# Installing lighting



## mjcarpentry (Sep 8, 2013)

Hey Everyone,

Me again out there to pick the brains of all you DIY gurus lol.

So the big question today is after seeing all the DIY disasters in regards to lighting I thought I would ask what everyone is is doing. If I wanted to fit a ceramic fitting to the roof of my timber or melamine enclosures should I have a tile as a barrier between the fitting and ceiling or If I left the fitting hang an inch from the ceiling for ventilation. 


Thanks Everyone


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## smileysnake (Sep 8, 2013)

i use the hang method you mentioned but doing it with a tile on the roof is a good idea aswell.....you can also buy the ceramic fittings mounted to a bracket for easy installation...


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## Tristan.C (Sep 10, 2013)

Go LED's, they are cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, and don't give off as much heat as a normal bulb... I just bought a 5m roll for $12 delivered  IMO quite safer...


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## DisturbedDave (Sep 10, 2013)

I have a timber enclosure, and I have taken the ceramic fittings out of downlights, and screwed them direct to the roof. Not enough heat coming out from the 'top' of the globe/heat emitter to do damage. Hasn't even discolored the paint above the fitting.


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## andynic07 (Sep 10, 2013)

Just be careful , [h=1]A little warning for all DIY'ers[/h]


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## Skitzmixer (Sep 10, 2013)

mjcarpentry said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> Me again out there to pick the brains of all you DIY gurus lol.
> 
> ...





TMZ-206 Battenholder with Mounting Bracket | Reptile Direct Australia

I found these on a sponsors website, they look pretty good. Don't quote me on this, but I don't think you need a sparky to install them either.



DisturbedDave said:


> I have a timber enclosure, and I have taken the ceramic fittings out of downlights, and screwed them direct to the roof. Not enough heat coming out from the 'top' of the globe/heat emitter to do damage. Hasn't even discolored the paint above the fitting.



Not quite sure what you mean, can you show us a picture?


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## OldestMagician (Sep 10, 2013)

Skitzmixer said:


> I found these on a sponsors website, they look pretty good. Don't quote me on this, but I don't think you need a sparky to install them either.



As long as you don't modify it (cut the plug off etc) then you don't. 

Otherwise you'd need an electrician of you wanted to secure a lamp to your desk.


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## mjcarpentry (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks guys for all the posts. I didn't think with the ceramic fitting it would get that hot but didn't wanna risk it. Might look into the one that the sponsor supplies and still put a black tile between the roof and fitting as a barrier for safety's sake.


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## Skitzmixer (Sep 10, 2013)

OldestMagician said:


> As long as you don't modify it (cut the plug off etc) then you don't.
> 
> Otherwise you'd need an electrician of you wanted to secure a lamp to your desk.



haha cant be to careful I guess.


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## OldestMagician (Sep 10, 2013)

Skitzmixer said:


> haha cant be to careful I guess.



Haha, sorry it sounds like I was having a dig, just trying to give an example that seems less ambiguous


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## DisturbedDave (Sep 10, 2013)

Fitting to the left of the pic, both my basking and che are run off these. Installed by an electrician of course, as they need to be wired. This was the less 'intrusive' form of light fitting I could find. 
PS: don't mind 'tarzan' hanging from the grandfathers beard


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## Tristan.C (Sep 10, 2013)

DisturbedDave said:


> Fitting to the left of the pic, both my basking and che are run off these. Installed by an electrician of course, as they need to be wired. This was the less 'intrusive' form of light fitting I could find.
> PS: don't mind 'tarzan' hanging from the grandfathers beard



Did you make that background?


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## DisturbedDave (Sep 10, 2013)

I did 

Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk 4


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## Tristan.C (Sep 10, 2013)

Was it just with expanda foam and foam blocks?


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## DisturbedDave (Sep 10, 2013)

Tristan.C said:


> Was it just with expanda foam and foam blocks?



For the walls I used sheets of foam (thickest I could get from Clark Rubber), then broke it into tough pieces n siliconed them to the walls. I burnt all edges with a lighter (do this wearing a mask and in ventilated area). The shelf you can see there was made out of Styrofoam packing from a tv, cut down, roughened up, pieces added, to get the look I wanted. 
In retrospect, I wish I added more depth to the walls rather than having it the same thickness, but for my first enclosure, I'm happy with it


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## smileysnake (Sep 11, 2013)

The post by skitmixer are the ones i use they are the best you can also buy them with a dimmer switch on them which i use with my infrared lights for night time viewing or heating young ones in winter along with a heat mat


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