Replacing a ceiling rose is a job that can be carried out by a competent DIYer, but as always if you are not confident use the services of an electrician.

Tools required :- Side cutters (snips), an insulated medium size screwdriver, an insulated terminal screwdriver, wire strippers, marker pen and either test lamps or a meter to confirm the electrical supply to the ceiling rose is isolated.

Start by switching off the consumer unit and removing the appropriate circuit fuse / miniature circuit breaker.

fig 1

Fig 1 shows the most common way a ceiling rose is connected assuming that the wiring is in the ‘old’ colours of Red – Live, Black – Neutral, Green / Yellow – Earth.

Cable A and Cable B are the live, neutral and earth loop to each of the ceiling roses / lights in the circuit, they remain ‘live’ regardless of the light switch position, hence why the circuit needs to be isolated.

Cable C is a twin red and earth which is connected to the light-switch.

1 and 8 are the live and neutral conductors that connect to the ceiling rose lamp holder.

2 is the return live (switch-wire) from the light-switch.

3 is the live feed to the light-switch.

4 and 5 are both live conductors.

6 and 7 are both neutral conductors.

9 is the earth terminal for each of the earth conductors from each cable, the earth cables must be connected to the terminal, so must the earth at the light-switch if there is a metal back box or metal light-switch.

When the circuit has been isolated and tested it is a good idea to mark the insulation on the three live conductors (3,4,5) with a dot from a marker pen to make them easier to identify, these are the conductors that most DIYers connect back up incorrectly, the two conductors 2 and 3 can be reconnected the wrong way round and the switch will still work correctly, the neutral conductors 6 and 7 are obviously easily identifiable but must be connected to ‘their own’ terminal block within the ceiling rose. Another simple idea aside drawing how the ceiling rose is connected is to take a photo on your mobile for reference later.

Loosen the terminal screws one at a time and pull out each conductor, take care not too loosen the screws too much if the ceiling rose is going to be re-fitted as they are very small and trying to find them after they have fell on the floor can be a great source of amusement for everyone but you trying to find them. Remove the fixing screws and take down the ceiling rose. When the replacement has been fixed in place ensure all connections are tight and all earth conductors are reconnected, replace the fuse / miniature circuit breaker and check the light works as it should, don’t forget to check other lights nearby are also working correctly as any errors made in reconnection can affect them too.

Below are diagrams of other common ways a ceiling rose will be connected.

fig 2

Fig 2 shows a common occurrence where the electrician has installed twin and earth for cable C (Red and Black) instead of twin Red to the light-switch, the Black conductor should at least be sheathed with red sleeving to show it is a live conductor, you must mark this conductor with either Red sleeving or Red tape to avoid problems when reconnecting the ceiling rose.

fig 3

Fig 3 shows the last ceiling rose on the circuit and therefore there is only two cables present, cable A is the live, neutral and earth supply, cable C is the twin Red and earth to the switch, but once again Red and Black could have been used instead of the twin Red.

fig 4

Fig 4 shows the same configuration as fig 1 but this time using the ‘new colours’ for electrical installations, i.e. Brown is the live conductor, Blue is the neutral conductor and Green / yellow is the earth conductor.

fig 5

Fig 5 shows as with fig 2 that the electrician has used twin and earth for cable C instead of twin Brown and earth, once again the Blue conductor should be either sleeved or taped Brown to show it is a live conductor to help to avoid problems when reconnecting the ceiling rose.

fig 6

Fig 6 shows in the ‘new colours’ the last ceiling rose on the circuit with only two cables present, cable A is the live, neutral and earth supply to the ceiling rose, cable C is the twin Brown and earth to the light-switch. But once again Brown and Blue could have been used instead of twin Brown.

Worktop jointing clamps

Coloured joint sealant and solvent

Try not to have the joint too near any of  the ends of the base units as the clamps may be difficult to gain access to and tighten up. Coloured jointing sealant should be put onto one edge of the two sections of worktop and as you tighten the clamps check constantly how flush the worktop edges are simply by touch, take care not to over-tighten the clamps as the finished edge of the worktop might start to ‘lift’ . When you are satisfied with the quality of the joint, clean away surplus joint sealant with the solvent that should be supplied with it. Incidentally the coloured sealant is very handy to mask any small chips or scratches that may unfortunately occur during the fitting of the worktop(s).

Fitting kitchen worktops requires assistance, not only for cutting them to length, but also because of their size and weight, the last thing you want to do is to damage one when placing it on top of the new kitchen units. If you have a ‘U’ or ‘L’ shaped kitchen start with the centre or ‘back’ worktop. Before you cut the worktop to length measure along both the back and front edges of your base units just in case the walls are not quite square and transfer these measurements to your worktop. Double check your measurements and remember you can allow a few millimetres for any end that will have wall tiles overlapping the worktop edge, then do the cut, this can be done using a woodsaw, but a jigsaw certainly makes the task easier, just remember to use goggles and a face mask, if you can’t see your cutting mark on the worktop use masking tape and re-mark the cutting line. When positioning the worktops on the base units you may have to chase out a bit of plaster along the wall to allow the worktop front edge to line up with the base units, ideally the worktop should extend over the base units front edge by an equal amount along its whole length.

Now measure the other worktop(s) again, across both the front and back edges of the base units and cut to size allowing for the joint strip. Seal the end of the worktop with either pva glue or clear sealant before fitting the joint strip to stop any future liquid spillage from damaging the worktop. When you are satisfied the worktop(s) are sitting on the base units correctly you can mark out your cuts for the sink unit and hob, once again use masking tape if you cannot see your marking out clearly. If you are fortunate the sink unit and hob will come with templates to mark the worktop for cutting out. Generally the hole to be cut is around 5 – 10mm less than the circumference of the sink unit or the hob. The sink unit can be placed face down on the worktop, the circumference can be marked out, then reduce this cut by the appropriate measurement all round. The hob may have no template but should have the cut out dimensions supplied with it, these dimensions need to be marked out very accurately and make sure the hob is in the position you want it . Double check your measurements before making any cuts in the worktop (I fitted a hob recently which only had a 5mm edge that rested on the worktop so I must have checked my marking out at least several times). These cuts can then be made using a jigsaw. When you have completed the cuts and the worktop(s) are back in position they can be fixed using the screws supplied with the base units. Again seal the cut-outs of the worktops with pva glue or clear sealant prior to fitting the sink unit and hob.

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