Barnes Posted October 8, 2021 Author Share Posted October 8, 2021 Genuinely baffled to some of this, its a bit upsetting tbh. Maybe i just cant explain it very well. I've got everything running off a decent contactor which cost nearly a hundred quid new. Now if they'd fitted it with two 10 metre cables with plugs on i could have plugged it in downstairs, or if i could get ballast cables about 30 foot long i'd be alright. As i don't have those things i've connectted two single plug extension cables to the contactor from downstairs. I know ideally there would be a double socket in the attic to use, but the socket up there is wired into the house lights. I get the weak link but how does anyone else get electricity into somewhere that has none without using extension leads? Other than getting a socket put in by an electrician (which i'snt possible right now) how does anyone else use a contactor / lights in a loft with no power? What bits of kit do they use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somelad Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Get a electrician in and tell them u want a double socket fitting for a tv aerial amplifier or cctv system 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnes Posted October 9, 2021 Author Share Posted October 9, 2021 9 hours ago, somelad said: Get a electrician in and tell them u want a double socket fitting for a tv aerial amplifier or cctv system There's already a socket up there but its connected to the lighting ring. So it would raise suspicion i think. Anyway after the scary adventures in the world of electrics the third runway at heathrow has been cancelled and i'll stick with the 2 for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnes Posted October 10, 2021 Author Share Posted October 10, 2021 I've been a bit miffed and it plays on my mind (as do lots of things) but I certainly havent intended to offend anyone here. @Saddam i apologise for being not knowing stuff. I did more reading and for anyone interested i found these two threads which also give confusing advice. I'm just a newbie here and i dont want to do anything unsafe but i've been blocked for following advice by some old heads here: I haven't connected any extension to my contactor. running 2 x 600hps. I would like an Administrator to PM me if possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgee Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Don't worry about Saddam he gets irate at the best of times you aren't a special case Fwiw there aren't any issues with plugging a contactor into a single multiplug extension lead as long as the extension lead is rated to handle the total load. The whole point of a contactor is to protect the timer (which historically is the weakest link in the circuit when it comes to handling a high capacity load such as a hid ballast on starting). There are safe ways to get power into a loft which don't require an electrician but how you do it depends on how competent you are and how inconspicuous you need/want to be. The easiest way by far is to run a heavy duty extension lead up there. This can be done inconspicuously with little effort. Give me a sec and I will show you how I chose to do it. It's not the MOST inconspicuous but is enough for me and done with a view to ease and lack of fucking about and easily removed with minimal hassle. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 What's the issue with using the socket that's up there? I know you said it's the lighting ring, but assuming you don't have 500 plants up there, surely it can cope? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnes Posted October 10, 2021 Author Share Posted October 10, 2021 Just now, fatboy77 said: What's the issue with using the socket that's up there? I know you said it's the lighting ring, but assuming you don't have 500 plants up there, surely it can cope? When i plug a third 600 HPS in it trips out. RCD I just need an extra 600 HPS in there thru a contactor that's not on the lighting ring. I can manage with just 2. I dont want to comprimise safety, it's just annoying.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgee Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Ok remember this isn't as inconspicuous as it could be but I don't have to worry about hiding from the landlord or the plumber and leccy he uses for house checks. It's just a case of being tidier than a wire hanging from the ceiling for if family or friends wanna use the toilet when here. So this socket is situated in an alcove on the landing where the boiler lives. The socket itself is a spur of the dedicated circuit the boiler has. I didn't add the socket myself it was already here when I moved in. The line feeding it only had an 6amp breaker on the board which I switched for a 16 after establishing the wire was rated for the load. That's more info than you need though. It's a socket, on the landing in a fairly out of the way place. Plugged into it is a heavy duty extension lead with RCD. The wire from it feeds into cheap plastic self adhesive conduit, travels up the wall through a wall and up another wall like so, Then across the ceiling and through a hole drilled into the loft door frame (it was just the easiest thing to do at the time, I could have done it tidier or neater or via a shorter distance but this was quick and easy and easy to remove. Up in the loft where I can't be arsed to climb at 8pm on a Sunday night is a 8 socket gang. Which was more than enough for my purposes. The RCD only ever tripped once and that was when an led light I had DIY'd faulted and cooked a wire. All you need is a heavy duty extension, some plastic conduit and a socket in an upstairs bedroom or on the landing which is close and convenient and if it's important to you innocuous. Hope that's some help 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgee Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 One other thing, you said your timer wasn't working on the contactor?? Please don't get offended now I'm not calling you stupid but just wanna check, you know in the middle of the timers dial there's a white switch? That has 3 positions? It's definitely in the one marked with a little clock face? Yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catweazle1 Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 (edited) Replacement 10m IEC kettle leads that fit into the ballast can be got. IEC is the plug style. Edited October 10, 2021 by catweazle1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnes Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 17 hours ago, Dodgee said: One other thing, you said your timer wasn't working on the contactor?? Please don't get offended now I'm not calling you stupid but just wanna check, you know in the middle of the timers dial there's a white switch? That has 3 positions? It's definitely in the one marked with a little clock face? Yes? Thanks for the pics @Dodgee they' re brilliant. Ive asked an electrician about this today and he says the contactor can be connected with 2 extension leads from downstairs but they *must* be single socket (not ganged) with inline RCD. about the timer on the Maxibright yes there's 3 settings on-timer-off and (its the middle setting and i had it on wrong at first. swear im going blind ) All's working as it should now though with just 2 lights off it as it is the maximum the lighting ring will handle. Adding anything else trips the consumer unit. The contactor is rated at 26amps (13 each side). 3 x 600 = 1800 1800/220= 8.18 amps spare Sound right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgee Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 If you're using the same contactor you posted a picture of on the last page the switch needs to be in the lower position for the timer to work I think mate. That's what the user manual says anyway Your tripping the consumer unit coz the ring isn't rated for that load. The breaker on in is is probably only 6amp I expect. You need to run a line off the upstairs socket ring somehow or other mate. A spur from any socket is fine. If you access the top of the wall cavities from the loft it's easy to drop a line down behind an existing socket and add a spur from behind going up into the roof but don't attempt that unless your confident in working with leccy. Remember to isolate AND check. Don't isolate and assume the lines not live. It's easy to pull the wrong breaker and isn't uncommon for the odd socket to be wired into a different ring entirely to the one it ought to be. Easiest and safest without using a spark is how I showed above. Good luck getting it sorted. It really isn't a massive deal to get it done right. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McHazy Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 On 08/10/2021 at 1:01 PM, KC said: I can never think of a decent reason to have sockets fitted in my loft, I'm sure any electrician would be onto me straight away Affect a comb over an pretend yer a virgin an really really intae trains an yer away tae convert the loft into a huge ass train set 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 If only I had enough hair to do that @McHazy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnes Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 (edited) Quote "The timer has a three position overrride switch: In position ‘I’ the output sockets will be switched on at all timesirrespective of the timer settings.In position ‘O’ the output sockets will be switched off at all times irrespective of the timer settings.In position ‘Clock ‘ the output sockets will be switched on or off in accordance with the timer setting"[/quote] This caught me out at first @Dodgee because i thought it was in the order stated above. If the top setting is 1 and the bottom is 3 i had it on 3 but that was "O". (OFF) When i looked closer at the "clock" picture it's at the bottom (which would make you think its position 3) but there's a line next to the "clock" picture going to position 2 (middle) and since putting it onto that it works properly. Edited October 12, 2021 by Barnes tried to sort the quote out but failed lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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