Wiring a switched spur from a socket

Binder

Hi lads,

I have wired a switched spurfrom te back of o a double socket. Have a bathroom Heated towel rack off the switched spur.

When I switch on the spur all works grand and the light comes on above the switch to show it's on.

When the switch is off position the light goes off but not fully. It's weird like a fainter light.

Is this right?

fizzynicenice

is there any chance you reversed live and neutral? You might be switching the neutral.

Bruthal

fizzynicenice wrote: »

is there any chance you reversed live and neutral? You might be switching the neutral.

Sounds like a good suggestion alright. Them neons are so sensitive that a live constantly onto one end and an open neutral could be enough to faintly light it, although because the heater is across the neon you would imagine it would go out.

Binder

Thanks I'll try that tomorrow but I don't think I did. The back of the spur was colour coded supply blue circle, load blue circle etc.

Just popped the fuse out of front of spur and it's still dimly lit with the fuse out. If I put the switch half on half off it goes out.

I'll try switch the m tomorrow

Buford T Justice

Have you the load and supply sides of the spur mixed up?

Bruthal

Fingers McGee wrote: »

Have you the load and supply sides of the spur mixed up?

That would usually have the neon fully on all the time even when the spur is switched off.

Randyleprechaun

Could it be that the polarity of the existing socket circuit is mixed up????

Binder

I'll have a look tonight when I get home. I basically connected the live into where the live is connected at back of socket and same with neutral.

Then on the back of the spur I put the live from socket to point marked 'live supply' on spur and the neutral from socket to neutral supply on spur.

Then wired the radiator live to live load on spur and the radiator neutral to neutral load on spur.

Bruthal

If its all done like you said there then check the socket circuit polarity like randy-L suggests, just to rule that out. Test the voltage from the live to earth and neutral to earth at the socket you connected the spur to. Neutral to earth should be 0v as well.

sparcocars

Binder wrote: »

Just popped the fuse out of front of spur and it's still dimly lit with the fuse out. If I put the switch half on half off it goes out.

Yeah that sounds like you mixed up your phase and neutral. As the others said check socket polarity if the spur unit is wired correctly.

beanie10

Check the connections of the neon itself could have come loose while connecting the spur

Binder

Ha I actually wired the spur wrong, neutrals needed to be swapped

Just shows it's nearly always the obvious....


Thanks for all your help lad and sorry!!

Bruthal

The spur must be switching both poles for that to be the cause.