2 amp sockets

[Bumbly]

I have just bought an old cottage. It has 3 round pin switched 2 amp sockets in the lounge which I assume are operated from the light switches.

There are no other lights in the room, so we need to get these working. Strangely, the study has 5 amp round pin sockets, which are slightly larger. I thought these things went out with the ark.

I have managed to buy 2 amp round pin plugs from B and Q. However I am concerned that all our lamps are currently running off 3 or 5 amp fused square pin conventional plugs.

What are the effects of cutting off those plugs and fitting the 2 amp plugs ? Is there a limit to the bulb wattage we can use ? These lamps were designed for 3 or 5 amps. I am also concerned because there is no fuse in the 2 amp plug.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[oharaf]

Do you have any 13amp sockets in the cottage?

These are indeed 'old' but you can still get them.

When I was at uni the halls all had round pin plugs (1992 - 1996) these were relatively modern halls as well.

We all had to buy round pin plugs and remove our 13 amp plugs, every thing worked fine.

However you are more than likely in a different situation.

Can you take a pic of your consumer unit so we can see how all your circuits are supplied pics of any thing else may also help here.

 

[JohnD]

1) verify your assumption

2) see what fuse/mcb is on the circuits.

lighting circuit are usually fused at 5A or 6A

It is OK and quite common to have table lamps and standard lamps connected in this way. The plugs do not need to be fused because the circuit already is. It is quite posh and modern to do it like that (but I do not know when your cottage was wired)

However it is undesirable to use 2A plugs on a 5a circuit, more straightforward to change them all to 5A

Don't fit 13a sockets on the lighting circuit.

Incidentally round-pin 15A plugs and sockets are still used on theatre lighting and for some industrial equipment where it is on a fused circuit

 

[Bumbly]

Thankyou. I'll take a photo of the consumer unit (I assume that's the box with all the switches in it ?)

We do have normal 13 amp sockets everywhere in the cottage, including in the lounge, where the 2 amp sockets are.

John Assuming it is a 2 amp circuit, is it ok to have 3 amp and 5 amp lamps running off it ?

I assume it's a 2 amp circuit because it has 2 amp sockets, but who knows. I will take a photo of the CU.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yo - check the circuit fuse/MCB. If it's 5/6A it will protect the flex OK, and as for overloading it, a 100W lamp is only 435mA, and I doubt that you've got any plug-in lights that are 690 or 1150W.

Before cutting off too many plugs though you should wire a lampholder to one of the 2A plugs and check that the sockets work.....

And you should check for the presence of an earth at the sockets if you want to use lights that need one.

 

[JohnD]

It is much more likely to be a 5A or 6A circuit, and so the sockets and plugs should be the 5A ones. 2A MCBs are extremely rare.

2A plugs are sometimes used for loudspeakers or other accessories.

 

[Bumbly]

"Posh and Modern"

These 2 amp sockets look pretty old. 1970s, I'd say !

 

[Bumbly]

Thank you all. I'd better go off and check the fuse box. I thought, because the sockets are that tiny size (only 2 amp plugs will fit them) it must be fused 2 amp.

I can see it is dangerous to assume anything in the world of (old) home electrics !

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It is much more likely to be a 5A or 6A circuit, and so the sockets and plugs should be the 5A ones.

So not following the same principle as "13A" plugs & sockets used on 32A circuits then....

 

[JohnD]

We know about Britain's wonderful fused plugs.

 

[Bumbly]

Right, well, I have looked in the fuse box, and we have two switches labelled "lights". The one on the right turns off all the downstairs lights, no problem. The one on the left switches off all the upstairs lights, plus the 2A and 5A lighting sockets downstairs.

So I guess that means the 2 amp sockets are running off a ?5 amp circuit. From what has been written above, it is OK to use plugs and sockets that are rated lower than the circuit, as long as you do do not overload them. So as long as we keep under, say, 150W per socket, we should be OK.

Please let me know if I have got that wrong, as you may have guessed I am a complete electrical dunce trying to figure this out for myself.

I have attached a photo of the fuse box for what it's worth.

Thanks for all your help so far.

Mark

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• Bumbly
• 4 Sep 2008
• 1

 

[JohnD]

it is OK to use plugs and sockets that are rated lower than the circuit, as long as you do do not overload them.

No, a 5A or 6A circuit should have the 5A sockets on it.

You might like some halogen uplighters, too.

As you are (presumbly) about to go out and buy some round-pin plugs for your table and standard lamps, this seems like an ideal time to change over the 2A sockets to 5A ones. Another advantage is that you can put 5A plugs on all your portable lamps, and then you can move then from room to room without changing theitr plugs again.

 

[BJS_Spark]

Obviously an un-fused 2A plug/socket arrangement on 5A wiring protected by a 5A over current device has the potential to be overloaded, but in practice you would need to run over 460W off one single plug to do it.
Sticking to lighting loads, which is what they are designed for, this should prove quite difficult with one lamp per plug.

 

[Spark123]

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• Bumbly
• 4 Sep 2008
• 1

Can you tell us what is printed on the main switch?
I'm thinking it looks similar to what may be put on a TT system, I don't like people using other brands in a consumer unit as it means it is not fully type tested. Using Chint too, urghh! What does it say on the front of the Chint RCD?

 

[Bumbly]

Thankyou BJS Spark and John D - that is what I thought. You can use 2A sockets on a 5A circuit, as long as you don't overload them, but ideally you should fit 5A sockets. This would be better really, as then the lamps would be interchangeable between rooms, which they are not at present. I will investigate the purchase of some 5A sockets. I assume it is then just a case of me swapping the 2A for the 5A sockets, (having turned off the mains first, of course).

I will then change all the 2A plugs I put on the lamps last night !

At least I know the sockets work now.

Spark123 I will have a quick look at the CU tonight and let you know what it says.

All the best

Mark