I want to remove a 3 pin round lamp socket - how??

[AndyPRK]

You plug lights into them which provides soft lighting when watching TV etc.

 

[Echo the husky]

I'm surprised to see the wiring like that, with the 2 blue wires just floating. Do the sockets actually make a lamp light? It seems a waste of cable to wire it in the way it is but not use those blues, unless they were left for something else...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You might find that those sockets are on a lighting circuit and operated by a light switch. I might be worth checking that first. Some people (me included) think that a switchable set of lighting sockets is a good idea.

And me!!

I agree these are really useful

I've thought before about installing some - still undecided about if they are useful enough to warrant the effort, but if I already had them then I would definitely keep them.

 

[AndyPRK]

I have them for bedside lights.

They provide the ONLY living room lighting at my parents.

 

[Sleebagz]

I'm surprised to see the wiring like that, with the 2 blue wires just floating. Do the sockets actually make a lamp light? It seems a waste of cable to wire it in the way it is but not use those blues, unless they were left for something else...

Never had a lamp in any of the sockets so can't check. I've bought a new 1 gang, 2 way dimmer switch which I was planning on replacing the existing one with, is that do-able given all the extra wiring for the sockets?

New switch only has 3 connections, how would that sit with the existing wires?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you replace a 2-gang switch with a 1-gang then you will end up with everything on the one switch, all on or off together, which won't be at all what's needed if you do ever use the sockets for table or floor lamps.

Why not get a 2-gang?

 

[Sleebagz]

If you replace a 2-gang switch with a 1-gang then you will end up with everything on the one switch, all on or off together, which won't be at all what's needed if you do ever use the sockets for table or floor lamps.

Why not get a 2-gang?

I got a one gang because I didn't think the other switch on the current one did anything.

Is there any way of removing/disabling the wiring to the lighting sockets rather than keeping them? Save me also faffing with terminal strips behind the blank plates.

 

[sparkwright]

Keep the same set up. If you put a round pin plug on a table lamp, plug it in, and see how effective it is, taking notice how easy it is to turn on by the door as you come in, you won't want to get rid of them.

 

[Sleebagz]

Keep the same set up. If you put a round pin plug on a table lamp, plug it in, and see how effective it is, taking notice how easy it is to turn on by the door as you come in, you won't want to get rid of them.

Looks like I'll have to ratch around on the Internet then for some of the steel 3 pin sockets!

 

[deadshort]

Hi, 5a sockets are avalible in all finishes and John Lewis sell 5a plugs .

Regards,
DS

 

[Robin0577]

Most manufactures include 5 amp round pin sockets in their metal ranges, they're not hard to come by. Neither are the plugs.

e.g. https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/FP5ABC.html

 

[OwainDIYer]

It's not clear, but it looks as though red-brown-sleeve is permanent live and is linked across the two switches. Brown and Yellow-brown-sleeve are the two switched lives.

 

[PBC_1966]

I guess that works well with your 15A lighting/socket circuits.

Yes, the separate connections also allows the two halves to be on completely different circuits, or wired on a multiwire circuit to provide 2 x 15A over only 3 wires (obviously something else impossible there on single-phase supplies). I sometimes wondered why no manufacturer (at least that I'm aware of) ever made a double 13A socket as a single unit with separate terminals for each socket.

 

[eveares]

I to agree that being able to control the lamps around the room from the wall is a good idea.

Regarding your wiring, each switch has a permanent line and a switched line conductor. The two wires in the single terminal (red wire) will most likely be your permanent line, the single wires in each terminal (Brown and Yellow wires) are most likely your switched line's that feed your ceiling light and the round pin wall sockets respectively.

I would also join the earths together in a terminal block with a separate bit of solid core going to earth lug. I would also put each blue wire it it's own insinuated terminal block, one or both may be a unused neutral for what you may know.

You get buy round pin plugs here: http://www.screwfix.com/p/round-pin-plug-5a-white/22877

 

[Taylortwocities]

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