Interesting Regulation of Yesteryear

[securespark]

Taken from the 13th Edition, 1955.

116a.

Every point shall be controlled by a switch or switches, unless it takes the form of a socket-outlet from which the plug is readily withdrawable. The means of control shall be readily accessible.

NOTE- A switch-lampholder does not in itself satisfy the above requirement.

 

[jj4091]

Was that why people used to connect under worktop appliance sockets via switches above the worktop.

 

[JohnW2]

Taken from the 13th Edition, 1955.
... 116a. ... Every point shall be controlled by a switch or switches, unless it takes the form of a socket-outlet from which the plug is readily withdrawable. The means of control shall be readily accessible. ... NOTE- A switch-lampholder does not in itself satisfy the above requirement.

Interesting! Did they define "a point" and, if so, how? If they didn't, or if their definition were too vague, I imagine that some people's interprtation of that reg could (maybe did??) have got seriously silly!

 

[securespark]

Was that why people used to connect under worktop appliance sockets via switches above the worktop.

I think that trend came well after 1955.

Interesting! Did they define "a point" and, if so, how? If they didn't, or if their definition were too vague, I imagine that some people's interprtation of that reg could (maybe did??) have got seriously silly!

Point, in wiring.
Any termination of the fixed wiring intended for the attachment of a lighting fitting or of a device for connecting to the supply a current-using appliance.

 

[Collectors]

Got to also remember thing change for a reason. Many appliances in a kitchen where often 3kw & i personally wouldn't put a 3kw appliance on a plug & would hard wire it in to a flex outlet plate. Plugs & sockets can often get warm & hot at 3kw = 13.4A at 230v. Thankfully many appliances are 2kw these days. Also, most fuse spurs where SP switching back in the 50/60's & most now are DP switching.

 

[JohnW2]

Point, in wiring. Any termination of the fixed wiring intended for the attachment of a lighting fitting or of a device for connecting to the supply a current-using appliance.

Thanks. In the context we're discussing, I don't thinkthat's too bad - or, at least, wasn't 'back then'.

Today, I think there might be a problem with 'downlights' or other situations in which there are (today) many 'light fittings' on one ceiling with the normal expectation of only one (occasionally 2 or 3) switches to control the whole lot 'together' ?

 

[mikehammer69]

When rules were simple

 

[ericmark]

I note the exemption for taking an earth to a light required among other things "(ix) Lighting fittings using filament lamps installed in a room having a non-conducting floor, mounted at such a height that they cannot readily be touched and are out of reach of earthed metal." And in my parents house built 1954 he had wall lights in the hall, so would not have complied, but 13th was 1955, but never been able to find a 12th edition to see if allowed in 1954.

I also note "Luminaire. Equipment which distributes. Inters or transforms the light transmitted from one or more lamps and
which includes all the parts necessary for supporting, fixing and protecting the lamps, but not the lamps themselves,
and where necessary, circuit auxiliaries together with the means for connecting them to the supply." Having been connected to the motor trade, a lamp was the whole assembly, and inside the lamp we would have a wick, mantel, bulb etc. I made a mistake ordering a head lamp instead of a head lamp bulb, and got everything except for the bulb.

Today we rarely see gas or oil wall lamps, but sometimes we will see the spigot, on which the oil lamp would sit, so you could take it off to light it. And I had the spigot for my front lamp on my push-bike, I noted the Post Office bike had one for rear light as well. But I only knew one guy with a carbide front lamp.

However, it surprised me to find 13th called a bulb a lamp.

 

[securespark]

Thanks. In the context we're discussing, I don't thinkthat's too bad - or, at least, wasn't 'back then'.

Today, I think there might be a problem with 'downlights' or other situations in which there are (today) many 'light fittings' on one ceiling with the normal expectation of only one (occasionally 2 or 3) switches to control the whole lot 'together' ?

Well, even in the 50s, you would have had more than one fitting switched from only one light switch, which would have presumably not complied with that regulation.

 

[JohnW2]

Well, even in the 50s, you would have had more than one fitting switched from only one light switch, which would have presumably not complied with that regulation.

Maybe, occasionally, but were most houses back then the same as the one I was brought up in -with just one pendant dangling from roughly the middle of each and every room?

 

[mikehammer69]

Well, even in the 50s, you would have had more than one fitting switched from only one light switch, which would have presumably not complied with that regulation.

I'm not reading it as every light must have a separate switch

 

[FrodoOne]

Taken from the 13th Edition, 1955.

116a.

Every point shall be controlled by a switch or switches, unless it takes the form of a socket-outlet from which the plug is readily withdrawable. The means of control shall be readily accessible.

NOTE- A switch-lampholder does not in itself satisfy the above requirement.

Which is why the UK has switches on the Socket Outlets by "Convention"
but Australia and New Zealand has them by "Regulation".

Regulation AS/NZS 3112 requires that socket-outlets be
"individually controlled by a separate switch that ... operates in all active conductors", subject to three "exceptions":

• "A single switch may be used for the control of two socket-outlets located immediately adjacent to each other". (subject to the current rating of the switch to be at least equal to the (a) total current rating of the sockets concerned; or (b) the current rating of the overcurrent protection device concerned, whichever is the lesser value.)
• "A socket-outlet that is switched by the insertion and withdrawal of the plug shall be deemed to meet the requirements ...."
• "A socket-outlet that is rated at not more than 10 A, installed for the connection of a fixed or stationary appliance or a luminaire and that is not readily accessible for other purposes, need not be controlled by a switch".

(See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS/NZS_3112 )

 

[ericmark]

"A socket-outlet that is switched by the insertion and withdrawal of the plug shall be deemed to meet the requirements ...."

Would that not be true for any socket outlet, withdrawing the plug switches it off, I know at one time we had sockets which you turned the plug to turn it on, and pressed a button to turn it off, think it was a Reyrolle, used by GEC Large Steam Turbines, but the English is open to miss interpretation.

 

[securespark]

I'm not reading it as every light must have a separate switch

"Every point shall be controlled by a switch..."

"Point.. termination of the fixed wiring for the attachment of a lighting fitting..."

That seems to imply every light should have a switch, but I'm sure the regulations didn't intend that. In a commercial or industrial install, you'd have several fittings off one switch.

Even in a domestic install you may have two...

 

[ericmark]

Words change meaning over time, when I was a boy "Decimate" meant to get rid of one in ten, it, I think comes from Latin, and was originally kill one in ten to make soldiers fight harder at the next battle, but today people seem to think it means 9 in 10 not 1 in 10.

OK an extreme case, but other words have changed as to what we think they mean. And electrically we have taken existing words, and then forgot where the came from, so we get people saying a switched mode power supply is not a transformer, it clearly transforms the voltage etc, so how can it not be a transformer, OK an isolation transformer you can argue is not a transformer, but the SMPS is.

It seems there is an exception to every rule, it would be easy to say, until 27th August that you can't feed electric in the reverse direction through a plug and socket, but that is not true, the V2G EV socket allowed two-way transfer of energy now.

The 7 pin socket used to work lights on trailers, has had pin 2 used for a whole range of things through its life, from vacuum warning, interior lights, reversing lights, and rear guard fog lights. In 2008 it was included in BS 7671, but would not expect auto electricians to have a copy anyway.

We all know this is a joke, but I have only on one job fitted earth rods, and tested them, look up earth electrodes in my old copy of BS 7671 and it can be miss read so easily.