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.

Am I confident and capable of carrying out the task?

Be honest with yourself as the wrath incurred from your spouse/partner when the project is only half complete and the family home resembles a building site is not to be taken lightly.

Planning and designing the project no matter how small can save you a lot of time, frustration and money.

First of all whatever the project, decide how much of the work is being done by yourself. There may be a socket outlet/light switch that requires replacement or pipework that needs redirecting. If you are not confident that you can do the job safely and correctly then this is a costing that needs to be considered along with all other materials. If you need to use a plumber/electrician etc I have always found it best to use someone recommended by friend or family member. There are a lot of good time served tradesmen out there but unfortunately there are a lot who are the exact opposite so getting one that is recommended reduces the chance of getting a ‘cowboy’ to carry out the work. If you require an electrician to carry out work in your home make sure he/she is Part P qualified. If you need a plumber to install or alter gas pipes, boiler, gas fires or work on any part of a gas installation he/she must be Corgi registered.

Once you have decided how much of the project you will do (hopefully all of it) you need to plan how you will go about the job and what you need with regard to tools and materials. The more you think about and plan the job the easier it will be to do. Make sure you allow yourself enough time to do the job and don’t try to do too much all at once. A rushed job usually ends up as a botched job.

As an example take designing and fitting a new kitchen, you will of course get out your tape measure, pick the units and then order it. But why not get a pencil and paper with your tape measure and have a go at drawing the finished kitchen. You don’t have to be Da vinci and the drawing doesn’t have to be perfectly to scale as long as the units you have chosen fit in the space available.

A drawing gives you a better idea of how user friendly the finished kitchen will be and gives other family members/friends the option to comment (good or bad) on your design and maybe throw in one or two of their own ideas.

A drawing also gives you a much better idea of any gaps that could be filled, i.e. with a wine rack or false panel. You can mark on the drawing existing socket outlets/cooker switch/boiler/existing plumbing etc and check if they are in a good position for your new kitchen. There is nothing more frustrating than having to do major alterations to existing services because you thought they were ok and as you finish off the kitchen you now realize there was room for that wine rack which is on a six week delivery.

So in my opinion a drawing/sketch is invaluable and a lot cheaper to throw away than having to purchase new materials if a mistake has been made.

Always make a list of materials and tools you will need to complete the project, no doubt it will be almost impossible to itemize everything but you will have a better estimate of how much the total cost will be by using pamphlets/magazines etc, from the local DIY stores. It is quite surprising how much the ‘bits’ can raise the overall cost of any DIY project.