Wiring a light to a plug

[hollieH]

Hi,
please could I have some advice. I have the musik wall lamp from ikea and have wired it to a plug. The wall lamp is 250V max 40W for bulbs. It has 5 bulbs and I've chosen each to be 3W. I bought an ikea plug which has just the live and neutral wires and no earth wire. It is three pronged however (one is plastic). The plug has a 3A fuse and allows 250V.

So far I have stripped the plug wires and connected the live and neutral into the 'choc box' inside the light. This is where the instructions say to put the wires in which come from the wall. I've screwed down and made sure no copper is showing. finally, the light is double insulated which is why I think it has no earth wire.

I just want to find someone's opinion on the safety of this. I've seen loads of people do this online who have had advice from electricians saying it should be safe however I've also seen electricians say not to do it on other forums. As all the voltage matches and I'm not overloading with the wattage of lightbulbs I don't see what could go wrong, unless I leave a wire exposed etc which I haven't.

I'd love to hear your thoughts ! Thank you !

 

[telectrix]

as long as the fitting is double insulated, should be fine.

 

[Spoon]

You say that the fitting is double insulated, so as Tel says above, you should be fine.

 

[amlu]

make sure that the cable is properly attached to the light, not relying only on the electric terminals.

 

[Pete999]

Hi,
please could I have some advice. I have the musik wall lamp from ikea and have wired it to a plug. The wall lamp is 250V max 40W for bulbs. It has 5 bulbs and I've chosen each to be 3W. I bought an ikea plug which has just the live and neutral wires and no earth wire. It is three pronged however (one is plastic). The plug has a 3A fuse and allows 250V.

So far I have stripped the plug wires and connected the live and neutral into the 'choc box' inside the light. This is where the instructions say to put the wires in which come from the wall. I've screwed down and made sure no copper is showing. finally, the light is double insulated which is why I think it has no earth wire.

I just want to find someone's opinion on the safety of this. I've seen loads of people do this online who have had advice from electricians saying it should be safe however I've also seen electricians say not to do it on other forums. As all the voltage matches and I'm not overloading with the wattage of lightbulbs I don't see what could go wrong, unless I leave a wire exposed etc which I haven't.

I'd love to hear your thoughts ! Thank you !

I'm missing something I'm sure of it, you bought a light fitting that indicated it was a wall light, and you want to wire it to a plug top, correct so far? it begs the question as to why you bought a wall light in the first place, if all you wanted was a table lamp, or have I got it wrong?

 

[SJD]

I'm missing something I'm sure of it, you bought a light fitting that indicated it was a wall light, and you want to wire it to a plug top, correct so far? it begs the question as to why you bought a wall light in the first place, if all you wanted was a table lamp, or have I got it wrong?

It appears to be a multi-lamp fitting that you put at the side / top of a mirror (you'd need 2 or 3 of the fittings), e.g. stage dressing room for make up.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Does the fitting have a clamp to secure the outer sheath of the cable? Fittings for fixed installation often don't, as they expect the cable to be concealed and secured inside the wall. If your cable is not permamently installed, there is a risk of it being pulled out or partially out leaving the ends exposed, unless the fitting has an effective clamp for it or you adequately secure it by the outer sheath.

 

[PEG]

There is also an issue,although i do not have the relevant BS specification,of using a device/appliance for "portable" use,if designed for fixed or static installation. This is not to say that the OP is intending to do so.

I cannot remember the code,but i do recall it being listed regarding contractors using extension leads.made up using D/S faceplates and surface mount plastic back-boxes.