Adding aditional lighting to switch

[Adam W]

Good. Probably speak to you next Christmas when your adding some sockets :rolleyes4:

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."

 

[dixie]

I have already done the sockets, took one spur from each bedroom, so i now have 3 double sockets up their. All done correctly, that was the easiest part. The way my loft is framed i could fit a full size room in their without altering anything. I do a lot of music production and thats where all my equipment is going once i have plastered everything and put new flooring down.

 

[Stroppy]

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)

Now I see the advantage of whoever-it-was's suggestion of putting the booster on a round pin plug/socket instead of an FCU.

 

[shocking_eg]

I have already done the sockets, took one spur from each bedroom, so i now have 3 double sockets up their. All done correctly, that was the easiest part. The way my loft is framed i could fit a full size room in their without altering anything. I do a lot of music production and thats where all my equipment is going once i have plastered everything and put new flooring down.

didnt you have to add extra supports if your using your loft as an extra room ?

 

[vjsmarwick]

Hope your first task is refit the grommet I have not had time to read all the posts because the wife is breathing down my neck but switch change should be easy after the grommet is refitted lol

 

[Adam W]

Now I see the advantage of whoever-it-was's suggestion of putting the booster on a round pin plug/socket instead of an FCU.

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.

 

[shocking_eg]

Obviously it's not ideal to take anything other than lights of a lighting circuit... But the worse that will happen is the MCB would trip ?

 

[Adam W]

Obviously it's not ideal to take anything other than lights of a lighting circuit... But the worse that will happen is the MCB would trip ?

... 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.

 

[Stroppy]

A few disadvantages being:

• Someone can come along at a later date and spur off it and/or change it for a 13A socket.

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.

 

[shocking_eg]

Didn't actully mean about the TV booster

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

 

[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.