Flex outlet for wall light

[Martin Pentreath]

I have redecorated a bedroom and removed a hideous old wall light from one of the alcoves. I've put some shelving and a wall-mounted desk in the alcove, and I'd like to use the wall-light wiring to provide a small fluorescent strip under the bottom shelf as a desklamp (eg

).

At the moment the wall-light wiring just emerges from the plaster on the wall. What I plan to do is to put a standard electrical pattress box into the wall to accommodate the wiring (plus a terminal block) and to have the flex to the striplight emerge from a flex outlet. The flex outlet will be hidden behind books on the shelves, so it won't look too funny having it halfway up the wall.

Two questions.

Is this an acceptable way to do this.

And have I dreampt up the idea of a flex outlet (ie a single-gang white plate with a hole in the middle, not part of a FCU). TLC have something called flex outlets (

)but they look suspiciously like blanking plates to me (no hole).

Many thanks,

Martin

[Andrew Gabriel]

Yes, although that makes the light part of your fixed wiring installation.

I would use a connector instead. The options are: Klik connector - available for alcatrave patress box or BESA (circular) box;

2A BS546 round pin plug and socket (socket must be shuttered); Clock connector.

Hole may be in the edge, and/or need to be punched out.

[Bob Eager]

I'd be asking what the rating of the circuit protection (i.e. MCB) is. Whatever it's rated at, you need your flex to be able to carry a comparable current safely. If it can't, you need an FCU. If it's actually off a power circuit, you're looking at 32A flex, or so....

[Jet]

It may have a punch-out on the inside of the plate

[Andy Hall]

These are similar to the FCUs.

There's a knockout on the bottom edge near the left, and the flex will dress down the wall from there.

.andy

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[Owain]

"Martin Pentreath" wrote | At the moment the wall-light wiring just emerges from the plaster | on the wall. What I plan to do is to put a standard electrical | pattress box into the wall to accommodate the wiring (plus a | terminal block) and to have the flex to the striplight emerge | from a flex outlet. | Is this an acceptable way to do this.

Yes, provided this is off the lighting circuit and a fuse isn't required.

| And have I dreampt up the idea of a flex outlet (ie a single-gang | white plate with a hole in the middle, not part of a FCU). TLC have | something called flex outlets (

)but they look | suspiciously like blanking plates to me (no hole).

You mean

TLC product URLs are usually short enough to post directly. On this style the flex outlet is on the lower edge, so the flex comes down vertically against the wall, rather than out the front. The Contactum style appears similar.

Perhaps the out the front style have been discontinued because the flex got squashed. For FCUs, the down the wall style means the flex outlet can be included as a breakout on the edge of the faceplate instead of having to keep flex and non-flex versions.

If there is any possibility that whatever the light is on could be moved, you could use a 5A plug and socket combination using

plug

[Andrew Gabriel]

^^^^^^^^^ or even 'architrave' ;-)

[Andy Hall]

Been working too hard? Freudian slip for Alcatraz? ;-)

.andy

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