On a wall light point you connect a wall light just like a ceiling light: circuit off, measure, brown or black to live, blue to neutral and green-yellow to earth. The difference is in the fixing. The mounting plate has to sit firmly in the wall and must not pinch the wires.
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First check what comes out of the wall
A wall light point is a back box in the wall with two to four wires in it. In an installation from after roughly 2000 you will see brown, blue and green-yellow. In an older home the live can be black or gray, and sometimes there is no earth at all. If you are not sure which wire is which, measure first. How to do that safely is in How do you check that the power is off?
If there is a socket on the wall rather than a box, it is not a wall light point. You can then connect the light with a plug, but not permanently to the cable.
What you need
- a two-pole voltage tester
- a spirit level and a pencil
- plugs that suit your wall; ordinary plugs in brick, cavity plugs in plasterboard
- push-in connectors for the connections
The connection step by step
Circuit off and measure. Even if the light hangs on a switch that is off.
Mounting plate against the wall. Keep it straight with a spirit level and mark the holes. If a screw hole falls exactly on the edge of the back box, turn the plate a quarter turn or drill next to the box. Never drill straight above or below the box: that is where the cable runs to the switch or the ceiling.
Prepare the wires. Strip about a centimeter of copper. Too much bare copper outside the connector is dangerous, too little comes loose.
Connect. Live to live, neutral to neutral, earth to the earth terminal of the light. If the light has a metal housing and an earth terminal, the earth always goes on it.
Tuck the wires away. Push the connections back into the box so they do not end up between the wall and the light. A pinched wire is the most common reason an RCD trips after a light has been put up.
Light onto the plate, bulb in, circuit on.
Heavy lights: mind the plug
Most wall lights weigh a few hundred grams. There are exceptions. The Coen is made of steel, 26 centimeters wide and weighs a kilo. You do not want to hang that from a plastic plug in plasterboard. In brick an ordinary plug is fine; in plasterboard use a cavity plug or a screw into a stud behind it.
Indoors or outdoors makes a difference
Indoors a light with IP20 is enough. Outdoors it has to cope with water. A light with IP44 is resistant to splashing water and belongs in a sheltered spot, under eaves or in a porch. If it is right in the rain, choose IP65. The difference is explained in What is the difference between IP44 and IP65?
An example of a light that works in both places: the Dano has IP65 and a CCT switch that lets you choose 3000K, 4000K or 5700K when mounting. So you make that choice before you screw it onto the plate.
How high do you hang it?
A wall light point is already there, so the height is usually given. If you are placing a new point, eye level is a common guideline, around 1.70 meters. With an up-and-down light, such as the square up-and-down, it can go a little higher so both beams light a stretch of wall.
All models are in the wall lights.
Which wire is the live on a wall light?
Brown, or in an older installation black or gray. Blue is neutral and green-yellow is earth. If the colors do not match what you expect, for example in an old installation, have an electrician measure it.
Can I connect a wall light without a back box?
Not permanently to the cable. A fixed connection belongs in a box. Without a wall light point you can use a light with a plug, or a rechargeable wall light that needs no wire at all.
Why does the RCD trip after putting up a wall light?
Usually a wire is pinched between the mounting plate and the wall, or the neutral touches the earth. Take the light down and check that all the wires sit neatly in the box.