Outside lights setup

[Mart111]

Morning all

I've just moved into a new house, and had a chance to poke around at how the outside lights are powered. Here's the set up:

1st light) 60w bulb in a metal lantern light, served by 0.75mm 3 core flex which runs thru the outside wall to indoors, into a FCU with a 3A fuse, and then into the mains with a 3A fuse in the plug.

2nd light) 60w bulb in a plastic PIR security light, again served by 0.75mm 3 core flex which runs indoors into the mains with a 3A fuse in the plug (but no FCU on this cable).

3rd light) 60w bulb in a metal porch light, again served by 0.75mm 3 core flex which joins, via a junction box, a lighting spur (i.e. 1.5mm wire that comes out the porch ceiling and is joined to the upstairs lighting circuit). There is a FCU on the 0.75mm cable portion with a 3A fuse.

For all three, the conduit work seems ok and in order.

Can you good folks please tell me if this setup seems ok, or shall I call in a sparky to made any mods?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[1john]

Sounds ok from your description, the cables have the correct over current protection.

 

[Steve]

Two lights are just plugged in? Sounds dog rough, IMO.

And why does one go via an FCU too? Just put the 3 amp fuse in the plug!

Get some CFLs too.

If they'd used 1mm, they could have done without the FCUs.

 

[Mart111]

Thanks for your replies guys.

I know - 'dog rough' plugged in lights!, but to be fair, the job is a good'un (nicely conduited on the outside and nice and tidy on the inside with clips etc), so I'm no too fussed at the asthetics.

Regarding the FCUs, I can see what the idea is, the FCU also acts as a switch to switch the outside light on/off from the inside of the house (plus extra protection as an after thought, I guess!).

Just checking all safe!

 

[Steve]

Some blokes came round all 2500 of our stores to fit kronos clocking in machines. These required a 230v supply to them. They came with a IEC lead - like a PC. In every store, they chopped this lead in half. Fit an FCU above the Kronos. Connected the IEC end of the cable to the kronos and FCU. Run a length of T&E to another FCU, out of which was hanging the 13 amp end of the kettle lead, plugged into an adjacent socket. Awful! But I dont think the installers were registered to do electrical work on our mains etc, or didnt want to test anything or issue certs. So anything they did had to be plugged in, but I still dont think they should have done this, as its fixed!

 

[Mart111]

Thanks for all your help and useful replies.

S'funny, I looked up the instructions for the light concerned on the internet, and it specified that a 1.5mm 3 core flex cable is to be used ... which leads to a further question - why would they ask for such a size cable (rated at 15a / up to 3600w) when all it powers is a 60w lightbulb with a 3a fuse?

 

[1john]

To cover their backsides against almost every eventuality of possability