# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  Replacing downlight with Pendant light.

## JK200SX

Before I start, this thread is not about electrical or electrical connection, but merely the best way to attch the light to the ceiling. 
We wish to replace a 70mm downlight with a pendant light. The pendant light canopy diameter is larger than the 70mm plaster cutout from the downlight. Without replastering/patching what are the best methods to attach the pendant to the ceiling. The problem is that there is a 70mm cutout, no battens near by, and ceiling cavity access is limited because it is the lower floor of a 2 storey house. 
So my question is what methods do you use to retrofit a downlight with a pendant? My initial thoughts were to get a piece of timber, say 30cm long, apply glue to one side, pass it though the hole, and then position it centrally over the hole, let the glue dry and mount the fixing plate to it. What are your thoughts or do you know of a better method. The pendant light weighs 2.5kg. 
Thanks.

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## cyclic

> Before I start, this thread is not about electrical or electrical connection, but merely the best way to attch the light to the ceiling. 
> We wish to replace a 70mm downlight with a pendant light. The pendant light canopy diameter is larger than the 70mm plaster cutout from the downlight. Without replastering/patching what are the best methods to attach the pendant to the ceiling. The problem is that there is a 70mm cutout, no battens near by, and ceiling cavity access is limited because it is the lower floor of a 2 storey house. 
> So my question is what methods do you use to retrofit a downlight with a pendant? My initial thoughts were to get a piece of timber, say 30cm long, apply glue to one side, pass it though the hole, and then position it centrally over the hole, let the glue dry and mount the fixing plate to it. What are your thoughts or do you know of a better method. The pendant light weighs 2.5kg. 
> Thanks.

  Not sure I would like the equivalent of a 2 litre bottle of milk relying on the gyprock ceiling that has a 70 hole and only 115 mm of timber each side of the hole.(300 of timber)
For something like this, I work more with steel and aluminium as opposed to timber, and I can picture a steel plate maybe 5-6 mm thick about 60x60 with a 10 mm nut, a long nut, welded in the middle and attached to the underside of the upper floor with 4 to 6 screws short enough so they don't go through the floor, as well as a liberal blob of sika 221, then a 10mm rod or bolt screwed into the nut to which you attach the pendant.
That way no weight is on the ceiling.
Depending on how the pendant attaches, you could even bolt with 2 nuts, another flat plate on the bottom of the rod for the attachment to screw to. 
Everything available from Bunnies, all you have to do is get someone to weld the nut onto the plate.

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## UseByDate

> Not sure I would like the equivalent of a 2 litre bottle of milk relying on the gyprock ceiling that has a 70 hole and only 115 mm of timber each side of the hole.(300 of timber)
> For something like this, I work more with steel and aluminium as opposed to timber, and I can picture a steel plate maybe 5-6 mm thick about 60x60 with a 10 mm long nut welded in the middle and attached to the underside of the upper floor with 4 to 6 screws short enough so they don't go through the floor, as well as a liberal blob of sika 221, then a 10mm rod or bolt screwed into the nut to which you attach the pendant.
> That way no weight is on the ceiling.
> Depending on how the pendant attaches, you could even bolt with 2 nuts, another flat plate on the bottom of the rod for the attachment to screw to. 
> Everything available from Bunnies, all you have to do is get someone to weld the nut onto the plate.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFuYIi5-igc

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## Bros

Cant you just use a longer bit timber so it sits on the battens?

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## pharmaboy2

What you are saying sounds fine to me, though I would turn the batten once you have it in the ceiling so it is perpendicular to the joists, as you will have connections to the joists for the ceiling.  Plasterboard will cope with a few kilos forever. 
anyone who has pulled a plasterboard ceiling knows how much effort it takes to pull a sheet off and how large a piece ends up coming down after you hang on it.

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## cyclic

Simple to test it.
Place the timber in the ceiling with a wire or zip tie around it and hang 3 kg from it.
That's 1/2 a kg more than you need for the extra weight when the bulbs heat up.
If you are happy with it then that solves the problem.

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## Bedford

> That's 1/2 a kg more than you need for the extra weight when the bulbs heat up.

  Can you run this past me again I didn't get it the first time. 
Sounds like something that should be in the ETS thread.

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## Marc

Well is quite simple really. when you switch the light on, there is a flow of electricity towards the bulbs that will in turn slowly fill up with electrons and clearly weight more. So at a rough estimate we have a 2.5 litre of milk chandelier with added 1/5 kg electrons ... that adds up to roughly 29.42 Newtons.
it is my learned opinion that a stick 30cm long (one foot or 12") particularly if it is Hickory or Tallow Wood with square or rounded edges would hold up about 7.526 kg or 73.8 Newtons before ripping a large hole in the ceiling. One way to make this pending light contraption lighter would be to convert it to 12V. 12V is clearly less volts than 240 that will of course weight way more than 12. 
In my learned opinion only of course. 
PS
If the schtick is oriented along the magnetic field N/S the strength is increased. 
(Seriously now) If on the other hand it is long enough to touch the ceiling rafters or be very close to them, and placed perpendicular to them, the result will be much better

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## Marc

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFuYIi5-igc

  Oh my ... had to laugh so loud that the dog across the road started barking  :Rofl5:

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