Pls advise on this lamp wiring

[Tommy10toes]

Hello,

I’m adding an in-line foot switch for this interesting italian floor lamp.
It has 2 bulbs, max 60w each according to sticker on lamp.
The footswitch I bought recommends max 2amp.

But I notice the plug has been fitted with a 13amp fuse. (This seems too high to me?)

I know how to wire the switch but my question is, is 2amp foot switch ok for this type of lamp?
Is there a problem with having a 13amp fuse?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[littlespark]

If the switch is only rated to 2A, you need a 2A or lower in the plug.
The brown sticker just says its capable of taking a 13A fuse... You may find its only a 3.
They are colour coded... so brown = 13, red =3, black for 5.... Thats the standard sizes... but you might be able to find a 1 or 2A somewhere

2 x 60W lamps is 120W
W/V = A
120 / 240 for ease is only half an Amp.

You could possibly change the lamps to LED equivalent and drop the load right down to only 10W or thereabouts

 

[Tommy10toes]

If the switch is only rated to 2A, you need a 2A or lower in the plug.
The brown sticker just says its capable of taking a 13A fuse... You may find its only a 3.
They are colour coded... so brown = 13, red =3, black for 5.... Thats the standard sizes... but you might be able to find a 1 or 2A somewhere

2 x 60W lamps is 120W
W/V = A
120 / 240 for ease is only half an Amp.

You could possibly change the lamps to LED equivalent and drop the load right down to only 10W or thereabouts

A-ha. Well I never knew that amp = w/v ! Great tip for life!
Thanks for the info

So 2amp rated switch is more than ok for this lamp?

Regarding the fuse- is it ok to have a bigger fuse than the required amps?

 

[littlespark]

Ideally, the fuse should be sized to protect the appliance cable, and the switch... so should be less than the 2A rating of the switch.

You'll never overload the switch, in reality with only half an amp being drawn..... and any serious fault such as an L-N short would blow a 13A... never mind a 3


Yes. Rule of thumb, rough estimate is 4 amps to 1kW if supply voltage is 250v

We actually have to calculate at 230v, used to be 240v.... but for quick calculations... its much simpler.

 

[default]

Hello,

I’m adding an in-line foot switch for this interesting italian floor lamp.
It has 2 bulbs, max 60w each according to sticker on lamp.
The footswitch I bought recommends max 2amp.

But I notice the plug has been fitted with a 13amp fuse. (This seems too high to me?)

I know how to wire the switch but my question is, is 2amp foot switch ok for this type of lamp?
Is there a problem with having a 13amp fuse?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

When it's says 2 amp switch that means what it's capable of switch upto with out being damaged. So that switch can operate up to 460 watts, so it's more than capable of switching two 60 watt lamps. I would recommend checking the fuse in the plug top and changing it for a 2 or 3 amp fuse. The fuse in the plug protects the cable of the lamp and stops it getting damaged if there is a fault. If the fuse is to high it can take longer to break If there is a fault which could damaged it.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

A 3-amp fuse is absolutely fine and would be the normal choice as it is one of the two preferred values (3A & 13A). It only needs to protect the switch against short-circuit, not overload, as there is no practical way that more than 460W of lamp load could mistakenly be installed in the fitting to overload the switch.

Most equipment is also safe with a 13A fuse and if your flex is at least 0.75sqmm that is probably true here, but 3A fuses are plentiful and in the event of the cable being damaged the smaller fuse will make a smaller bang, so it makes sense to go with 3A.