Using Lighting wiring to power LCD TV

[klauf]

Hello all,
Hope someone can help or suggest to me what I can do?
I've recently purchased a flat LCD TV - it's wireless - Sony KDL-EX1
The wall that I have in my house has lighting wires sticking out.
I want to use this lighting lead to power the LCD TV.
The LCD TV is 324 watts.
The lighting I tested has no switch - i.e. it is constantly on. I've tried all the switches in the house.
Only time it would switch off is when I tripped the lighting circuit.
I presume this was put there by the original owner of the house to put lights above the picture. He build it from new.
Is there a way that I could do this? Here is my intention - cut the plug from the LCD TV and then connect the wires to a small fuse box and then connect it to the lighting wires. Now all the wires are very neatly behind the LCD TV and hidden.

So the questions I have really are:
1: - Is this possible or would you say immediately not to do this?
2: - Where would I find a small FUSE box that I could put between the leads?

I do not want to knock a whole in the wall and put a fused socket there - because if we want to remove the LCD TV then I would like it back to where it is today.

Many thanks beforehand to your responses.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I've recently purchased a flat LCD TV - it's wireless

They usually are...

The LCD TV is 324 watts.

What's the load on the rest of the lighting circuit?

He build it from new.

Did it come with a full set of electrical certificates, and Building Regulations completion certificates?

1: - Is this possible or would you say immediately not to do this?

Using a lighting circuit for something other than lighting is not ideal, but as long as it's documented and properly done it's not unsafe or against the regulations. The biggest risk is that someone will put a larger load on it and the MCB will keep tripping.

2: - Where would I find a small FUSE box that I could put between the leads?

Any DIY shed, electrical shop, electrical wholesaler, web retailer etc - use a switched FCU with a flex outlet and a 3A fuse.

I do not want to knock a whole in the wall and put a fused socket there - because if we want to remove the LCD TV then I would like it back to where it is today

Then put the FCU in a surface mount pattress.

 

[klauf]

Thanks for the feedback and I will try and answer where I can.

LCD TV's are not usually wireless but wired. They are the latest products from Sony and are very new.

I've no idea of the loading of the rest of the lighting circuit? How can I measure this? or find out?

The house is now 14 years old and I'm sure we have all the certificates and building regulations - but have to add my ignorance here - I would have to go and check where I can find this and if indeed this is documented somewhere.

Right - the only item that will be put on that lighting lead would be the TV - and it would be hidden and permanent for as long as the TV is there.

To put a surface mount pattress with a switched FCU would be to big to go behind the TV - It would have to be something smaller - I was thinking of something you can get for cars? They have little plastic boxes where you can put a fuse in - after all - if it gets overloaded then the 3A fuse should blow and safe an damage?

So - still need some advice I'm afraid.

 

[Steve]

They are the latest products from Sony and are very new.

LCD TVs have been around a while now actualy.

And if its wireless, why do you need to plug it in?

I've no idea of the loading of the rest of the lighting circuit? How can I measure this? or find out?

Right - the only item that will be put on that lighting lead would be the TV - and it would be hidden and permanent for as long as the TV is there.

Go round and add up all the lamps on the cicuit. If its over 1200w on a 6 amp MCB, you're mullered, back to the drawing board. Dont forget any wall lights and outside lights.

To put a surface mount pattress with a switched FCU would be to big to go behind the TV - It would have to be something smaller - I was thinking of something you can get for cars? They have little plastic boxes where you can put a fuse in

Nope. Not available for 230v. They'd have to be in an enclosure anyway. Put a metal box into the wall. I mean, if the TV gets moved how much bother is it to plaster up the hole??

And you may find your TV needs a 5A fuse, in which case technically no fuse is required, since the circuit is protected by a 6 amp MCB. But you need local isolation anyway, might as well fit a fuse while you're there.

 

[bernardgreen]

Live wires coming out of the wall are dangerous.

You need to make that safe with a terminal block in a safe enclosure whether or not you use it to supply the TV.

Or fit a fused outlet and connect the TV to it.

DO NOT USE car type fuses on mains voltage. Some car type fuses are not capable of safely breaking a 230 volt supply. They blow but then an arc develops in the metal deposits from where the fuse wire melted and this arc means power is still supplied to the equipment and also the fuse and its holder can melt and may even catch fire.

 

[Steve]

Car fuses are for DC as well. Mains is AC, a totally different flavour electric.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

LCD TVs have been around a while now actualy.

And if its wireless, why do you need to plug it in?

Ah - OK...

