5 amp round pin plug lamp circuit - multiple lights needed

[nickyj1]

Hello

My old london flat has a lamp circuit which takes 5 amp round pin plugs. I've got about 3 sockets in each room, but want to add more lamps to the circuit (maybe some uplighters and things like that).

I've been looking on the internet for a multi-adaptor (like the ones you can get for 13 amp plugs) but have had no joy.

Does anyone out there have any solutions?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[ColJack]

yeah, fit more sockets... simple...

 

[nickyj1]

Thanks. That's definitely a solution. However, ideally I'd like to do something that doesn't involve me having to drill holes in the wall and rewire the room.

 

[ColJack]

too bad..
fitteng extra sockets is your only solution..
they don't do 5A round pin multi-way adapters, would kind of defeat the object since you could then draw more than 5A per socket..

one solution I absolutely do not suggest ( hint hint ) is that you could simply fit a 5A round pin plug to a 4 way trailing extension then fit regular 3A fused plugs to your lamps...

 

[Monkeh]

Reminds me of a 'euro travel adapter' a friend made.. http://omploader.org/vM2Zwbw

 

[nickyj1]

interesting...

Clearly this is not a suggestion. But theoretically, if I were to do this, what would the risks be of something terrible happening (e.g. an electical fire starting etc).

 

[ColJack]

not much, presumably the sockets are onthe lighting circuit ( do they come on with wall switches? ) and would therefore be fused at 5 or 6A..

 

[nickyj1]

Yep - they come on with a light switch.

Would make any difference if I used a 5 amp round pin plug with a fuse rather than one without (all the plugs I use at the moment don't have fuses, but I have seen plugs with fuses available on the internet). Or is this pointless given the fuse on the circuit.

 

[Paul_C]

they don't do 5A round pin multi-way adapters

Not now, but they were pretty common back in the 1960's in various configurations (3-pin 5A to 2 x 3-pin 5A; 3-pin 5A to 1 x 3-pin 5A plus 2 x 2-pin 5A; etc.). I still have quite a few of them around which I use with low-power test equipment and for the Christmas lights.

 

[lloyda]

they don't do 5A round pin multi-way adapters

Not now, but they were pretty common back in the 1960's in various configurations (3-pin 5A to 2 x 3-pin 5A; 3-pin 5A to 1 x 3-pin 5A plus 2 x 2-pin 5A; etc.). I still have quite a few of them around which I use with low-power test equipment and for the Christmas lights.

Were very common in theatre lighting when I was involved in the 80s (and probably still used now). The trade name Grelco was used for any 5 or 15amp adapter, much like hoover is used for a vacuum cleaner.

However, I would not recommend their use.

 

[Steve]

Would make any difference if I used a 5 amp round pin plug with a fuse rather than one without (all the plugs I use at the moment don't have fuses, but I have seen plugs with fuses available on the internet). Or is this pointless given the fuse on the circuit.

WOAH!!! Hang on, theres all kinds of wrongness here.

5 amp plugs do not and will not ever contain a fuse. They rely on the circuit protection, which is usually a 5 or 6 amp device.

13 amp plugs do contain a fuse because they cannot rely on the circuit protection, which is usually a 32 amp device. A 32 amp overcurrent protective device is not appropriate for a 13 amp (or even 3 amp) appliance.

 

[plugwash]

5 amp plugs do not and will not ever contain a fuse.

You CAN get fused 5A BS546 plugs (they take BS646 fuses) , not all that much point in them for use on a lighting circuit though and if you are designing a circuit with 5A sockets you have to assume people will use unfused plugs on it. MK is the only manufacturer of these that i'm aware of and they are bloody expensive but they DO exist.

http://cpc.farnell.com/mk-electric/641whi/5a-fused-round-pin-plug/dp/PL01928

one solution I absolutely do not suggest ( hint hint ) is that you could simply fit a 5A round pin plug to a 4 way trailing extension then fit regular 3A fused plugs to your lamps...

I don't personally see a huge problem with putting a 5A plug on an extention lead, the worst that is likely to happen is a tripped breaker if the user is an idiot. I would however try and get an extention socket with exactly the right number of sockets to reduce the risk of someone seeing a spare socket though.

Reminds me of a 'euro travel adapter' a friend made.. http://omploader.org/vM2Zwbw[/QUOTE]
I'd trust an adaptor cable with a proper plug over a ****ty travel adaptor any day. I hope he used appropitate sized flex though.

 

[Monkeh]

Reminds me of a 'euro travel adapter' a friend made.. http://omploader.org/vM2Zwbw[/QUOTE]
I'd trust an adaptor cable with a proper plug over a s travel adaptor any day. I hope he used appropitate sized flex though.

Unfused plug, 0.75mm flex (it's made out of the euro cables supplied with monitors), to six 13A sockets. Definitely not the safest of contraptions. Great for a laptop, phone charger, small lamp, etc, though.

 

[plugwash]

I'd have rather seen 1.5mm flex and a fused extention block (though the extention blocks they use in mainland europe often aren't overcurrent protected in any way) but as long as it's not overloaded it's probablly still safer than the **** they sell as "travel adaptors".

 

[Monkeh]

I'd have rather seen 1.5mm flex and a fused extention block (though the extention blocks they use in mainland europe often aren't overcurrent protected in any way) but as long as it's not overloaded it's probablly still safer than the s**t they sell as "travel adaptors".

1.5mm would require finding a rewirable europlug.