adding spotlights to plug socket

[yorkie2005]

Hi,

I am English and living in the Netherlands. I have removed a stud wall and knocked the plaster of one the walls in my house to expose the brickwork underneath. In the stud wall was a plug socket about 2 feet from the floor. The wire ran through a plastic pipe up through the ceiling, behind the stud wall.

I am going to replace the plastic pipe with a metal one and leave the socket wire running over the exposed brick instead of re-routing or hiding it. For an industrial look. I will also replace the socket itself.

Now at the bottom of the wall is a gap of about 4 - 5 inches between the floor and wall where the stud wall framework sat. it is recessed about 2 inches below the surface of the flooring tiles. To fill this gap I was going to inset a piece of wood running the length of the wall flush with the floor and have spotlights shining up on the exposed brick. I have seen the plug in spotlights that would be suitable but I would prefer to wire these into the plug socket if possible. ( I use both the sockets on this wall already )

Is there a way to wire a bank of about 5 spotlights using the transformer provided straight into the plug socket or take a feed from it? Here are some pics of the area I am working on http://www.diynot.com/network/yorkie2005/albums/

Any help or advice would be appreciated,

Marc

 

[Ocam]

Seeing as this has had a number of views but no replies, I'll have a go at helping you. First though I must state that I am not an electrician and so you shouldn't take anything I say as 100% correct.

Firstly, you say 'wire', which suggests to me that only one wire is present. Is this socket a spur or, as I suspect from reading an article on WikiPedia, the end of a radial? What size is the fuse/MCB in the consumer unit for this particular circuit? And what size is the cable that feeds the existing socket? Pictures of the cable that feeds this socket, as well as a picture of your consumer unit, would help.

If it is a radial, you should extend it with a piece of cable of the same rating as the one currently supplying the socket. It's a case of disconnecting the power for this particular circuit at the consumer unit, then testing it to make sure it's off (using a multimeter). Then insert the piece of cable that will supply the spotlights into the rear of the socket (same terminals as the existing cable, there should be enough room for 2) and connecting it to the Dutch equivalent of this. This cable goes into the 'supply' side, and the transformer from the spotlights goes into the 'load' side. Don't over-tighten the screws that hold the cables into the terminals as this can and will damage the cable. Then give them a tug (not too strong) to make sure they're in place.

The circuit should then be tested (somebody more informed can fill you in on this, as I can't find anything on testing radials).

Again, I must state that I am not an electrician and so my advice shouldn't be relied upon. You should also check up on the Dutch electrical regulations.

Finally, if you're not hiding the cable supplying the socket, why replace the conduit (plastic pipe) it's currently in? Would it not be easier to just fix the socket & it's enclosure to the wall?