Electrical / lighting question - downlights in the bedroom

[Participant]

Hi

Next on the DIY project list is some downlights in the master bedroom. We currently only have one pendant and it's insufficient light, so I'm looking at installing 6 downlights with dimmable LED bulbs, based on this sort of layout:



I'll then plaster over the hole left by the pendant (either that or fit a ceiling fan, not sure yet).

I'm comfortable with wiring, drilling, running cable, etc. as I've done it before, however I've got a few specific questions about this installation:

• What LED bulbs are reliable dimmers, i.e. non-fussy about the dimmer used?
• Any recommendations for a good quality two gang dimmer switch that will work with low power, i.e. only a couple of LED bulbs?
• I want the far two LEDs to work off one gang, and the other four over the bed area to work off the other gang. Will using only two bulbs off one gang cause any problems?
• Is there a recommended distance from the wall that each downlight should be placed?
• Any other issues you can foresee?

I can easily drop another cable down to the current one gang one way switch from the loft, between the brick and the stud wall, then fit a two gang backplate / switch.

Many thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Participant]

Fantastically helpful replies, thanks. Love the flooring in your dining area.

My plan with the pendant hole was to screw a small square of plasterboard into the ceiling over the hole from above in the loft, then plaster that hole. Your method is rather clever though.

Thanks for the recommendations. Sounds like I'm going to struggle dimming so few LEDs :/. Problem is I want as few as possible for aesthetic reasons. I'll never need huge amounts of light in there, just more than I currently have. Your suggestion about having the two in the dormer bit just being a simple on / off seems good. Will I be all right with a two gang dimmer but just never dimming the set of two, or would I need two separate one gang switches?

Regarding spacing and placement, from the highly scientific method of tapping the ceiling, I think I'll be OK, but will get up in the loft tomorrow and check.

Cheers again.

 

[Participant]

Participant - you could always just go for halogen lamps in this case if the loadings will be too low? I'm still yet to LED my downlights, all halogen at my house, i think we have getting on for 75 of them (will be over 100 if we build our extension) so i really should get round to it

Halogen for those two is a possibility, they just annoy me because I know they're using like ~100W vs. 10W for two LEDs . Still, I can always get an LED-rated dimmer and see if it works, then swap them for halogens if any problems.

100 LED bulbs...flip, you're almost into phone LED Hut and 'see what they can do for you' territory with that size of order!

 

[Participant]

if you have no, or limited access from above then you need to do the repair from below.

Yep, but there's a way to do it from below by cutting a hole in a piece of plasterboard slightly bigger than the hole you're patching, then snapping it in half without breaking the paper. Then you stuff it through the hole, unfold, and screw / plaster from below.

It's the one room you will likely be facing the ceiling, downlights give direct, focused light which is more suited to task lighting, in a bedroom you generally want diffused light, so pendant fittings, wall lights lamps etc. We normally install a 5amp switched circuit so you can have several lamps all controlled from a single (or double) wall switch.
I can see others disagree but having lived with both I will never spec downlights in a bedroom again!

You raise good points here and I agree that bedroom light should be diffused rather than focused. However a) modern downlights diffuse fairly well and b) the look is much cleaner imo. They're also easier and cheaper to install than multiple pendants or wall lights.

 

[Participant]

Cheers for that. I've decided to put four bulbs on each gang, to overcome the low load problem caused by having only two LED bulbs on one of the gangs. Seems that the Varilight V-Pro (sold by Screwfix as 'trailing edge') are the ones to go for, as recommended above.

Just got to figure out the wiring now.

Plan is to chip into the wiring using a junction box after the ceiling rose like so:



No clangers in there are there?