Wiring tlc rope lights to mains dimmer

leonski

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Hi,

I want to install some TLC rope lights and hopefully wire them to the light circuit.

I realise that this is possible if I cut the plug off but get a bit stuck from there. I'm hoping to change an existing light switch into a double so that the rope lights have their own switch and the main light in the room is still controlled separately.

Would it be possible to wire the rope lights this way and if so, which wire goes where?

Thanks in advance.
 
Purchase the dimmer and it'll have full instructions with it on how to wire it up.
 
I bought one of the touch sensitive dimmers from TCL...oh and the remote....
 
Thanks, yes I have the new dimmer but unbelievably it says nothing about cutting plugs off and wiring tlc rope lights into it. So basically when i cut the plug off i can literally wire it to the back of the lightswitch without having to pull wires from anywhere else?
Thanks again
 
Hi, don't mean to sound rude, but it doesn't sound like you know too much about home electrics. I think you may be as well getting an electrician in. You could quite easily end up electroduting yourself or even worse someone else.

Just my thought, hope I didn't offend.

Regard
Tony
 
So basically when i cut the plug off i can literally wire it to the back of the lightswitch without having to pull wires from anywhere else?
Thanks again

Can you explain this bit again please?
 
Haha don't worry I'll be going nowhere it. However, the guy that's wiring it for me said we might need to pull an earth wire from somewhere - maybe another light? Basically we are not sure about wiring lights that were designed to be used with a plug into a light circuit.
Thanks
 
Is there an earth wire on it? If yes it needs earthing. If no then it doesn't.

Simples!
 
Cheers,
After cutting the plug off there are just 2 wires - a brown and a blue. So can we just wire these into the dimmer switch?
 
I would consider wiring the dimmer to an electrical outlet. That should simplify things. Though you probably don't want to plug anything other than lights into the outlet.

Steve/bluewizard
 
It will only work if you have a neutral at the dimmer, take a pick of you switch and il tell u how to connect it?
 
Not sure how to post pictures but it's a twin dimmer switch from b&q. Has 2 blocks on the back with 3 holes in each - L1, L2 and and a symbol on the other.
 
The back of the existing dimmer switch has L1 with a red wire, L2 is empty and C with a red wire. There is also a yellow and green wire going to a little connector on the side (the new dimmer also has this connector).

I've looked at the instructions but to be honest they mean nothing to me. The guy fitting will probably understand but said I should ask the questions on here as this is where I got the idea initially so people must have done it all before.
 
They will only say to connect one of the red/brown into the symbol with the line and slanted arrow which is the switches common and then the other in L1 which is your switch wire, the earth should be put to the back box or if the dimmer is a metal one then to the fitting itself if it has a terminal
 
Ok the only way you could do it so they would switch separately is to link over the two common terminals (the one with the symbol) with abit of cable then the existing red for the ceiling light in L1 then you would have to put a new brown single core and earth from the other L1 to the brown of the rope light. Then pinch a neutral and earth from the existing ceiling light straight to the rope light.
 
So we can copy this setup into 1 of the blocks of the new dimmer but how do the brown and blue wires connect to the other block?
Thanks
 
Ok I'll show him this later and hopefully will be sorted.
Cheers again
 
You can't just connect the rope light straight to the dimmer as you haven't got a neutral at your switch so it wouldn't work, if you took a neutral from the lounge light which would be black then crimped that onto the blue of your rope light then connected the brown of the rope light into L1 of the switch and earth into backbox
 
I would suggest using either a switched/fused spur as the connection point between dimmer and rope light or use a lighting 5A plate with 5a plug. This will allow you to neatly terminate the rope light (which is a portable lighting fixture) to the fixed cabling of the house (the solid core copper cable of the lighting circuit).
 
I think your missing the point, it dosent make any difference if you put a fused spur in via the dimmer he's still missing a core of cable neutral or s/w depending on the way he's wiring it so it won't work and to put a fused spur in off the ring and mix the 2 circuits is an awful idea
 
I think Neil's point was that by putting in a spur you get a neutral at the dimmer.

Not sure why spurring off a ring is an awful idea?
 

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