Sockets on a lighting circuit - C3 or C2?

[7029 dave]

Yes we do, we commonly have smoke alarms on lighting circuits.

I dont call that a 13A socket which a 2/3KW appliance can be plugged in potentially. lol
Come on Daz

 

[DPG]

I dont call that a 13A socket which a 2/3KW appliance can be plugged in potentially. lol
Come on Daz

True, but I was replying to your comment about how we shouldn't mix power and lighting on one circuit.

 

[westward10]

My in-laws have a fan heater in their bathroom running off a 3036 5A lighting circuit turned down internally for 1kw instead of 2kw.

 

[7029 dave]

My in-laws have a fan heater in their bathroom running off a 3036 5A lighting circuit turned down internally for 1kw instead of 2kw.

We did think is was 1kw or 500W

 

[littlespark]

looking at the pic in the OP, the socket in question is in the back of a kitchen wall unit.
Not very handy to plug in a heater, iron or kettle..

“Generally” we wouldn’t put a 13A socket on a lighting circuit, but if needed… for examples already given on the thread… I don’t see the problem when there can’t be a possibility of something too high a load being plugged in.

 

[UNG]

TUT TUT , well its not just about BS7671 is it, come on people remember your days at the local tech college, its about adhering to the electrical craft principles we were all taught.
My tutors would be have a fit if they heard some of the comments going on here.
Practically IMO its not good for a circuit to be running over its CCC even if it only for a few seconds with big loads being plugged in untill its goes pop.
Then you could argue that being plunged in total darkness could warrant a C2 for safety reasons in some certain circumstances.
It would be a C3 for me all day long. We dont mix power with lighting circuits.

Power and lighting has been mixed for many years as far back as the 2A, 5A and 15A round pin sockets

A lot of the problem as previously mentioned lies with the lighting manufacturers who insist on supplying lighting kits for under cupboard or plinth lighting with 13A plug in adaptors, personally I would rather they supplied their kits with boxed transformers or drivers with a short flylead that could be terminated into a flex outlet plate or FCU but until that happens I feel we are stuck with what we have

 

[westward10]

I think the main reason for keeping them separate in the past was mixed disconnection times, 5 sec for the lighting and 0.4 sec for the socket outlets.

 

[littlespark]

Makes it easy to do ELI and RCD testing on a lighting circuit if there’s a handy socket

 

[UNG]

Makes it easy to do ELI and RCD testing on a lighting circuit if there’s a handy socket

Maybe that will be in the next amendment that a socket outlet must be fitted next to the last fitting on the circuit

 

[7029 dave]

Makes it easy to do ELI and RCD testing on a lighting circuit if there’s a handy socket

It would with my old Robin KMP 5404 tester