Adding aditional lighting to switch

[Octopus]

A few disadvantages being:

• You'll need to chop the factory fitted plug off the booster which introduces the question of invalidating the warranty.
• Someone can come along at a later date and spur off it and/or change it for a 13A socket.
• Lighting circuits are for lighting - an electrician might not be expecting a TV booster to be on the same circuit hidden away in the loft when he IRs the lighting circuit.

Yeah but a decent sparky doesn't go for 500v first do they?

 

[Stroppy]

No, we go for 1000v and listen for the bang

 

[shocking_eg]

True

Test between live conductors and earth only

And note down on cert as a limitation

Or do people seriously go round and disconnect all lights and dimmers off the circuit ? Lol

 

[decolad69]

... Taking out all the lights with it so you can't see to get out of the loft, fall down the stairs/ladder and break your neck.
If the booster comes fitted with a 3A fuse that is what the manufacturer has deemed appropriate protection - chop that off and wire it into a 6A lighting circuit and you've got about twice the potential fault current.

I would agree with you re the 3a fuse, and have a mate who's house was gutted by a fire which was caused by a faulty TV amp in the loft. If you increase the rating of the protective device by removing the plug and installing a 5a socket on a 6a mcb or possibly 10a? the insurers will look for someone to blame.

 

[Adam W]

I would have thought this would be an advantage of putting it on a round pin plug - a subsequent electrician is likely to see a round-pin and think "light circuit", whereas a 13A spur or socket would suggest a ring/radial power circuit. I don't think many sparks would try to spur off an existing round-pin socket.

Again the only protection would be via 6A 60898 rather than a 3A 1362 as recommended by the manufacturer.
Ideally a socket should come off the final circuit regardless of what it's initially intended for (with the exception of light sockets controlled by a light switch. I think too many people go around sticking everything on round pin plugs to avoid minor inconveniences - laminate flooring, wallpaper, couldn't be bothered... And the round pin plugs start coming out.

IMO you wouldn't do this on a new build so you shouldn't do it as an addition - if using round pin sockets becomes too commonplace I can see people starting to put them on new builds - "oh yeah we need a round pin socket on the upstairs lighting for the TV booster"; IMO round pin sockets should only ever be put next to 13A ones so there's no point trying to plug anything else in.

 

[Adam W]

Didn't actully mean about the TV booster

I was regarding when people fit sockets in their lofts fed from a lighting circuit

I don't think there is such a thing as a socket for one item of equipment - this seems to work until the vacuum cleaner needs to be plugged in somewhere convenient, then it's "needs must".

 

[Adam W]

Yeah but a decent sparky doesn't go for 500v first do they?

A decent one doesn't, no, but an 'indecent' one gets a low reading at 250v so tries it at 500v to see what they get then. Still a low reading and it goes up to 1000v. I've heard of someone even getting hold of one of those old wind-up IR testers to get the voltage higher still.

 

[Stroppy]

I don't think there is such a thing as a socket for one item of equipment

There sort-of is: an FCU. Then you can fuse it appropriately too.

 

[bigbaddave]

Yeah extra sockets in the loft for the train set, spurred off the radial that was already there (the one for the TV booster run off the lighting circuit).

"Hi everyone I have a problem with my fuse box tripping. Every time I turn on the heater it trips everything out."

My wife has bought me an electric shower for Christmas.. Can I take out the light and fit it to this?

 

[Adam W]

There sort-of is: an FCU. Then you can fuse it appropriately too.

If there is absolutely no way of extending the final circuit into the loft (which I doubt) I think that would be the better solution, although it still involves chopping the plug off.

 

[Adam W]

My wife has bought me an electric shower for Christmas.. Can I take out the light and fit it to this?

Yeah but you'll need to use 1.5mm cable otherwise you won't get it in the switch.

 

[shocking_eg]

So fit FCU with 3a fuse then that supply's a socket outlet for the tv amp without the need to cut off the plug

The 3a fuse limits the socket from any other high powered appliances being plugged in

 

[Adam W]

So fit FCU with 3a fuse then that supply's a socket outlet for the tv amp without the need to cut off the plug

The 3a fuse limits the socket from any other high powered appliances being plugged in

It limits the socket by blowing if too much current is drawn. Chances are the first thing the customer will do is change the fuse, quite possibly for a 13A one. Then the MCB will operate, taking all the lights out with it, and the customer falls down the stairs and breaks their neck.

 

[shocking_eg]

Then they should learn a lesson by it