fixing lights to DCL - solved!

[juliejw52]

My medieval house was rewired leaving dcls everywhere: this system is incompatible with every light fitting except a hanging shade complete with ugly white plastic cup to cover the DCL. Not even French lighting manufacturers have invented lights to fitvthem. So, how to fit a spotlight? Easy. If the spotlight has a metal bar to attach to the ceiling, turn it sideways (ie 90 degrees) and attach a white plastic fixer block using two small bolts and a metal fixer strip. Now screw through the white block into the centre of the DCL (where the hook was). Connect the light fitting with the douille supplied on the DCL. Simples. However if you find, as I did, that your DCL is simply lodged in a void in the ceiling, with no visible means of support, just pull the whole thing out, disconnect, insert a small predrilled bar of wood and secure with 'fixer sans percer' at either end. A couple of pieces of string or wire round the wood will help you pull downwards to set it right. Then when the glue has dried, screw the fitting in the normal way. Question: why do French regs insist on a DCL system totally incompatible with 90% of lighting?

[Théière]

Probably because when the French sell houses they take the lot with them leaving 3, if your lucky bare wires. so it's deemed safer.  Unfortunately Chine hasn't yet embraced the french DCL market as that's most likely where new lights are coming from no matter what the label says.

[Chancer]

It was done to create a monoploy situation for the French lighting manufacturers, they are currently gearing up production to cope with the demand for their not so newly created Monopoly, 10 years on and they still havnt managed to produce a single compatible light fitting.[:'(]

Does it remind you of alcohol testers? [:P]

[juliejw52]

Probably thought up by the same besuited committee based in Paris.