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Can I run an small electric radiator from a lighting circuit?
Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.00 PM
I have a very small but incredibly cold downstairs toilet. There seems to be no way of getting a power cable into the room without chiselling out new plasterwork. There are light switches in the cupboards either side of the door and there is a light switch outside the door for the actual toilet. The burglar alarm is fixed from this lighting spur. Can a very small heater/radiator be fitted from any of these lights? Many thanks
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2 Answers
DEACON ELECTRICAL SERVICES
Rating: 5 out of 5
In short..no. Would have to come off a power circuit or dedicated circuit, get a sparks in to assess it. Think you will have to have a bit of chasing out and, as much as I personally hate it, plastic trunking on the surface or bite the bullet and have it chased in.
Answered15 January 2016
0
Nigel Hawkins Electrical
Rating: 5 out of 5
The issue as always is safety(and insurance implications). Even a small electric heater draws a lot of current and should not be connected to any lighting circuit because you will probably overload it, causing overheating, fuse tripping or even a fire.
Ideally a small heater needs to have its own 13 Amp fused spur or connection to the ring main by a 13 amp plug.
If you called a qualified electrician in to examine what you've got installed already, there will be a few options available - maybe not as onerous as you think - and they will be safe.
Hope this helps
Answered7 February 2016
0