Can you run a socket for a low power device from lighting?

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CrazeUK

CrazeUK

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Hey All.
Apologies if this is a bit of a crazy question.

I bought my parents a Dyson handheld vacuum.
Looking at a location to mount its charging port, i can only think of 1 sensible place that is handy and convenient.

The location has no power socket however, does have a Light bulb just above it.
The switch for this is in the hallway on a 2 gang switch.

What i would like:
1. Remove the control from the 2 gang hallway switch and make the supply permanently on.
2. Put the bulb on a pull cord switch.
3. Add a socket below the wall mounted bulb holder that will only be used for the Dyson power supply - Output 26v 750ma.

Is this safe?

Failing this, it would be a big job breaking out, probably not worth it.
 
What is the power of the charger? Does the charger have pins like a 13A plug?

Can you lay your hands on a label-making machine, or, are you willing to pay £6 or so for a socket engraved "Dyson Charger Only?"

This is not a socket, but you get the idea

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NO NO NO. 13 amp sockets should not be put on the lighting circuit. If you do someone some day will plug a large load into it and trip out the lighting circuit. If someone comes on here and says it is OK please ignore them for your families safety.
 
Pay no attention to him

An even better way might be to look in the adjacent rooms. Is there a socket on a wall that backs onto the room where you want to put the charger?
 
Unfortunately i already explored the option of adding a spur to the ring main. Nothing that i can access.
Also, my parents just had a new kitchen (Only room next to the area) installed so wouldn't be too happy if i pulled at the cabinets lol.

The plug i dont think is a 13 amp. Its a grey power brick.
 
But it has pins on it like a plug, so it has to go into a socket.

You can plug it into a socket, durably marked as I suggested, even on a lighting circuit. You can add "6Amp max load" if you want. If you like, you can get one that's an unusual colour to help show it is for a special purpose.

Trade electical suppliers often have an engraving machine for this, some do mail-order.

If somebody tells you that you can't have clearly marked sockets for special purposes, ignore them.
 
CrazeUK said:
Also, my parents just had a new kitchen (Only room next to the area)
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No socket, switch or FCU on the same wall that could be temporarily removed and a hole drilled through the backbox into the wall and the adjacent room?

No possibility of a cable underneath the units to a suitable supply elsewhere in the kitchen? (plinths are easily removed and replaced)
 
flameport said:
If that happened, so what? Nothing melted, nothing damaged, no fire or injury. ... How is a circuit breaker tripping unsafe?
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I presume that he is going to say that a trip of a lighting cirecuit could cause them to fall down the stairs or off a ladder, or drop a pan of boiling oil.

None of those things are impossible, although all of them are equally possible in the event of a power cut or trip of an RCD by some other circuit, but ..... !!

Those who are concerned about the dangers of sudden loss of lighting circuits should, in my opinion, really consider installing emergency lighting, rather than worry about not having sockets on lighting circuits or splitting circuits onto different RCDs - not the least because power cuts are no respecters of such measures!!

Kind Regards, John
 
We recently bought a Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute cordless stick vac. I mounted the charging dock under our stairs and took a feed from the understairs lighting circuit for the socket to plug into. Nothing else is ever going to be used in that socket so not worried about overloading it and as already said, what’s the worse that could happen if I did?
 
Motman said:
... Nothing else is ever going to be used in that socket ...
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Someone around here seems convinced that it is 'inevitable' that someone will eventually plug a (corded!) vacuum cleaner into it! And ...
Motman said:
so not worried about overloading it and as already said, what’s the worse that could happen if I did?
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The worst that could happen is that the breaker for that circuit would trip (or the fuse blow), killing all the lights on that circuit (as I said, just as would happen in a power cut, or if a fault on some other circuit tripped an RCD which was protecting the lighting circuit) - and I recently wrote about what he fears would be the consequences of that 'being plunged into darkness'!

I just wonder whether he drives cars, or crosses roads, goes up ladders or uses power tools (all of which come with very small risks), let alone smokes or drinks alcohol!

Kind Regards, John
 
winston1 said:
NO NO NO. 13 amp sockets should not be put on the lighting circuit. If you do someone some day will plug a large load into it and trip out the lighting circuit. If someone comes on here and says it is OK please ignore them for your families safety.
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Well, someone is going to come on here and point out that, AS YOU KNOW FULL WELL, the people who write the Wiring Regulations say that it is OK.

If you don't like it, then petition the IET to disallow it, but until then stop writing misleading, unhelpful and unwanted nonsense.
 
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