How To Spur Off A Light Fitting
Is it possible to add a new light to your home without creating an additional circuit? Do you need an electrician to add a new light to your existing circuit?
If you need a new light fitting in a loft space, you can run a cable from an existing light fitting to where you need it. You can spur off a light fitting by a competent DIY enthusiast, but you will need to check the zones in your home for what electrical work must be notified.
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Can you spur off a lighting circuit in the UK?
Yes, there are many ways you can address extending the wiring circuit in your home. You could spur the last ceiling rose in the circuit loop.
You could run a fused spur from a wall socket or even from an existing junction box on the circuit.
How do you spur off a light fitting?
If you are not confident in your DIY electrical abilities, this is a job for an electrician. Wrongly wiring a new light fitting can be dangerous and can cause electrocution.
This is how you spur off a light fitting:
- Isolate the power supply from the consumer unit, and isolate the complete consumer unit by turning off the incoming mains switch.
- Prepare a route for the new cable you will be spurred from the last ceiling rose in the circuit loop.
- Prepare a route for the switching cable ( keep enough slack in the cable).
- Trim both ends of the cable exposing the copper cores, trim to around 11 mm. Sleeve the exposed earth wires in earth sheathing, which is green and brown.
- Unscrew the ceiling light rose cover and let the flex take the weight of the plastic cover.
- Feed the new 1㎟ twin core and earth spur cable through the entry hole in the ceiling rose base next to the existing cables. You may need to loosen the base plate and extend the hole in the plastic by chipping it away.
- It’s time to connect the spur cable to the existing rose’s spare terminals in the central block next to the other live cores (red and brown) neutral core (blue) to a spare terminal next to the existing neutral cores (black or Blue) and the earth core to the earth to the earth terminal.
- Screw the base back to the ceiling and replace the rose cover.
- Connect the opposite end of the cable to the new ceiling rose. In the same way, the spur is completed.
Can you change a light switch into a plug socket in the UK?
Yes, it’s a simple job, but you should only undertake the job if you are confident in your abilities. You must isolate the power at the consumer unit from the main circuit breaker. It usually has a red switch.
Once the circuit is isolated from the incoming power, you can proceed with the job. Disconnect the light switch spur cables and replace them with a power socket.
The terminals on the socket will be marked to see where to place the live wire, the neutral and, of course the earth.
Make the terminations as tight as possible. If there is a bare copper single strand wire, cover it with an earth sheath before terminating in the connector block.
Can you make a fused spur from a socket outlet?
Yes, it’s a good idea to check the full load of the circuits before you start adding lighting or other appliances.
This is how you do it:
- Isolate the power from the consumer unit
- Connect a 2.5㎟ spur cable to a socket outlet
- Prepare the cable route for the new circuit, which will probably mean chasing out the wall to hide the cable. You must case out to 50mm to stay within the building regulations
- Prepare a cable route to the lighting switch
- Connect the cable to the fused connection unit (FCU), ensuring there is enough slack in the cable to terminate the cable at the faceplate
- Prepare the cable cores ready for termination
- If the earth’s core is not covered, use an earth sheath to cover the core
- Connect the spur cable to the fused connector unit. Connect the live core red or brown to the terminal marked L IN, connect the neutral black or blue wire to N IN, and Connect the earth to the closest earth terminal
- Important. If the fuse connector has a metal mounting box, make sure the box is earthed. An earth wire is required to run between the faceplate and the mounting box. For plastic boxes earth in the connecting strip is normal
- Fit a 5 amp fuse in the faceplate
- Run 1㎟ cable to the new light fitting
- Connect one end of the cable to the fused FCU, and connect the brown live wire to L OUT. Connect the blue wire to N OUT and connect the earth to the nearest earth terminal
- Replace the FDCU faceplate and screw firmly
How do you know if the new electrical work is notifiable?
You may be able to save some money by undertaking wiring extensions yourself. Still, the problem arises when the work you have carried outcomes under part P of the building regulation.
This means that work such as extended circuits could need to be reported to the building’s office at the local council for inspection. There is also a cost of a few hundred pounds to register notifiable work not carried out by a certified electrician.
What electrical work can I do myself in the UK?
Despite your DIY prowess, it may not be possible for you to undertake some electrical work in your home, and if you do, you will be paying more to notify the work than you could have ever saved by DIY.
If you do undertake electrical work in your home, always isolate the whole of the consumer board before you touch a circuit.
