We had just moved into a house and notice that in the conservatory they have fitted a round pin socket, looks like the old 5 amp power socket of years ago, the conservatory is only 3 years old.
Any idea why they would have fitted this type of socket? and what would it be supposed to feed. Is this standard practice?
There are ample 13 amp standard sockets in the conservatory.
Commonly used for table lamps or similar. You might find a light switch that turns it on/off.
It's probably for a light, switched at the entrance? The 2A and 5A round pin plugs are still used for this purpose, and it might be wired on the lighting circuit.
There are several switches, non by the entrance but all near the floor, although these look like isolation switches. Will try these, the previous owner didnt know and the installer left a unwired 3 pin plug plugged in just for safety, the previous owner had small kids so guess that sound right.
Not surprised on the isolation switches we have found 4 in the kitchen, seems strange the need to isolate so much as the house has a modern system with RCD's etc on each circuit.
Any modern round-pin socket will have the same shuttering arrangements as modern 13A sockets so no safety advantage. Probably the plug was left by whoever fitted the socket in case the householder wanted to use the socket but didn't have a round-pin plug handy.
Probably for things plugged in to inaccessible sockets below the worktop, so you can switch off the washing machine that's impersonating a Tesla House of Horror special effect without having to touch it to pull it out.
Owain
On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 03:25:41 -0700 (PDT), les had this to say:
It could be for audio (loudspeakers or whatever). You'll have to find what it's connected to.Then clearly label it for future reference!
Yes. Definitely try a mains lamp first though :) A multimeter on the plug will hopefully tell you whats going on.
NT
I'd hope if it was only 3 years old they'd have used something more suitable like Speakon.
Yep its a 5amp mains socket that goes live when I switch a switch in the conservatory that I was told switched on the security light which has never worked!!, now got a table lamp in there.
Now to find the switch that puts the security light on as its not the pir type :-)
To test this, wire a pair of headphones to a suitable round-pin plug, place them on your head, and plug it in.
Steward but I enjoyed it.
Really useful test, since he's established that it's mains ...
The 12v telly on the Norfolk Broads cabin curser we used to hire 40 years ago was supplied from a 15A socket. Earth = positive Neutral = negative, possibly standard practice at the time? At least doing it that way, plugging it into a correctly wired mains socket probably wouldn't be disastrous.
think it still is for 12v/24v systems
NT
Maybe something to do with avoiding corrosion. Phones work on -ve as well.
Owain
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