My husband has great ideas to add a socket in our bedroom to power a tv. He says he is going to take the power from the light circuit. Bearing in mind he once cut through a cable with a knife when it was plugged in I do not have that much faith. We have a young child and I want to check this is safe. Help and thanks.
Adding a plug from a light circuit
- Thread starter gharris
- Start date
If you or the mods re-post it into the eletrics UK forum then you'll get the best reply, 
What I do know is you can't tap into the lighting circuit to cerate an scocket output, the cable is not the right size and the lighting circuit fuse is too low.
You can spur off a exsisting socket as long as it's not already a spur.
come on you's lot help please
What I do know is you can't tap into the lighting circuit to cerate an scocket output, the cable is not the right size and the lighting circuit fuse is too low.
You can spur off a exsisting socket as long as it's not already a spur.
come on you's lot help please
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Find another socket on the ring to spur off, which hasn't had a spur taken from it already or extend the ring.
If the lighting circuit is absolutely the only circuit availabe, I suppose you could use a 5 amp round pin socket and plug... but I wouldn't, you'd still risk overloading the circuit unless it's very lightly loaded (I installed one for a table lamp, and that's all I'd use it for tbh)
Given that you don't have great confidence in him, and that he is planning to spur the socket off the ring, are you sure about him doing this?
Might be better to get a pro.
If the lighting circuit is absolutely the only circuit availabe, I suppose you could use a 5 amp round pin socket and plug... but I wouldn't, you'd still risk overloading the circuit unless it's very lightly loaded (I installed one for a table lamp, and that's all I'd use it for tbh)
Given that you don't have great confidence in him, and that he is planning to spur the socket off the ring, are you sure about him doing this?
Might be better to get a pro.
Make sure he does not simply connect the socket straight to the circuit as this gives a risk of overload.
If this is the only option, he would have to use an FCU with the same size fuse as the circuit, but I don't think this is a good idea...
Spurring off a ring final socket is the best idea.
If this is the only option, he would have to use an FCU with the same size fuse as the circuit, but I don't think this is a good idea...
Spurring off a ring final socket is the best idea.
unheard of to install a socket off a lighting circuit.
spur off the existing ring
spur off the existing ring
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No it's not!
You could always do it through a 3A spur.
You could always do it through a 3A spur.
There is no reg explicitly forbidding it and for an out of the way (e.g. just under the ceiling) socket for a traditional portable TV (i'd imagine some of the big plasma units that people are wallmounting now are rather more power hungry) or an arial amplifier in the loft or a lamp you want switched from the lighting cuircuit i really don't see any problem. The worst that is liable to happen is that some idiot trips the lights (at least assuming MCBs rather than bypassable fuses but fuse bypassing is an issue with lots of installation types).
the post quite clearly states that the socket is for a tv.
1 - not for an amp in an attic and
2 - 3 amp spur unsuitable for a tv
i'll re-phrase myself. i've never heard of anyone powering their television set off a lighting circuit!
1 - not for an amp in an attic and
2 - 3 amp spur unsuitable for a tv
i'll re-phrase myself. i've never heard of anyone powering their television set off a lighting circuit!
Plasma screens and LCD's use less than 2a power, typicaly between 350-400w for a 50" screen.
See http://www.sust-it.net/home-results.php?id=45
Running a socket via the lights isn't illegal, but just isn't the way forward.
There must be power in the room on a socket, run a spur from this. The spur will take a 13a load and allow you to plug the hairdrier in, should you need / wish.
See http://www.sust-it.net/home-results.php?id=45
Running a socket via the lights isn't illegal, but just isn't the way forward.
There must be power in the room on a socket, run a spur from this. The spur will take a 13a load and allow you to plug the hairdrier in, should you need / wish.
You have now - wall mounted 14in portable 18in below ceiling height, buried cable + aerial to loft where there is a 3A FCU from the lighting circuit (fed by 6A Type B MCB). All no problem with fuses or tripping. As it's hard wired to the FCU so there isn't a 13A socket that could be abused in future.eddie current said:
Have it at the back of my mind to put spur off the ring up through the airing cupboard at some point - as this would be the "proper" way of doing it.
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