TV keeps going off when kitchen light is sw on

[mrbrian]

Hi there everybody, came across a different problem in a domestic household kitchen which contained two fluorescent strip lights when you switched them on the tv in the living room would go off for a minute, I began by checking the connections in the fittings apart from were the earths were looped and not connected to casing everything seemed fine. thinking it could be the starter I changed these but to no avail the problem still existed I then noticed there was a cap across the live and neutral connector of each. I phoned my supervisor and old him the checks I carried out, he said that the fittings need to be changed but after thinking about the problem im not so sure. do anybody have any ideas much appreciated

its probably something silly could not spend to much time as I had another several properties to visit

brian

 

[DPG]

I may have missed it, but is it definitely interference, or is the actual power going off? I can't see where this has been confirmed either way yet. Daz

 

[DPG]

I was thinking the same thing. A lot of people on here seem to think it's fine to add a socket for an aerial booster in the loft or a high level socket for a TV and tap into the lighting circuit to save redecoration, as if fusing it down or using a 5A plug and socket makes everything OK.

What's wrong with an aerial booster in the loft on a lighting circuit, providing it is fused down to 3A and a 5A plug/socket used? Daz

 

[Adam W]

What's wrong with an aerial booster in the loft on a lighting circuit, providing it is fused down to 3A and a 5A plug/socket used? Daz

There's a clue in the name - the 'lighting' circuit is for lighting. Possibly a door bell or smoke detectors as well, but nothing else. Especially not something which can be modified to plug the vacuum cleaner in and trip all the lights out.

 

[DPG]

There's a clue in the name - the 'lighting' circuit is for lighting. Possibly a door bell or smoke detectors as well, but nothing else. Especially not something which can be modified to plug the vacuum cleaner in and trip all the lights out.

Lighting only - so why doorbell and smoke detector, but not a tv amp? And who vacuums the loft (especially with a hoover fitted with a 5A plug) !!! Daz

 

[Adam W]

Lighting only - so why doorbell and smoke detector, but not a tv amp? And who vacuums the loft (especially with a hoover fitted with a 5A plug) !!! Daz

If you put the smoke detectors on their own circuit, that could trip without anyone knowing. If the lighting circuit is used all the time, if it tripped out it would be more noticeable, plus a smoke detector or doorbell would be hard-wired, not on a plug and socket.

If you have a socket, or something which can easily be turned into a 13A socket, in a place where there is no other 13A socket, it'll get used for a vacuum cleaner; it's the one appliance which gets taken around a building and plugged into different places. If you've ever wired commercial buildings you will have wired sockets around that building which are mainly intended for vacuum cleaners.

So why would you put an appliance on a lighting circuit instead of using the individually fused 13A plug which comes moulded onto the end of the appliance?
'Laziness' isn't a good enough answer IMO.

 

[DPG]

If you put the smoke detectors on their own circuit, that could trip without anyone knowing. If the lighting circuit is used all the time, if it tripped out it would be more noticeable, plus a smoke detector or doorbell would be hard-wired, not on a plug and socket.

If you have a socket, or something which can easily be turned into a 13A socket, in a place where there is no other 13A socket, it'll get used for a vacuum cleaner; it's the one appliance which gets taken around a building and plugged into different places. If you've ever wired commercial buildings you will have wired sockets around that building which are mainly intended for vacuum cleaners.

So why would you put an appliance on a lighting circuit instead of using the individually fused 13A plug which comes moulded onto the end of the appliance?
'Laziness' isn't a good enough answer IMO.

OK then so you hardwire the doorbell in, rather than a plug and socket. So do the same with the TV amp then. I don't see the significant difference between a doorbell and a tv amp. Both are very low power devices which will not affect a lighting circuit. Explain why you differentiate between them? Daz

 

[Adam W]

OK then so you hardwire the doorbell in, rather than a plug and socket. So do the same with the TV amp then. I don't see the significant difference between a doorbell and a tv amp. Both are very low power devices which will not affect a lighting circuit. Explain why you differentiate between them? Daz

Firstly a TV amp comes with a plug on it, indicating it is to be plugged in. It's clearly an appliance and not part of the fixed wiring like a door bell or smoke detectors.
Secondly where do you stop with that? Does the circuit become the 'upstairs lighting and TV circuit (all the TVs at high level)? The upstairs lighting, TV and bedside radio circuit?
Then as I've mentioned if you wire something in where there isn't a socket nearby the chances are whatever accessory you put in will get changed to a socket which can be used to overload the circuit. The customer's convenience will always prevail over what they perceive to be red tape; adding accessories to lighting circuits is encouraging other things to be plugged in there.
Lastly if adding an extra tail end onto the upstairs lighting circuit so an aerial booster can be added is considered 'fine' it's only a matter of time before it becomes the norm, and is incorporated into new builds and rewires.

Is it really that difficult to spur off an upstairs socket straight into the loft?

