DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello,

First time posting on here.

We have just moved into a new house. In the living room there is a blank plate in the wall. I think the previous owners had a light wired in there but we're not sure. Behind the plate is a red wire, a black wire (with a small red sheath on it) and a green and yellow earth wire. Is it possible to remove the plate and wire a normal 13 amp switch plug socket into it so that we can use it for a floor lamp that we already own? Many thanks

What you have described is what is known as Live and switched live. In other words, from your very good description, it would appear that it wasn't a light fitting there, but a light switch. If you connect a light to a light switch cable, the light will not work properly.

Since cables have two ends, if you could find out where the other end is connected, it may be possible to reconfigure it so you can connect a light fitting.

The plate could cover anything, you would need to find out what.
In my house there was a red, black, green/yellow that would have been a thermostat, it now is a thermostat again, where the thermostat connected to a programmer there is now a blanking plate, and the programmer is now in flat below.

It was part guess, and part test, I guessed it was a likely position for a thermostat, so I tested and confirmed it was.

Went into a flat with blanking plates, and realised originally for call buttons.

In the main when we power standard lamps from a socket switched with main lights we use 5 amp sockets so some one can't plug in some thing using high power in error, and it would seem odd to remove them when leaving the house.

Mothers house had wall lights, when it was rewired they were all disconnected and ceiling lamps replaced them.

As said the small red sleeve on the black wire points to it being a switch, but although that would seem likely, the question is, what did it switch?