Repurposing an old light in a bathroom?

[Lacan07]

Hi all,

I saw a vintage (?) counter balance lamp in an antique shop over the weekend which might suit my bathroom rather well and only £40!

I had a rough look at where my light would be hanging in relation to shower and bath, etc and its appears it may be on the cusp of zone 2 and therefore require a rating of IP44.

Although there's a chance I might just be out of zone 2 and can use any light I wish I was just wondering if anyone has any experience of IP ratings and how easy it is to upgrade a fitting? The shop owner said the wiring has been updated but to what standard we don't know. My bathroom is subject to a BC notice.

 

[a twig]

You could do - essentially you would have to replace all the wiring and the bulb holders with something that was appropriately rated. A short run of mains powered IP44 garden lights would be the easiest way to source. Something like these but obviously not a 5m run!

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Trying to “IP44” the fitting as is would butcher it, and you’d need to get it tested at a test house to show the inspector to prove you’ve done it properly, as even if all the components are IP44, compliance plus compliance does not equal compliance as they say.

Taking an existing tested product and effectively “hanging” it unmodified inside that fitting would allow you to use the existing product’s conformance certificate.

I’ve heard of people putting up a cheap IP44 rated fitting to pass inspection and swapping it after but obviously wouldn’t condone that.

 

[Lacan07]

You could do - essentially you would have to replace all the wiring and the bulb holders with something that was appropriately rated. A short run of mains powered IP44 garden lights would be the easiest way to source. Something like these but obviously not a 5m run!

20 Warm White Carnival Plug In Festoon Lights

Festoon fabulousness! Introduce a stylish touch with our Carnival Festoon Lights from years gone. Each perspex globe features one warm white LED within for a subtle glow once illuminated. || Simply plug in and enjoy the ambient warm white glow indoors or use outdoors for garden parties or dining...

www.lights4fun.co.uk

Trying to “IP44” the fitting as is would butcher it, and you’d need to get it tested at a test house to show the inspector to prove you’ve done it properly, as even if all the components are IP44, compliance plus compliance does not equal compliance as they say.

Taking an existing tested product and effectively “hanging” it unmodified inside that fitting would allow you to use the existing product’s conformance certificate.

I’ve heard of people putting up a cheap IP44 rated fitting to pass inspection and swapping it after but obviously wouldn’t condone that.

Thanks for this Twig, I think you've convinced me it may be worth a punt. I'll pop over to the shop and take another look when I get a moment. I'm amazed at how much new 'period' lighting can be in the shops, or maybe I'm just being a tight wad.

 

[LadyArowana]

I’ve heard of people putting up a cheap IP44 rated fitting to pass inspection and swapping it after but obviously wouldn’t condone that.

No one wouldn’t want to do something naughty like spend a very reasonable amount on an appropriately rated fitting and then decide it didn’t quite suit after the certs were done https://www.lights2go.co.uk/shop-by...tt-flush-white-acrylic-medium-ip44-led-p27088

 

[RBailey]

I did definitely not have a similar thought to Twig and LadyArowana
You could do it by replacing the fittings and cable, however, I would still be worried that it would still not get passed for some traffic warden type excuse.

Lovely light though.

Cheers,
Richard B.

 

[paulc]

Unless specifically mentioned, do light fittings fall within the remit of listed status ?
Whilst it is possible to pin down roughly when a light fitting was installed by the colour of the cable (assuming it hadn't been rewired), how would the conservation officer know if the fitting is "original"..

 

[LadyArowana]

Unless specifically mentioned, do light fittings fall within the remit of listed status ?
Whilst it is possible to pin down roughly when a light fitting was installed by the colour of the cable (assuming it hadn't been rewired), how would the conservation officer know if the fitting is "original"..

Our CO didn’t bat an eyelid at our rewiring plans which included putting a new ceiling rose in the withdrawing room so we could have a pendant light rather than just 2 wall sconces. A fitting would have to be part of a very special interiors scheme to merit special protection I think. Given that our house is 1767-ish certain concessions to modern life seem to be an accepted reality, not least functional bathrooms and a heating system.

 

[mattyb]

You could use this basically as a shell and then fit a modern wiring system inside to make it safe/suitable.

 

[Cubist]

The real issue here is 'who is authorised to certify a light fitting and is that person/authority recognised by all relevant inspectors and insurers'. Whilst its easy enough for any competent handy-person to make the modifications using appropriate materials, gaining that approval and recognition by all these bodies would be nigh on impossible and exorbitantly expensive for a member of the public.