Anyway, as we already have a cable poking out of the wall I'll explore all possibilities.

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2 hours ago, Russdl said:

During the height of the space race in the 1960s, legend has it, NASA scientists realized that pens could not function in space. They needed to figure out another way for the astronauts to write things down. So they spent years and millions of taxpayer dollars to develop a pen that could put ink to paper without gravity. Their Soviet counterparts, so the story goes, simply handed their cosmonauts pencils.

Reminds me of a friend who worked in armed forces development, they were tasked with developing a means of identifying mines/IEDs fir the troups on the ground in Afghanistan, the Russians were reported to have used donkeys driven in front of their troops to find them ?

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The boss likes ToughButterCups suggestion re the candles.

 

She ALSO wants lights behind the bath.  

 

So, back to my original question, can anyone advise on my original post regarding the decking lights?

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The grey cable is probably 240V, whereas the light cable loom is low-voltage DC - you need an electrician to check and make a suitable connection.

 

If the plasterboard is in situ, the difficult bit will be threading the cable loom for the lights behind the plasterboard, likewise under the floor. Decisions like this really need to be taken at first fix. If you're happy to remove and replace the plasterboard and floorboards, then not really a problem.

 

IP67 rated lights are suitable where there is water immersion.

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@FraserK Thanks for the reply. I will get an electrician to do what is required. The grey cable is already in place from first fix and iirc correctly the other end is up in the loft space (I'll have to check tomorrow).

 

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Can you get the patio lights that I'm looking at that are 240V? Or is there a better solution for little lights behind a bath that are likely to get wet?

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57 minutes ago, Russdl said:

She ALSO wants lights behind the bath.


OK so why not use a profile and strip ..?

 

You can buy IP65 self adhesive strip and you can get some really nice profile - I used a quarter round behind a bath to cast a glow up a wall and it was dead easy.

 

63F35F2C-2A84-476F-9EB1-2220C3EAF5EF.thumb.jpeg.86e61b3333488ba90196cb88149311fd.jpeg

 

You need to “hide” the transformer somehow but not difficult. Or it can go in the attic and just use the grey T&E for 12v to the strip

 

Profiles here

 

https://www.ledspace.co.uk/collections/corner-led-profiles/products/flat-corner-led-profile

 

IP65 strip 

 

https://www.ledspace.co.uk/products/tradestrip-60-12v-led-strip-warm-white-splashproof

 


 

 

 



 

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12 minutes ago, PeterW said:

so why not use a profile and strip ..?

 

Why not indeed! That looks really good. Cheaper than those decking lights and probably around the same price as a slack handful of decent candles.

 

So, if I understand correctly the IP65 strip gets attached to my (in situ) grey cable and when I find the other end of the grey cable, a transformer is connected to that and Bobs yer uncle?

 

Is there any limit to the length of the grey cable? I guess the grey cable has a much more technical name.

 

(Ah. Just spotted the more technical name for the grey cable T&E, twin and earth?)

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Just now, Russdl said:

So, if I understand correctly the IP65 strip gets attached to my (in situ) grey cable and when I find the other end of the grey cable, a transformer is connected to that and Bobs yer uncle?

 

Is there any limit to the length of the grey cable? I guess the grey cable has a much more technical name.


No it’s fine - it will be standard twin and earth - the sparky may need to solder the wires unless there is a neat place to hide a connector. They sell a connector to do it but if you look carefully there are solder pads all the way down the strip you can attach to. This is the proper connector - they aren’t expensive but a little bulky. Without seeing where it’s going it’s difficult to see if you can get the connector hidden. 
 

I use this supplier now for all the LED Stuff I need as it’s really good quality and zero interference from the transformers. It’s not the cheapest but it is very good.
 


 

 

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@PeterW I've just been looking through their website, looks good. You have saved hours of fruitless Googling I reckon, thanks a lot.

 

At the moment the cable is coming out of a plasterboarded wall about a foot off the ground, it's about to be tiled over but I still have time to move the cable and with that profile you linked to I would need to move it down to ground level. Not a problem, but then I have to connect it to the LED strip essentially on the floor of the bathroom where it will definitely get wet. I haven't browsed those links long enough to see if there is a suitable connector for that situation. do you know if there is or how that join should be done?

 

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The connector I linked is IP65. It’s all 12v anyway so perfectly safe and all I did was a smear of clear CT1 over the joint on that one and on the ends (they push in) and a quick bead across the top of the profile when installed as the cover snaps in tightly. 
 

 

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3 minutes ago, PeterW said:

If you’re using in the corner then just bed the profile itself into a bead of CT1 and it will seal the corner for you too

 

It wasn't going to be, but I think it can, thanks again.

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2 minutes ago, PeterW said:


Shouldn’t that say @pocster will be along with his plans for his HA Laser show .. as he’s still tiling his floor .. and he will be doing it some time in May... 

 

Slack git, what with me finally sorting out the heating in my bathroom...

 

IMG_20210110_220832611.thumb.jpg.eab0ed420f170e760e0c7317da5c1945.jpg

 

?

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