My loft is boarded but has no light or power. To avoid having to fit a
permanent connection below floorboards etc, would it be ok to - a) run
a plug-in extension using appropriate flex from a convenient socket in
the bedroom below, via plastic trunking inside a fitted wardrobe,
through the ceiling to the loft, where , b) a surface mounted socket
would be available for power, which would c) also power a florescent
light via a 5 amp fuse connection to this socket?

The length of extension from bedroom plug to loft socket would be 8
metres. The light flex would be 4 metres. The biggest draw on the
circuit at any time would be the light and a model railway.

This arrangement would avoid having to add further wiring to a switch,
since lights and power could be provided by simply plugging into and
turning on the socket below. It would also mean I could remove the lot
if I ever sell, and so not need one of these new fangled P
certificates.

Comments and thoughts gratefully received.

"John Dolan" wrote in message
om...
My loft is boarded but has no light or power. To avoid having to fit a
permanent connection below floorboards etc, would it be ok to - a) run
a plug-in extension using appropriate flex from a convenient socket in
the bedroom below, via plastic trunking inside a fitted wardrobe,
through the ceiling to the loft, where , b) a surface mounted socket
would be available for power, which would c) also power a florescent
light via a 5 amp fuse connection to this socket?

The length of extension from bedroom plug to loft socket would be 8
metres. The light flex would be 4 metres. The biggest draw on the
circuit at any time would be the light and a model railway.

This arrangement would avoid having to add further wiring to a switch,
since lights and power could be provided by simply plugging into and
turning on the socket below. It would also mean I could remove the lot
if I ever sell, and so not need one of these new fangled P
certificates.

Comments and thoughts gratefully received.

Lift the boards where appropriate and break into the lighting ring and
insert loft lights properly. Don't screw about with those sorts of things.





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John Dolan wrote:
My loft is boarded but has no light or power. To avoid having to fit a
permanent connection below floorboards etc, would it be ok to - a) run
a plug-in extension using appropriate flex from a convenient socket in
the bedroom below, via plastic trunking inside a fitted wardrobe,
through the ceiling to the loft, where , b) a surface mounted socket
would be available for power, which would c) also power a florescent
light via a 5 amp fuse connection to this socket?

It's arguably not quite Regs compliant - being 'fixed' wiring it's kinda
supposed to be done in cable not flex, etc. etc. But if you can
'guarantee' it's only ever going to carry the model railway and lights,
none of us will tell the Part P Police ;-). Don't wire the light
permanently to the back of that socket: if you can put the double socket
itself close to the hatch, just use a rarely-unplugged 13A plug (with 3A
fuse) to run the flourescent; if not, put a switch or an FCU (makes the
double-pole connections easy) close to the hatch, but still have the
light plugged in.

If you find yourself spending increasing time in the loft, that's the
time to extend the power circuit 'properly' into the loft. (It's usually
trivial to tap into the upstairs lighting circuit in the loft, as the
ceiling roses for the rooms below are easy to find. In the previous
house I preferred to have two lights on two separate circuits, so that a
fusepop on one didn't leave me in darkness...)

HTH - Stefek

Doctor Evil wrote:

Lift the boards where appropriate and break into the lighting ring and
insert loft lights properly. Don't screw about with those sorts of things.

OK for lights, but better to not a general purpose power socket from the
lighting circuit, because even if you know to only run a trainset from
it, the next owners may not!

--
Cheers,

John.

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In article ,
"John Rumm" says...
Doctor Evil wrote:

Lift the boards where appropriate and break into the lighting ring and
insert loft lights properly. Don't screw about with those sorts of things.

OK for lights, but better to not a general purpose power socket from the
lighting circuit, because even if you know to only run a trainset from
it, the next owners may not!


So use one of those bayonet plugs that fit in a light socket :-)

In message , Stefek Zaba
writes


It's usually trivial to tap into the upstairs lighting circuit in the
loft, as the ceiling roses for the rooms below are easy to find.

I wish the bloke who sold his bungalow to my mother had done that. When
it came to extending the ring main to put another socket in her spare
bedroom, I discovered that he had connected the only light in the loft
to the ring main and not to the lighting circuit. So when I turned the
ring main off...
--
Peter

Ying tong iddle-i po!

John Dolan wrote:
My loft is boarded but has no light or power. To avoid having to fit
a
permanent connection below floorboards etc, would it be ok to - a)
run
a plug-in extension using appropriate flex from a convenient socket
in
the bedroom below, via plastic trunking inside a fitted wardrobe,
through the ceiling to the loft, where , b) a surface mounted socket
would be available for power, which would c) also power a florescent
light via a 5 amp fuse connection to this socket?

The length of extension from bedroom plug to loft socket would be 8
metres. The light flex would be 4 metres. The biggest draw on the
circuit at any time would be the light and a model railway.

This arrangement would avoid having to add further wiring to a
switch,
since lights and power could be provided by simply plugging into and
turning on the socket below. It would also mean I could remove the
lot
if I ever sell, and so not need one of these new fangled P
certificates.

Comments and thoughts gratefully received.

If you use 2.5mm T&E cable to the socket, wired in the back, and dont
bury it in thermal insulation, and fit only one double socket at the
top, it should be reg compliant. The loft light should be run via an
FCU from that, which is effectively switch plus fuse in one.

If you run 2x 2.5mm T&E up instead of one, you could connect your loft
socket up as part of the ring, and put as many sockets up there as you
want.

Note there are always ways to make the above non-compliant.


NT