A magnetic track is a powered rail that carries interchangeable heads. The heads snap on and off by hand and can be moved at any time without tools, so the light can follow the room as it changes. The rail itself is the part that needs planning: decide the mounting style and the run before you cut or drill anything.
Before you start
- Mounting style: the rail can be surface-mounted, recessed into the ceiling, plastered in for a trimless finish, or suspended on wires. Surface-mounting is the only one that suits a finished ceiling without building work.
- Power feed: the rail connects to a ceiling or wall outlet box through its power feed. Longer runs may need a separate driver, sited where you can reach it later.
- Ceiling type: flat and sloped ceilings are both supported. Recessed and plaster-in installations need the joist positions known before you cut.
- Run length: measure the run and count your heads before ordering connectors. Rails join end to end, and corners need the matching connector.
- Dimming: many heads dim, but the head, the driver and the dimmer all have to agree. Check all three before you buy a dimmer.
- Load: every head on the run draws from the same supply. Add the wattages up and keep the total inside the driver's rating.
Tools you may need
- Drill and bits
- Screwdriver
- Voltage tester
- Wire strippers
- Wire nuts or terminal connectors
- Anchors and screws suited to your ceiling
- Tape measure and pencil
- Spirit level, or a laser line for a long run
- Drywall saw, for a recessed installation
- Suspension wires and ceiling toggles, for a hanging installation
Installation
1. Switch off the power
Turn the circuit off at the consumer unit or breaker panel and confirm with a voltage tester at the outlet box that nothing is live.
2. Choose the mounting style and prepare the surface
- Surface-mounted: hold the rail to the ceiling, mark through the pre-drilled holes, then fix with anchors and screws. Check the line with a level or laser before the second fixing goes in.
- Recessed: cut a slot to the rail's section, slide the channel in and screw it to the joists or framing through the holes provided.
- Plaster-in: frame and cut so the channel finishes flush with the plasterboard, then fill, sand and paint the edge before the heads go on.
- Suspended: mark the suspension points, fit toggles or anchor bolts, hang the wires and set the drop. Level the rail along its whole length before you tighten the wires off.
3. Connect the power feed
- Live to live: black, brown, or the terminal marked L
- Neutral to neutral: white, blue, or the terminal marked N
- Earth to earth: green, green-and-yellow, or bare, to the earth terminal or screw
Secure each connection, tuck the wiring into the box and close the feed cover. The feed is the only wired point on the system - everything after it is magnetic.
4. Join additional sections
For a longer run or a corner, join sections with the matching connector and check that the copper conductors inside the channel line up as the pieces close. A join that is mechanically tight but electrically misaligned will leave the far section dead.
- Straight connector: joins two rails end to end in a line
- Corner connector, ceiling to ceiling: turns the run through 90 degrees on the same plane
- Corner connector, ceiling to wall: carries the run from ceiling onto a wall
- T connector: branches the run three ways
5. Fit the heads
With the rail live, place each head against the channel and let the magnet pull it home. The same contact carries both the hold and the current, so a head that flickers is usually seated slightly proud - lift it off and replace it rather than pressing harder.
6. Restore power and test
Switch the circuit back on and test every head, including dimming and any directional adjustment. Set the heads where you want them last, once you can see the light in the room.
Important tips
- Use only heads and drivers made for this track system. Magnetic rails are not a common standard and parts from another system will not seat or conduct correctly.
- Plan recessed and plaster-in installations while the ceiling is open. Retro-fitting either into a finished ceiling means making good afterwards.
- Check the weight a suspended run will carry, and fix into structure rather than plasterboard alone.
- Do not over-tighten screws at a trimless or recessed edge - the channel distorts and the flush line is lost.
- For a long run, several zones, or dimming across zones, have an electrician plan the supply with you.
- Leave the heads until last. Fixing the rail, proving the feed and then placing the light is faster than moving heads around a run you may still need to adjust.
- Keep one spare head position clear at each end of the run - it costs nothing now and saves cutting the rail later.
If you would like help planning a run, pairing a driver, or checking that heads and dimmers will work together, email info@clerachic.com and a person will answer you.
