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LED Floodlight wiring

Nick potts

Nick potts

Member
Joined
25 Sep 2014
Messages
1,050
Location
Torbay
Hi all, posted this in the DIY section but figure it will get more views in here :)

Just picked up 2 20W led floodlight for my 10g tank, now the lights came with a small length of bare cable so needs extending and me being a paranoid about electricals and water just wanted to double check i am doing it right and i know some of you folks are using these lights.

I plan on using these to join the cable http://www.diy.com/departments/bq-black-13a-terminal-line-connector/178106_BQ.prd.

Only other question is what cable should i buy to extent it, 6A 10A or 16A (this is what b&q sell)

Does the above sound OK?

Thanks

Nick
 
I took mine apart and connected a longer flex straight in to the light housing...safer and better aesthetically, if you're no good with solder use a chocolate box connector...check this out http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=195589&page=10 scroll through to the pics. Just pull the short flex in to the housing and connect that way, and exit the housing with your new extended flex. You'll need to undo the seal washer and bolt on the casing.
I can't remember what ampage the flex was but I chose flex of identical thickness - normal lamp flex - and many many months on no house fires etc...
 
Last edited:
If you only need a connector for the wiring, rather than use that connector you may as well get a switched one.
 
SuperColey1 said:
If you only need a connector for the wiring, rather than use that connector you may as well get a switched one.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of doing this, as it takes care of 2 problems in one, however my local b&q only has the inline switches for 2 core wiring, but i will look around.

ian_m said:
That is a monster amount of light for a small tank, hope you have some way of dimming the lights or you will melt any plants to algae soup.

20W is 20/240 Amps -> 0.08Amps. Thus 3A (0.5mm three core) or 6A (0.75mm three core) will be fine. You might find the 6A better to work with as bigger cable often "stays put" more easily.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Cable_Index/Flex_White_1/index.html
Click to expand...

Thanks Ian, so you think i'll get away with 1 then :), i was a little worried about dimness at the edges, and i will need more as i new tank is on the way so not a complete waste.

Cheers for the wire help, will pick some up today.

Thanks all

Nick
 
Nick potts said:
i was a little worried about dimness at the edges, and i will need more as i new tank is on the way so not a complete waste.
Click to expand...
They might be dimmable (or more likely not) in which case both with a dimmer will be fine.

Dimmers like this can dim LED lights, but LED lights must be marked as dimmable.
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/VLJQP401W.html

If not dimmable, individually switched will help, raising them up will lower light, covering with darkened/misted plastic will help, foil strips etc to keep light levels under control.

If you are wiring two lamps, you will have to join cables somewhere as you suggest.

At a first pass I would take the lights apart and see if there was any way of wiring one light into another, then a single cable out to a mains plug plugged into a time switch, might be "neater" than having two cables to your electrics to cope with.

If not you will need a junction box to join the two lighting cables, or could be "naughty" and wire both wires into a 13A plug ;).

Your B&Q one, or http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BG458.html will be fine. If worried about water http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/KBJB003.html are waterproof, but are quite chunky to hide and only take 0.75mm (ie bigger) cable, though of course your electrics should not be going near water :)
 
ian_m said:
They might be dimmable (or more likely not) in which case both with a dimmer will be fine.

Dimmers like this can dim LED lights, but LED lights must be marked as dimmable.
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/VLJQP401W.html

If not dimmable, individually switched will help, raising them up will lower light, covering with darkened/misted plastic will help, foil strips etc to keep light levels under control.

If you are wiring two lamps, you will have to join cables somewhere as you suggest.

At a first pass I would take the lights apart and see if there was any way of wiring one light into another, then a single cable out to a mains plug plugged into a time switch, might be "neater" than having two cables to your electrics to cope with.

If not you will need a junction box to join the two lighting cables, or could be "naughty" and wire both wires into a 13A plug ;).

Your B&Q one, or http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/BG458.html will be fine. If worried about water http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/KBJB003.html are waterproof, but are quite chunky to hide and only take 0.75mm (ie bigger) cable, though of course your electrics should not be going near water :)
Click to expand...

Hi Ian, thanks again, these lights aren't dimmable so i'll go with 1 to start with.

You lost me with all the joining two together, i just plan on wiring them individually to 13a plugs :)
 
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