Wiring up new Security Light as a Spur Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[HMSWoofDog]

Hi, I've been looking around the internet for a while now about how to go about installing my new security light but I've been getting myself all confused. The light itself doesn't come with a great deal of instructions just three exposed cables for a plug or spur.

I'd like to install the light above my garage door and feed the cable back into my garage to connect to a power source. I've attached a photo of the fused spur (assume 13A?) and a switch (the switch controls the light in the garage). There is a 2.5mm t+e cable coming from the spur going to a 13A double socket at the other end of the garage so i can't use that.

What i'd like to do is add another switched fused unit to connect the security light to but i'd like to know how to feed this off of the spur and whether i would need to get this done by an electrician as it needs to be installed by someone covered under regulations etc...

Thanks for your help!

[Mr White]

You can have as many sockets as you like AFTER a fused connection unit, since they will all be protected by the fuse in the FCU

Looking at the picture, the way yours seems to have been done is all in conduit, conduit can be awkward, so you would be better off getting an electrician to install it for you (in conduit)

That said, you could always put a long flex on the light, put a plug on it and plug it in.

[HMSWoofDog]

Ok thanks for your help

The cable for the light and the t+e cable come out the top of the conduit just out of shot of the photo.

[ericmark]

Screwfix do LAP grid system, where you can get two fuses in a standard single socket box, so you could have a 3A fuse for outside light.

Outside it can get water ingress, which can in turn cause the RCD to trip, so with outside lights double pole isolators are a good idea, so if it goes wrong it can be switched off and rest still works.

As well as a double socket back box, you can buy twin socket back boxes so two single socket size items can be mounted next to each other and be in line with each other.

But most plastic surface boxes are brittle and not easy to drill 20 mm holes in them, plastic conduit is easy for me to bend on a spring and install, but as Mr White says, for the DIY guy not so easy.

I question the phrase "security light" can't see how it makes anything more secure? Just removes the danger or with a PIR may increase the danger, nothing like walking down the steps outside my house when the PIR decides to switch off and leave on in the pitch black, slowly replacing the PIR control for wifi control, then I can switch on lights when I am outside, and any intruder can fall over in the dark, I am not going to make it easy for him by providing lights.

[HMSWoofDog]

Thanks ericmark, do you have a link to the LAP item you're referring to?

The light is more an 'outside light' so we can see at night time, rather than security focused...