Let there be light!

Well almost…….  The ceiling light fittings arrived and I took the opportunity to wire them into Waiouru.  The first task was to measure the depth of the fittings and make a timber template.  I used a 57mm hole cutter to make a plug from ¾” plywood.  Using a scrap of oak I fitted a simple handle across the face and then used a saw to cut a wedge out of the plug.  The wedge allowed me to fit the wires into the plug when inserting it into the pre-cut holes in the ceiling.  The plug was then inserted into each light fitting hole to check whether there was sufficient depth for the fitting.  Those holes that didn’t have sufficient depth were marked and more spray foam removed (am I ever going to see the last of the damned spray foam).

The ceiling started the day looking like this….

The first part of the task involve stripping the ends of the cable to expose the copper strands.  “Butt” terminals were then crimped onto the ends.

Did you notice the wall reading lights fittings have already been fitted?

I’ve never been a fan of crimped terminals.  Many years ago when I was an apprentice my “Master” would insist all cable ends must either terminate in a screw box or have a soldered lug.  Crimping was seen to be inferior!  However this is 12v wiring rather than 240v so I’m using the “conventional” boat builder method.  I didn’t cut the excess off the ends of the cables.  This was deliberate.  I’ve made sufficient free space between the spray foam and ceiling to hide the excess cable.  I’d much rather have too much cable than too little.  Who knows… in 10 years time someone might thank the electrician for the additional cable

The fittings were then crimped to the cables and carefully inserted into their respective holes.

Those of you with excellent vision might notice the fittings have not been pushed fully home.  This is also deliberate, as I’ll need to take the fittings back out to replace the halogen bulbs with LED’s when the latter arrive.  The ceiling now looks a little tidier and our ears no longer get tickled by low hanging cables!