 

[frontier219]

Firstly a TV amp comes with a plug on it, indicating it is to be plugged in. It's clearly an appliance and not part of the fixed wiring like a door bell or smoke detectors.
Secondly where do you stop with that? Does the circuit become the 'upstairs lighting and TV circuit (all the TVs at high level)? The upstairs lighting, TV and bedside radio circuit?
Then as I've mentioned if you wire something in where there isn't a socket nearby the chances are whatever accessory you put in will get changed to a socket which can be used to overload the circuit. The customer's convenience will always prevail over what they perceive to be red tape; adding accessories to lighting circuits is encouraging other things to be plugged in there.
Lastly if adding an extra tail end onto the upstairs lighting circuit so an aerial booster can be added is considered 'fine' it's only a matter of time before it becomes the norm, and is incorporated into new builds and rewires.

Is it really that difficult to spur off an upstairs socket straight into the loft?

Lots of things come with a plug on them. Surely if fitted into a 3A/5A FCU, and the cable in fully protected by the OCPD, there's no problem? Can't see this myself.

 

[DPG]

Firstly a TV amp comes with a plug on it, indicating it is to be plugged in. It's clearly an appliance and not part of the fixed wiring like a door bell or smoke detectors.
Secondly where do you stop with that? Does the circuit become the 'upstairs lighting and TV circuit (all the TVs at high level)? The upstairs lighting, TV and bedside radio circuit?
Then as I've mentioned if you wire something in where there isn't a socket nearby the chances are whatever accessory you put in will get changed to a socket which can be used to overload the circuit. The customer's convenience will always prevail over what they perceive to be red tape; adding accessories to lighting circuits is encouraging other things to be plugged in there.
Lastly if adding an extra tail end onto the upstairs lighting circuit so an aerial booster can be added is considered 'fine' it's only a matter of time before it becomes the norm, and is incorporated into new builds and rewires.

Is it really that difficult to spur off an upstairs socket straight into the loft?

So you would presumably say that it is wrong to cut the moulded plug off outside Xmas lights and wire them into a waterproof enclosure wired in to DIN rail terminals? Daz

 

[Knobhead]

Firstly a TV amp comes with a plug on it, indicating it is to be plugged in. It's clearly an appliance and not part of the fixed wiring like a door bell or smoke detectors.
Secondly where do you stop with that? Does the circuit become the 'upstairs lighting and TV circuit (all the TVs at high level)? The upstairs lighting, TV and bedside radio circuit?
Then as I've mentioned if you wire something in where there isn't a socket nearby the chances are whatever accessory you put in will get changed to a socket which can be used to overload the circuit. The customer's convenience will always prevail over what they perceive to be red tape; adding accessories to lighting circuits is encouraging other things to be plugged in there.
Lastly if adding an extra tail end onto the upstairs lighting circuit so an aerial booster can be added is considered 'fine' it's only a matter of time before it becomes the norm, and is incorporated into new builds and rewires.

Is it really that difficult to spur off an upstairs socket straight into the loft?

Do you ever fit 2A sockets for standard lamps, etc?

If the customer is stupid enough to change the socket that is out of the hands of the electrician.

 

[Adam W]

Do you ever fit 2A sockets for standard lamps, etc?

If the customer is stupid enough to change the socket that is out of the hands of the electrician.

Yes I do, but that is so a table or floor lamp can be controlled from a light switch.
If you're going to be running power for an accessory in a loft, it may as well be an accessory which is appropriate for what the customer is likely to use it for. Sure they might only be asking for a TV booster now, but then when another electrician gets a call about the socket in the loft keeps tripping they'll end up spurring off the upstairs power circuit anyway - IMO it's better just to do it 'properly' in the first place.

 

[DPG]

If someone can plug something (a hoover?) into a socket for a TV amp, then they can plug something (a hoover?) into a socket for a table lamp. I still don''t see the difference.

 

[frontier219]

Yes I do, but that is so a table or floor lamp can be controlled from a light switch.
If you're going to be running power for an accessory in a loft, it may as well be an accessory which is appropriate for what the customer is likely to use it for. Sure they might only be asking for a TV booster now, but then when another electrician gets a call about the socket in the loft keeps tripping they'll end up spurring off the upstairs power circuit anyway - IMO it's better just to do it 'properly' in the first place.

Why would the power in the loft keep tripping if it was a 2A plug or 3A Fuse on a 6A Circuit?

 

[frontier219]

Yes I do, but that is so a table or floor lamp can be controlled from a light switch.
If you're going to be running power for an accessory in a loft, it may as well be an accessory which is appropriate for what the customer is likely to use it for. Sure they might only be asking for a TV booster now, but then when another electrician gets a call about the socket in the loft keeps tripping they'll end up spurring off the upstairs power circuit anyway - IMO it's better just to do it 'properly' in the first place.

Yeah, an aerial booster!

 

[Adam W]

If someone can plug something (a hoover?) into a socket for a TV amp, then they can plug something (a hoover?) into a socket for a table lamp. I still don''t see the difference.

If there were a 2A socket next to a 13A socket, which one do you think is going to get used?