"A very special feature new to the Bravia Ex1’s, which adds to the whole “picture frame” wall mounted aspect is a HD super-fast wireless link. The “Bravia 1080 Wireless” technology links the HDTV and the media receiver in real time, with no loss of quality. The media receiver has three additional HDMI sockets, so your HD devices needn’t be connected directly to the HDTV, eliminating the need to run cables up the wall to the set"

Let's hope that their wireless link is a little better than every other domestic one I've ever encountered...

 

[Steve]

Another piece of equipment to find a home for . . .

And lets hope it wont pick up interference from other 2.4GHz devices in the home . . .

 

[klauf]

OK - thanks for all your replies. Good input here.

The LCD TV is wireless and if I can hide the power behind it the TV looks like picture - really good.

I've done some searching and found an inline fuse on the following webpage

http://wuntaix.manufacturer.globals...4/pdtl/Fuse-holder/1010584952/Fuse-Holder.htm

That's something I was looking for - or a lawnmower lead with a fuse in it.

But as you also already mentioned is that it is a 6A circuit breaker and the tv is no more then 5A so a fuse may not be needed.

Will continue to check to find out how many bulbs are connected.

I'm also surprised how little information there is on my subject - surely I'm not the only one trying to do something like this?

Thanks anyway.

 

[Steve]

http://wuntaix.manufacturer.globals...use-holder/1010584952/Fuse-Holder.htm[/QUOTE]
Is it BS approved? Or even CE? I very much doubt it, and it bears no technical information. Do not use this.

You're not the only one mounting a TV on the wall. There are however many ways to do it and it seems every situation is different.

 

[bernardgreen]

I'm also surprised how little information there is on my subject - surely I'm not the only one trying to do something like this?

There is plenty of information about how to do it properly and safely.

There is not much information but a lot of guess work about how to do it in an UNSAFE way.

 

[ericmark]

Up to 230W you could use a clock outlet which is fused and a lot smaller than standard FCU or socket.
However at 324W you would need 2A fuse not 1A and I do not think you can get 230v 2A fuses to for clock outlets but I may be wrong.
It must be a really big TV mine is rated at 115W running 1W on standby for 38 inch.
To me wireless means without any wires? I know Tesla did build a power station back in early 20th Century which had no wires but did not work too well and not sure I would want to be exposed to the amount of RF required to transmit 324W.
I would not transmit the 100W I am allowed inside a house.
As to aerial connection there have been boosters around for years which allow you to receive broadcast signals and re-transmit them but in the main they did not comply to UK rules and regulations.
Also there are sights like http://www.tvcatchup.com which will allow you to receive TV and then re-transmit using WiFi where you will only need power and even some systems that use the power cables to send information so sending info by radio is nothing new.
See

 

[ban-all-sheds]

However at 324W you would need 2A fuse not 1A and I do not think you can get 230v 2A fuses to for clock outlets but I may be wrong.

I bet the plug has a 3A in it.

To me wireless means without any wires? I know Tesla did build a power station back in early 20th Century which had no wires but did not work too well and not sure I would want to be exposed to the amount of RF required to transmit 324W.
I would not transmit the 100W I am allowed inside a house.

They mean the signal/source paths, not the power - read the quote above.

As to aerial connection there have been boosters around for years which allow you to receive broadcast signals and re-transmit them but in the main they did not comply to UK rules and regulations.

Irrelevant - read the quote above.

Also there are sights like http://www.tvcatchup.com which will allow you to receive TV and then re-transmit using WiFi where you will only need power and even some systems that use the power cables to send information

Irrelevant - read the quote above.

so sending info by radio is nothing new.

Indeed not

 

[klauf]

The system is a 52" and in the Vivid mode it uses 324 watts.

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/t46-e...rl=http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4115568121.pdf

It is fantastic pictures and wireless = not on the 2.4GHz but on the 5.15Ghz - so there is no interference from micorwaves - wireless phones or anything.
It is totally wireless but not wireless power - that is still wired and will be for a while I should think. However - if I can hide this power wire behind the unit then it would look totally wireless - including power.
The good thing is that we have a power behind it - but this is on the lighting circuit. If I wanted to change this sit on the socket circuit then I have to take all the flooring out upstairs and find the wires and change these to fit the socket circuit. This is immense lot of work - so I'm still trying to see if I can get away with it and use it.

 

[Steve]

It is fantastic pictures and wireless = not on the 2.4GHz but on the 5.15Ghz - so there is no interference from micorwaves - wireless phones or anything.

Is this legal???

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/isu/ukfat/ukfat08.pdf

Page 120 and 121.

I cant see anything about wireless TVs there.

Though I dont know what a WAS or a RLAN is.