How to clean a low-voltage light track?

pimento

We have a low volrage light track (approx 20' long) in our hall.

Something like this

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/60135685

It's collected a lot of dust on the wires and the little halogen lights but I'm nervous about cleaning it with a damp cloth as I'm not sure which bits are live.

What's the safest way to clean a track system like this, bearing in mind I'm quite attacched to my eyebrows...

WestonDave

If you turn your lighting circuit off at the fuse box/consumer unit, none of it will be live. Before you start work make sure it is off by checking that the light doesn't switch on. If your fuses/switches aren't labelled you'll need a bit of trial and error to work it out - you might want to label them when you work out which is which!

If that means its too dark to work in the hall, then plug some table lamps etc into wall sockets and use them for lighting whilst you do the work.

pimento

Thanks Dave,
So they are live then?

Would I be safe to turn the lights off at the switch and use a dry duster?

WestonDave

If they aren't wired up right there could be live parts even with the switch off so I'd flick the circuit off personally - obviously depends on your set up but for me it would be almost as quick to knock the circuit off as to switch it off at the wall as the fuse box is in a cupboard in the hall.

pimento

You're right, I know but they're not a good design if you can knock the wires and possibly get a shock.

I'm a bit nervous of electricity and our consumer unit baffles me, even though it is labelled.

Owain_Moneysaver

Turn off at the switch and use a dry or slightly damp cloth. The low voltage wires are only at 12 volts so won't kill you, but if you get wetness between them they might short and fizz a bit :-)

Don't touch the halogen capsules as they can explode if they get grease from fingers on the glass.

explumber

rubber gloves and soft paint brush.

pimento

explumber wrote: »

rubber gloves and soft paint brush.

No, the dust has gone beyond what can be removed with a paintbrush. It's that sticky, greasy dust.

I know, I know, I'm a slattern...

macman

pimento wrote: »

You're right, I know but they're not a good design if you can knock the wires and possibly get a shock.

I'm a bit nervous of electricity and our consumer unit baffles me, even though it is labelled.

Turn it off at the CU. If the CU is labelled, it will says something like 'Lights Up', 'Lights Down'. Trip the one saying 'Lights Down', then use the light switch to ensure you have turned the right one off. You can't break it.
You really ought to know how to turn circuits on and off in case of an emergency, so treat this as good practice.

pimento

You're right.

When I turn it off, if I rememmber correctly, I have to switch the switch all the way off (down to the bottom) before I can switch it on again, right? There are three setting for the switches, up, down and middle and when a circuit is tripped the switch goes from up to middle. To tuen it back on I have to take the switch down to the bottom first, then back up to the top again, yes?

macman

ID the correct lighting circuit first. Then move the switch all the way to the opposite position to where it is now. Modern CU's with MCB's are normally on when up and off when down (i.e. the opposite to a normal light switch)