Socket connected to lighting ring - get rid or OK to label as 5A?

[Dave Robinson]

Our porch has a cable dangling out through the ceiling straight into a twin socket four inches down, and then a cable from this down the wall through UPVC conduit to a switch which supplies the outside light through the exterior wall. This comes off the the whole-house lighting ring which is fed of a 6A MCB straight into the master switch (no RCD).
It's there because previous owner was a mentalist and is by far one of the safer bodged aspects of our house electrics (one of the worst was the confusion over a yellow wire to a 2-way switch being mistaken as earth and being connected to the backbox; as such, the other switch didn't operate and more importantly the mounting screws on the switch that did work were live. Found that out the bad way).
I'm redecorating the porch and want to sort this out. The sockets are useful for Christmas lights, but is it appropriate to have sockets running off a lighting main if I label them according to the amperage they can supply? Or should I just get rid?
Thanks, Dave.

 

[winston1]

Get rid of it. It is very bad practice to put 13 a sockets on the lighting circuit though surprisingly it is aiiowed.

 

[JohnD]

The sockets are useful for Christmas lights, but is it appropriate to have sockets running off a lighting main if I label them according to the amperage they can supply?

That is perfectly acceptable. On the label you could include "from lighting circuit" or whatever.

 

[Taylortwocities]

As JohnD says, it is acceptable and is specifically stated as such in The wiring Regulations.
Do ignore Winston’s post. He has personal opinions on this (and other subjects) that he keeps pushing. In his opinion it’s bad practise, well it isn’t.
We have encouraged him to join the committee that writes the wiring regulations and have the rules changed, but he resists our suggestions, in favour of bleating on and on and on about this.

 

[Risteard]

Get rid of it. It is very bad practice to put 13 a sockets on the lighting circuit though surprisingly it is aiiowed.

Aiiowed?????

 

[diyer56]

As you mention there is no RCD protection (unless I misread your post) it may be worth swapping the double socket for a version which includes an RCD?

https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-13a-2g-rcd-switched-plug-socket/3133j

 

[bernardgreen]

Aiiowed?????

Odd for Winston, eye to eye contact.........

 

[wrightsonm]

Does the neutral return to the lighting circuit? I recently had exactly this, but in my case the neutral was borrowed from the socket ring!

 

[EFLImpudence]

Do you know why?

What is the blue in the cable connected to - or why did they not just connect all to the socket circuit?

 

[donrkebab]

The sockets are useful for Christmas lights, but is it appropriate to have sockets running off a lighting main if I label them according to the amperage they can supply? Or should I just get rid?
Thanks, Dave.

Its not appropriate to have non rcd protected s/o for external use. As the s/o is for external use, it is more likely to be effected by moisture and consequent nuisance tripping of your lighting circuit, which in your case means the loss of all the lighting. I would replace the s/o with an rcd s/o, this will effectively separate internal and external problems. And marking it as 5A max would be a good idea.

 

[wrightsonm]

In my situation live and earth came from a light switch further up the wall, the wires ran under the floor to a 13a socket wire powering some led lights. The neutral from the 13a socket didnt have a neutral available in the light switch so instead someone wired it to the nearest available neutral wire which in this case can be seen as a random extra blue wire in the photo.

 

[EFLImpudence]

So, they could have connected it all to the socket?

 

[JohnW2]

Its not appropriate to have non rcd protected s/o for external use. As the s/o is for external use, it is more likely to be effected by moisture and consequent nuisance tripping of your lighting circuit, which in your case means the loss of all the lighting. ...

Well, it would IF the OP's lighting circuit were RCD-protected (which he says it isn't).

I would replace the s/o with an rcd s/o ....

In the OP's present situation (no RCD at all) that might not be a bad idea (and would be necessary for compliance with current regs), but ....

... this will effectively separate internal and external problems. And marking it as 5A max would be a good idea.

.. . even if the lighting circuit were RCD-protected (which, as above, it apparently isn't) that would be wishful thinking - in that, if there were two RCDs (one for the circuit and one in the socket) it would be essentially pot luck as to whether one, the other or both tripped in the event of a fault.

Kind Regards, John

 

[donrkebab]

Jonw2, read what I said and don't fill in non existant blanks, because I don't know what you are talking about.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Jonw2, read what I said and don't fill in non existant blanks, because I don't know what you are talking about.

¿Que?