wiring a light switch

alexlyons

I have the switch shown below. I have a light that just has a plug on the end of it and am going to wire it to the switch. The wire is copper core not strand so it's pretty thick and may not be ideal for the switch but it should be ok.

My question is what are the two receivers on either side for (top and bottom in this pic)? The live will go into the two in the middle. Can I just leave the neutral and earth uncut as if there was no switch?

cheers

Marcus_Crassus

Why don't you just plug the lamp in?

I don't quite understand how you plan to do this. Where's the power coming from? Are you, somehow, wiring it from the existing lighting circuit in the room? Spurring off something?

The two connectors on either side are for the earth btw.

Bruthal

Looks like they are trying to put an inline switch into the lamp lead.

Marcus_Crassus

Ah, thank you, robbie. I went a bit blank there.

Bruthal

I had to look twice myself to see what was being asked.

OP you can leave the neutral and earth uncut alright. But what sort of light is it? Sounds a bit like a makeshift setup if it has a solid core cable to it.

alexlyons

It's in a shed that is just wired to a socket in the main house. There are four plugs in the shed which are at a premium so it's wired to the back of the socket. I need a switch in the wire to control the light.

It is a bit makeshift alright but nothing dangerous.

Stoner

alexlyons wrote: »

It's in a shed that is just wired to a socket in the main house. There are four plugs in the shed which are at a premium so it's wired to the back of the socket. I need a switch in the wire to control the light.

It is a bit makeshift alright but nothing dangerous.

well if you come straight off a socket fused at 20Amp on to a cable that can't carry 20Amps then it is potentially dangerous, if it's your only cable in the shed you could consider fusing down the feed to the light through a fused connection unit, it would be best to not have the light on the RCD or RCBO with the sockets, lights are best connected to a lighting circuit, in a house usually fused at 10amps, this wouold be the best set up for you too IMO. if it's a shed that you work in, if you trip the socket circuit with a dodgy tool or during an accident, the light will switch off too leaving you in the dark.
The fused connection unit may protect the cable, the RCD/RCBO can protect you, best to have light in a shed as tools trip RCDs frequently. You may have simply plugged this light in before and now want to save a socket by wiring it into the socket, making it fixed and losing the protection of fuse within the plug top.

alexlyons

Thanks for the input, some useful advice.
there is a battery powered backup light in the shed along with two windows so it should be fine. I might keep the plug on it so it's fused.

thanks all