A switch that's purpose is unknown

joebooooy · 10 Oct 2007

I'm slowly going through my new house room by room, updating and renovating various areas and I've come across a switch that seems to do nothing.

Admittedly I dont expect any one to log on and say 'Its for your this, or that!' hehe

The switch has only been turned on for the photo, other than that, it has always been off.

But I'm just curious as to whats the best way to go about finding out what its for?

big-all · 10 Oct 2007

follow the trunking in both directions

open it up see what wires are connected and whate amps the switch is rated at

suspect things like tv booster lights doorbells ect

joebooooy · 10 Oct 2007

Hey I just opened it and took a quick snap:

I've crossed off doorbell, alarm system and lights so far...

davelx · 10 Oct 2007

Well currently

it does nothing as there is nothing connected to the load side!

Has the house been fitted with storage radiators at any point?
Any sign of economy-7 switch/meters in the meter cupboard (photo?)

bernardgreen · 10 Oct 2007

It did something once but no longer,

The wires "feed" the switch but there are no wires on the other side to a load.

Possibly it was an off peak heater.

joebooooy · 10 Oct 2007

Oops! I wonder why theres nothing connected.

I have economy 7 heating which is up and running. We did have a storage heater which i took off and removed, but I didnt touch that switch prior to removing the heater. So theres power going to the switch, but nothing connected after that?

dannyboi2003 · 10 Oct 2007

Where does the doorway to the right of the switch go to?

I'm thinking that if its the bathroom then maybe it was for a heated towel rail. As davelx has already said it isn't actually feeding anything so just leave it turned off and forget about it if its not in the way of anything, it could always be handy in the future.

All the best
Dan

joebooooy · 10 Oct 2007

Cheers for your help guys! This site has been great so far! I've posted three or four things and they've all been solved with in a day

The door to the right is the bedroom, but the bathroom is opposite so that seems like a logical answer

I think I will take your advice and leave it there Dan, it could come in handy.

Thanks again

bongos · 10 Oct 2007

when my mum and dad bought their house there was at least one of those switches in every room at floor level with cables which went back to their own consumer unit, fitted with 16 amp fuses (if i remember corrrectly).

It had been wired up to take storage heaters but they had never been put in so the switches just sit there and do nothing!

joebooooy · 10 Oct 2007

Ah I see, yeah we had one downstairs with a switch like that which I took off and replaced the switch with a plug socket. These old houses lol, its slowly coming on

Space cat · 10 Oct 2007

bongos said:
when my mum and dad bought their house there was at least one of those switches in every room

Was it a Leech house? I remember looking at one of those, newly built in 1975. "Every house comes with a heating system" was what it said in nice big letters in the catalogue. I was pretty sure I would recognize a heating system if I saw one and there was nothing to be seen anywhere except a wall mounted radiant heater in the bathroom.

Naturally I quizzed the salesman. He pointed to a switched, fused outlet on the wall and said "It's wired up for storage heaters. We don't provide them; we let you choose your own."

PS: The fuses were 20 amps and I think there were three of them.

PPS: On second thoughts, there wouldn't have been any fuses in those outlets.

TicklyT · 10 Oct 2007

Possibly an unused immersion heater circuit?

bongos · 10 Oct 2007

Don't know whether it was a Leech's house or not! Its right next to the sea and had been converted to a holiday home previously from a stone outhouse!

When they bought it it was suggested by the estate agent that it was ready for heating to be installed as it was wired up for it. No mains gas down that way so they said storage heaters were the only way to go.

Thinking about it now it maybe 20 amp fusewire that each individual switch is on.

Can't remember!

Space cat · 10 Oct 2007

been converted to a holiday home previously from a stone outhouse

That doesn't sound like one of William Leech's!

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A switch that's purpose is unknown

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