Light Socket 'Y' Adapter

[Bertie Doe]

My kitchen and bathroom is in an extension and lies outside the central heating loop. I would like to use an aquarium 60w heater/stat to maintain

22C in a 25 litre beer fermenter. The shower has made the bathtub redundant, and the bath is an ideal spot to locate the fermenter. In the US they have screw-fit adapters, but I couldn't find any bayonet fittings. Google showed some bayonets, narrow bodied, circa 1930's, which no doubt were used to run both a lightbulb and electric iron. Here's the screw fit version:- the bayonet versions no longer made due to being hazardous? I enquired in the 'shed' as to the possibility of wiring the heater/stat into a redundant 2 pin shaver plug - but shavers have a much lower draw than the stat. I'm trying to avoid running an extension lead from the kitchen, so would appreciate any ideas, thanks. Bertie

[philipuk]

I've got a bayonet one just like the one in your link in my drawer of junk upstairs. I doubt you will find one these days as such Heath Robinson arrangements are discouraged these days!

Philip

[Bertie Doe]

/I've got a bayonet one just like the one in your link in my drawer of /junk upstairs. I doubt you will find one these days as such Heath /Robinson arrangements are discouraged these days! / /Philip

Yep, just found this, which must be similar to your's:-

'll get people's obs on whether the shaver socket is an option. If not, then it's the extn lead. :-(

[Robin]

Very true. I remember them (and the triple variety) well from my youth; and have been looking for them for years (partly from nostalgia). I even looked in Hong Kong last year without success :(

Please PM me your address and dates when you will be out at night ;)

[hugh]

Used to have one at home c1950s. Haven't seen one for years.

[Brian Gaff]

I have a Y adaptor ie two light bulbs in one socket, but it has to be said its very wobbly in its bayonet form, so I'd not be surprised if it were no longer made. Likewise those ever so handy wirable bayonet connectors. Brian

[Nick Odell]

As well as the Edison Screw Twin Socket adaptor that you have found, a Google image search will find a bayonet to Edison and an Edison to bayonet adaptor so it is possible to get from a single bayonet to a twin bayonet eventually. Just how much screw-together hardware you want to hang from your bathroom ceiling is another matter entirely.

Nick

[Roger Mills]

When I was a kid, we used to have an adapter in the living room light fitting just like one of those in your link - with one bayonet outlet pointing straight down for a bulb, and another coming out at an angle - to power a wired bayonet 'plug' which fed a radio. There was a push switch for the vertical connection - so the light switch on the wall was switched on 24x7 for the radio, and the bulb could be switched on and off - as required - at the Y-piece. Haven't seen such a thing for years, though!

How are you proposing to use it, if you can find one? Presumably the fermenter needs to be on all the time, but don't you then need an independent means of switching the light on and off?

Assuming you could buy a screw-fit adaptor like the one you cite - you could convert it to bayonet with one of these

and a couple of these

- but it would all be a bit cumbersome, and still wouldn't provide switching for the light.

The shaver socket almost certainly won't do. Because they are designed for use in bathrooms, the output is supplied through an isolating transformer - and it's severely current limited.

Depending on how your lighting circuit is wired, you may have a permanent live and a neutral available at the ceiling rose. If so, you could run a cable to the fermenter from that (preferably through an in-line switch) quite independently of the room light. I'm sure it's not within the spirit of Part P(!) - but what the hell!

[Bertie Doe]

"Roger Mills" wrote in message news: [e-mail]...

/When I was a kid, we used to have an adapter in the living room light /fitting just like one of those in your link - with one bayonet outlet /pointing straight down for a bulb, and another coming out at an angle - /to power a wired bayonet 'plug' which fed a radio. There was a push /switch for the vertical connection - so the light switch on the wall was /switched on 24x7 for the radio, and the bulb could be switched on and /off - as required - at the Y-piece. Haven't seen such a thing for years, /though! / /How are you proposing to use it, if you can find one? Presumably the /fermenter needs to be on all the time, but don't you then need an /independent means of switching the light on and off? / /Assuming you could buy a screw-fit adaptor like the one you cite - you /could convert it to bayonet with one of these /

a couple of these / but it would all be a bit cumbersome, and still wouldn't provide /switching for the light. / /The shaver socket almost certainly won't do. Because they are designed /for use in bathrooms, the output is supplied through an isolating /transformer - and it's severely current limited. / /Depending on how your lighting circuit is wired, you may have a /permanent live and a neutral available at the ceiling rose. If so, you /could run a cable to the fermenter from that (preferably through an /in-line switch) quite independently of the room light. I'm sure it's not /within the spirit of Part P(!) - but what the hell!

You're right, I hadn't thought of the on/off scenario. Also, if there was available, a 'Y' adapter, how would I wire into it? It seems like the extn lead is the most straightforward option. The family will have to put up with the inconvenience for 5 or 6 days. Hey guys, thanks for all your obs, much appreciated by an armature who realises that electricity and liquid, can be a dodgy old cocktail.

[Bertie Doe]

[Owain]

Could you replace (or spur off the input to) the shaver unit with an FCU and use that?

Owain

[NT]

theyve been illegal to sell since about 1970.

if its a transformer powered shaver socket, theyre limited to 20w for a short period only. If it has no transformer, 60w'll be fine.

If you want one of the 2 way bulb things, you can get them, its just hard to find sellers, ditto the plugs to use in them. BC plugs & sockets have their safety issues and I dont recommend them. A much better option would be to put a 5A socket on the lighting circuit.

Another option is to limit the heater to 15w by using a series capacitor, and lag the barrel.

NT

[<me9]

I've a triple one and two switched double ones, one still in use. Quite useful for a night light on the side socket.

[Frank Erskine]

Are they the ones you used to run your KW Vanguard off?

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Rotary club?

[John Rumm]

Not been around for decades... you may find some on ebay etc, but they were never really ideal at the best of times.

There are two types of shaver socket. One designed for bathrooms with a built in isolating transformer, and another for other rooms without the transformer. Its not uncommon for people to mistakenly fit the non isolating type in a bathroom, so check yours to be sure. If it is a non isolating one then you would be able to power your heater from that. (if it hums audibly, or has a shaver voltage selection switch, then it will almost certainly be a transformer type)

[Bertie Doe]

Ref Isolating Transformer info:

Thanks Roger, NT and John. Is there any way of making a visual check, to see whether there's an IT in the loop? Are they a standard pattern? If there is an easy way of detecting IT presence, it would save me going to the local shop and buying a 2 pin shaver plug and lead. Somewhere in the loft, there's a Phillishave - but blowed if I can find it.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Take the cover off and look. It's a small tx.

[NT]

yup, you cant miss it. A fairly heavy wound iron lump.

NT

[Bertie Doe]

Thanks, had a decko and it's full of heavy lumpy hardware. What a nuisance !! It's tempting to tap into the extractor fan. The EF has no delay, but is simply controlled by an on/off rope-pull. The rope-pull doesn't go direct to the EF unit, but goes to a small cylindrical box, next to/above the bathroom door. The extractor fan is mounted at the other end of the bathroom, above the shower and bath. Next to the EF is a white 86mm x 86mm plastic cover plate. The insulated

3core power lead, is exposed for about 30cm where it joins cover plate to EF. The simplest solution might be to isolate the extractor fan for 5 or 6 days - and pinch the juice.