4 terminals 2 wires

[ban-all-sheds]

You can safely connect a neon between live and earth.

Your cable should also have an earth wire in it, not just red and black. It may have been cut back, but it should be there. If it's not you may have more important things to worry about than telling if your lights have been left on.

Assuming it is, then connecting a neon indicator between the switched live and earth will show when it is on. You'll need to document it though, as any insulation tests will show grim, failure level, results. Even if the lights are on an RCD circuit (bad design) the current through the lamp will be nowhere near enough to cause a trip.

The switch you have may not be modifiable to change where the neon is wired, so you may have to change it to one which is, or use a grid plate system where you can choose where to wire the neon, or simply buy a small mains voltage panel neon indicator and drill a hole in the faceplate of an ordinary switch.

 

[breezer]

You can safely connect a neon between live and earth.

you can also check for a gas leak with a match becasue its dark.

just because some thing can be done does not mean to say it Should be done, i am sorry ban-all-sheds but to do as you suggest, NO

 

[plugwash]

didn't reliase that was permitted

but if you wan't to do this connect earth to supply neutral (as well as the proper earth points)
red to supply live
and black to load load

 

[plugwash]

i meant black to load live

 

[breezer]

didn't reliase that was permitted

its NOT

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You can safely connect a neon between live and earth.

you can also check for a gas leak with a match becasue its dark.

Apart from one desperately vital factor - you can't safely check for a gas leak with a match.

just because some thing can be done does not mean to say it Should be done, i am sorry ban-all-sheds but to do as you suggest, NO

WHY NOT?

 

[plugwash]

iirc you are allowed 3.5ma leakage on a cuircuits before you need clean earth

what does a neon indicator draw?

 

[securespark]

Plug

What you said about how to wire a neon so that it lights when the switch is off is exactly what I said.

There's nothing in the MK catalogue about not using neon locator with flouorescents.

If eugene wants to use a timelag switch look at Danlers TLSW10 - they are electronic (not pneumatic) have time adjustment, do not require a neutral, and can be fitted with a neon locator if wished.

 

[plugwash]

i'm sure i heared that using a neon locater with a flourescent could cause both to flash (it was a cfl though so may be different for conventional florescents)

i think it happaened because the starter system was slowly chareging through the locator to eventually strike the tube

then when the tube struck the voltage could not be maintained and it wen't off again

repeat ad infinitum

 

[ban-all-sheds]

iirc you are allowed 3.5ma leakage on a cuircuits before you need clean earth

what does a neon indicator draw?

About 0.64mA, from memory.

 

[securespark]

Plug

Just installed 3 Danlers TLSW10 on a communal circuit (along with MK neon locator plates) that is awash with 16W 2D's and switch-start tubes and everything works fine.

Not discrediting what you say, just saying it works for me.

 

[plugwash]

were all lights on that cuircuit flourescent?

if the issue was what i think it was one normal bulb would stop the voltage building up

also it probablly depends on the details of the starters

 

[securespark]

There is a th flood on the circuit.

 

[plugwash]

a halogen is electrically a pretty normal bulb

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Looking at the details of the MK plate locator, I'm not sure how visible it would be in daylight, or with lighting on in the room where the switch is - after all, it is designed to provide a gentle unobtrusive glow to help you find switches in the dark.......