Converting a lamp socket to a generic electrical socket?

[Lii]

So in a room there is only a lamp socket

And I do need a generic socket do plug in a thing

 

I know that lamps to work needs a ballast.. but I have no idea on where this ballast is nor which one it is

But as long the output in those cables is equal to other wall sockets, shouldn't I find  any problems to remove the lamp socket and converting it to a wall socket?

[igormp]

What kind of socket do you have? If it's just a socket where you can fit a regular CFL (which have a built in ballast), incandescent or LED lamp, then you can just remove the socket and use the wires in a regular power outlet socket.

 

If it's the mount for a incandescent lamp, then things get a little harder.

[SupaKomputa]

you can buy a lamp socket to electric plug.

 

Regular lamp don't need ballast to work. Only for neons.

 

The common way to do it is to strip the lamp post and then you connect the wires to a socket.

But you need to turn off the electric to that wire, you need to access the power switch or else you'll be electrocuted.

[Unimportant]

Take note that in a lot of countries the light circuits are fused at lower currents then thr wall socket circuits. So you won't be able to use the socket for high power appliances.

[WereCatf]

1 hour ago, Unimportant said:

Take note that in a lot of countries the light circuits are fused at lower currents then thr wall socket circuits. So you won't be able to use the socket for high power appliances.

I was just about to come and say this, like e.g. here in Finland, if the house is wired correctly, lighting will be on a 10A-fuse whereas the wall-sockets are on a 16A-fuse.

[akio123008]

4 hours ago, WereCatf said:

I was just about to come and say this, like e.g. here in Finland, if the house is wired correctly, lighting will be on a 10A-fuse whereas the wall-sockets are on a 16A-fuse.

That's weird. Where I live everything just plugs into the same kind of breaker or fuse. Still, as long as his "thing" isn't some industrial electric motor he should be fine either way.

[artuc]

21 hours ago, Unimportant said:

Take note that in a lot of countries the light circuits are fused at lower currents then thr wall socket circuits. So you won't be able to use the socket for high power appliances

Yep, can be thinner gauge wiring to lighting circuits.

 

Also an old lamp fitting may be tarnished and loose, which might be fine for a 10W LED globe but when you plug a 2400W heater into it off an adaptor...  not so much.

 

There can also be safety issues, the lighting circuit does not provide an earth with such an adaptor and the wiring may not allow for an earth.

 

I believe here in Australia the standards are for a mixed circuit it has to be wired with an earth and the same gauge/diameter as outlets need.

 

Here as well new installs tend to be RCDs throughout, typically combo breakers, however older switchboard panels or those with additions tend to have an RCD on outlets if at all as a priority and not the lighting circuit.

 

AFAIK an adaptor like that would definitely be illegal here.

 

Possibly if a correctly wired mixed circuit and there was a light fighting connector that was also suited in spec for use with an outlet that possibly would be above board.

 

Obviously need to go by whatever local standards apply but personally I wouldn't do it.

[Demonic Donut]

On 9/28/2020 at 10:39 AM, WereCatf said:

I was just about to come and say this, like e.g. here in Finland, if the house is wired correctly, lighting will be on a 10A-fuse whereas the wall-sockets are on a 16A-fuse.

That's interesting. In the USA many lighting and wall outlet circuits are wired together. Breakers are sized for the wire gauge being used and most contractors find it's cheaper to tie everything together with the same wire than have runs of different wire going to the same room. Also, do you really use fuses or is it a circuit breaker? I know we used to use fuses but not for a long time.

 

Back to OP, the adapter linked by @SupaKomputa will work but isn't necessarily safe, depending on the wiring. The lamp socket may not be rated for the same current that the breaker or fuse that the lamp socket is connected to is rated for. Many light fixtures will be rated for a maximum wattage, and if a fixture is rated for 150W, but is on a 15 amp breaker/fuse, you could have an electrical fire.

 

13 hours ago, artuc said:

Yep, can be thinner gauge wiring to lighting circuits.

 

Also an old lamp fitting may be tarnished and loose, which might be fine for a 10W LED globe but when you plug a 2400W heater into it off an adaptor...  not so much.

 

There can also be safety issues, the lighting circuit does not provide an earth with such an adaptor and the wiring may not allow for an earth.

 

Possibly if a correctly wired mixed circuit and there was a light fighting connector that was also suited in spec for use with an outlet that possibly would be above board.

Agreed.

 

[WereCatf]

3 hours ago, Demonic Donut said:

Also, do you really use fuses or is it a circuit breaker?

Typically it's circuit-breakers, yes, but people tend to still call them fuses; a circuit-break would translate to "katkaisija" in Finnish, but the word "katkaisija" just literally means a switch, so it doesn't quite convey the context. Calling them fuses at least conveys the context of what you're talking about.

 

I know, it's kind of bad habit and I should use the correct terminology, but habits can be hard to unlearn.

[Lii]

So I've installed a wall mount like socket to the wires..

But the problem is that no output is coming from there, I already checked the lamp switch if it was turned on but I have the same issue, I also checked more than one pinout, maybe some cable was reversed and I was checking both grounds, but nothing, all the pinouts were not giving output at all

Here we have 230V 50hz

 

Also, I'm not really sure if there is a buzz from there or not because there are several devices in my home that do noise, but at first I thought that I did heard a buzz coming from that, but also after some time I didn't heard that anymore

 

I don't know if before as lamp holder it did work or not, since I never used it, but sometimes a "buzz" was coming from the light switch

[Demonic Donut]

8 hours ago, WereCatf said:

Typically it's circuit-breakers, yes, but people tend to still call them fuses; a circuit-break would translate to "katkaisija" in Finnish, but the word "katkaisija" just literally means a switch, so it doesn't quite convey the context. Calling them fuses at least conveys the context of what you're talking about.

 

I know, it's kind of bad habit and I should use the correct terminology, but habits can be hard to unlearn.

I thought it was a translation/figure of speech thing but I was curious. I'd spend a lot on fuses if I didn't have breakers. The wiring in my house is not well thought out...

 

1 hour ago, Lii said:

So I've installed a wall mount like socket to the wires..

But the problem is that no output is coming from there, I already checked the lamp switch if it was turned on but I have the same issue, I also checked more than one pinout, maybe some cable was reversed and I was checking both grounds, but nothing, all the pinouts were not giving output at all

Here we have 230V 50hz

 

Also, I'm not really sure if there is a buzz from there or not because there are several devices in my home that do noise, but at first I thought that I did heard a buzz coming from that, but also after some time I didn't heard that anymore

 

I don't know if before as lamp holder it did work or not, since I never used it, but sometimes a "buzz" was coming from the light switch

Can you pull the switch and check for power? If the switch is buzzing it might not be making good contact and need to be replaced. Just please be careful, I'm not sure how familiar you are with electricity.

[Lii]

1 hour ago, Demonic Donut said:

I thought it was a translation/figure of speech thing but I was curious. I'd spend a lot on fuses if I didn't have breakers. The wiring in my house is not well thought out...

 

Can you pull the switch and check for power? If the switch is buzzing it might not be making good contact and need to be replaced. Just please be careful, I'm not sure how familiar you are with electricity.

I could but frankly I would prefer to not check the system while it's live, I could check it from distance, but still.. I don't feel to do it

 

I guess that I will reput back the lamp holder and throw the outlet that I've previously installed, since I'm not too sure, but if I do recall well, that outlet was giving problems with another circuit