Does the following thing exist, & if so, what is it called?
A plate that will fit on a standard single-gang box, with nothing in it but a light; the idea is to put it on the wall outside a room so you can tell (with the door closed) whether the lights are on inside.
You could use the MK grid range and fit a single neon indicator in the appropriate plate. Not very cheap, though.
I'd buy a blanking plate and fit a neon to it.
But it would be cheaper just to drill a hole in the door. :-)
The snag is that most wiring installations won't have a neutral at the switch. You could wire a neon across the switch so it would be on when the light is off, if that suits. Otherwise, you'll need to run a neutral.
Well, back a million years ago, the old company called Bulgin did something like that, as we had one outside a dark room to indicate it was dark, ie the opposite and would not open the door.
To be honest it looked like a standard neon indicator quite a squat design, mounted in the middle of a standard plastic p blanking plate! Brian
AAMOI would it be practical/permissible to connect a neon between switched live and earth?
If you can run from the switched live, with a neutral, then possibly a "night light" switch surround where a LED is on when the switch is off? Eg
You could perhaps even wire something to the switch - eg so it plays a message in the room such as "turn those lights off"?
You could move the existing switch to the wall outside the room. :-)
That's not a problem here. The supply cable comes up through the floor to a Wago box that has a live going to the switch & back, & a separate cable taking the neutral & switched live up to the ceiling light.
That would be a very naughty thing to do, & would trip RCDs.
Single gang cover plate with a hole in it and some transparent plastic? I had one on the loft hatch in a previous house for that very purpose.
Ok, so easy. You can buy light switches with a neon in the plate or make one up using a grid system. Or even fit one to the existing plate.
A neon wouldn't take enough current on its own to trip an RCD.
If the application is critical, you should have two indicators. That way, if one fails, you still get an indication.
It would indeed be naughty, but it won't trip an RCD (DAMHIKT)
Does anyone remember those electro-luminescent frames you put behind an existing switch, possibly using longer screws? It glowed in the dark when the switch was off.
Nowhere near. I have a neon between L and E and when I did it it drew a minuscule current compared to what the RCD would need to trip.
Bill
At my last house I once wired a neon between a room stat and earth to show me when it was calling for heat. The house didn't have RCD. I often wonder if the new owner ever had a problem and couldn't track it down.
Remember? You can still get them. Neon in a bit of clear plastic. Wired across switch.
I fitted one a few years ago; still working.
OK, but it would still be very naughty.
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