Bathroom shaver lights

[Tim Streater]

Astonishing how many of these lights that you fix to the wall over the bathroom mirror have a shaver socket that is only live when the light is on.

Useless for me as I use it for charging the electric toothbrush. What's also odd is how many bods in lighting shops do the sucking in of breath between the front teeth and give the "No one ever asked that before, Squire" response when I ask if they have a model without this problem.

Any one know of any reason other than cheapskate-ishness they should be wired thus? We just bought one because SWMBO liked it, but needless to say it has the fault. I've modified the wiring now and it functions as desired.

[Andrew Gabriel]

The ones I've seen like this can't be used in a bathroom as there's no isolating transformer on the shaver socket.

Shaver sockets with isolating transformers are switched on by the action of inserting the plug and opening the socket shutter.

[Tim Streater]

Not IME. One I bought a couple of years ago has the socket permanently live, and has a transformer (but it's quite ugly). The one I referred to in my OP also has a transformer. Both of the above have 120 or 240 outputs.

[Paul D Smith]

...snip...

Had the same problem but a quick Google revealed a number of suppliers, all of who clearly stated that the shaver socket was live even when the light was off. Simple to change and no hackiness required.

e.g.

the one I bought (not at home so can't nip upstairs and look) but the same idea.

Paul DS.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And most of them have such an insipid light they're no use for shaving...

[GB]

Interestingly, that one has two shaver outlets at different voltages. Do you think it's safe to use both? Should be okay, as long as they have separate isolating transformers.

I ask, because we are always short of shaver outlets these days - two toothbrushes, and a razor.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I suspect that's unlikely, and you will find the shutters only allow one socket to be used at once. That's certainly the case with a shaver socket I have with two completely separate sockets for 120/240V.

[GB]

Shame! There's a problem here waiting to be solved by someone enterprising.

[Roger Mills]

Possibly. They usually have a fairly low current limit though, and cut out if you overload them.

[Andrew Gabriel]

They have to be limited to, IIRC, 25W max output. This seems to often be done just with a self resetting thermal trip in the transformer (and that the transformer is not going to be rated for any more than that).