Brick light installation Q

[ban-all-sheds]

My turn to ask things...

I'm having a wall built, and I want to put recessed brick lights in it. The problem is that the wall will form a raised bed, so behind it will be full of soil, usually wet (apparently plants need wetness).

So as I've failed to find any IPx7 or 8 brick lights, I can't just leave them uncovered at the rear, so I planned to have them bricked in at the back - i.e. the wall will be single-skinned, but where the lights are it will be double thickness, to seal the lights away from the earth.

Does this sound reasonable?

How should the cable exit the brickwork into the soil? (I want it concealed - it will be SWA). Through a hole drilled in a brick, or through the mortar between two of them?

I can't help thinking that the former, with silicone around the cable, would work better, but the latter would be a lot less hassle.

[Wood Magnet]

Easier to go through the mortar in my opinion b.a.s.

[skiking]

I'd not be happy with this.....there is so much moisture about I'd be concerned about it affecting the contacts and you don't say whether it LV or not.

Drilling through the mortar is the weakest point and with the close contact with the soil its going to gradually weaken the brick joints, especially with the frost opening up the cracks. This would, in my opinion, let water seep through.

Can't you use something else to box the light in like plastic or get something that is IPx7

[ban-all-sheds]

It will be an LV light ( ) but by that I mean 230V...

When I talked about the cable going through the mortar join, I envisaged it being installed as the wall is being built, so it goes into wet mortar which seals tightly to it, not through a hole which is drilled, which would obviously have to be bigger than the cable.

If I was drilling, I'd go for an over-sized hole in the brick with silicone squirted in to give a good seal.

If I could find an IPx7 bricklight I'd use it, but whatever thing I put around the back, that thing will have to have a hole for a cable in it.

The wall will have either a DPM or a coating of bitumastic, to keep moisture out of the bricks anyway...

So how does this sound - SWA cleated to the inside of the wall, fairly low, looping through 3-way IP68 junction boxes, with short runs of Hituf up the inside of the wall and through to the lights?

[sparkydude]

Are you saying have a 1p68 junction box buried inside the planter BAS, in which case it does not comply as the connections are not accessible. You could do it with a resin y joint, for the s ame money and then its not a connection you would need to inspect. All the bricklights i have fitted before go in twin skinned walls and have a mortar box which you terminate the cables into first then the light screws in to that , the ones i fitted were not cheap ones though i think they were marlin .

NIck

[ban-all-sheds]

Are you saying have a 1p68 junction box buried inside the planter BAS, in which case it does not comply as the connections are not accessible.

It's OK if I crimp the connections inside....