Lighting spur off socket

emailrob · 25 Jan 2004

Can I run another light off a two switch lighting socket?

I have a two switch lighting socket which runs two seperate spotlights in the ceiling.
I have an outside light (halogen type) which I'd like to wire into the existing socket so I don't need to take half the wall off...

I have a one way switch wired in coming from the outside light, live neutral and earth. I've wired the neutral and live into the single socket.

I enclose a piccie of the set up at the moment.
Hope I've enclosed all the right info. This is (nearly) the last stage in the epic that is the garage conversion

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breezer · 25 Jan 2004

you have no earth sleaving on your eart wires, and you have no neutral feed to your light, which you should get from the ceiling rose

emailrob · 25 Jan 2004

Thanks for the quick answer breezer

The neutral cables (3) all come down together and are twisted together.
Are you saying I have to spur directly off the ceiling rose itself? If so I'm stuck, walls are all plastered... l-(

Otherwise I'll have to try and feed it directly into the consumer unit. Easier said than done, this is already fixed in place as well...
Otherwise I'll hang a torch up outside!

breezer · 25 Jan 2004

if you are SURE they are neutrals then fine. but just becasue they are black doesnt man to say thy are, look at drawing for example. (i am off out now)

emailrob · 25 Jan 2004

Thanks Breezer m8

ChrisRogers · 25 Jan 2004

emailrob said:
Thanks for the quick answer breezer

The neutral cables (3) all come down together and are twisted together.
Are you saying I have to spur directly off the ceiling rose itself? If so I'm stuck, walls are all plastered... l-(

Otherwise I'll have to try and feed it directly into the consumer unit. Easier said than done, this is already fixed in place as well...
Otherwise I'll hang a torch up outside!

you say the neutrals are twisted together? are they in a terminal block?

halogen flood lights tend not to be run from the lighting circuit as they draw too much power.

ban-all-sheds · 26 Jan 2004

Am I being paranoid, or does that loose earth terminal look a bit dodgy, waving around like that, whether the wires are sleeved or not?

emailrob · 26 Jan 2004

Thanks for all the replies.
I've put the neutrals in a block, sheathed the earths and attached the holder to the socket (it had come off).
All working nicely and safely now

cheers

ban-all-sheds · 26 Jan 2004

OOI - what were the neutral wires doing at the switch in the first place?

emailrob · 26 Jan 2004

They came down from the lights themselves, into one block

thanks

ban-all-sheds · 26 Jan 2004

Yeah but why? Neutral conductors are not needed at light switches and should not go there.

ChrisRogers · 26 Jan 2004

ban-all-sheds said:
Yeah but why? Neutral conductors are not needed at light switches and should not go there.

depends how the lights are wired, here they are wired via the junction box method, live feed to light switch - light switch to light

emailrob · 26 Jan 2004

ChrisRogers said:
ban-all-sheds said:

Yeah but why? Neutral conductors are not needed at light switches and should not go there.

Click to expand...

depends how the lights are wired, here they are wired via the junction box method, live feed to light switch - light switch to light

That's the way they are wired

ban-all-sheds · 26 Jan 2004

ChrisRogers said:
depends how the lights are wired, here they are wired via the junction box method, live feed to light switch - light switch to light

wiring%20lights%20schematic%20diagram%203.gif

Loop system - no neutrals at switches

Junction box system - no neutrals at switches

breezer · 26 Jan 2004

ban-all-sheds said:
Yeah but why? Neutral conductors are not needed at light switches and should not go there.

you are right they are not needed, but as was also mentioned it is aceptable.

for example spur off ring main (via fcu) > light switch > lamp

that way the you use one cable and the light switch does have a neutral in it (although only connected to itself)

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Lighting spur off socket

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