Hello,

Just thought I would start by saying i'm a bit of a novice at this and I'm probably not going to attempt the work myself; however.

We've recently stuck flooring boards down in the loft, using the old upstairs toilet (which has been removed and was a tiny toilet perched on top of the stairs) as an access point.

In the toilet there was a light, switch and an extractor fan with a fused switch on and off.

What I would like to do, is wire up a light in the loft and hopefully a power socket as well. I've in the past spurred off existing sockets etc but I wondering if it would be possible to reroute the extractor fan power into a socket?

Many thanks for any help.

Jonathan, June 2009

as an electrician, DO NOT do that. If the wrong type of fuse is fitted at the fuse board end you could have a fire. The fan will be wired in 1mm twin and earth, a socket should be wired in at least 2.5mm.

Also, when spurring of sockets you need to make sure that you are spurring of a ring main, eg, both cables in the socket are live, otherwise if its not a radial then it could be a spur already, which could cause a fire.
Dan

ROBERTS & SON ELECTRICAL, June 2009

Possible but probably not wise. The extractor fan will be wired to a low current lighting circuit. If you want the power socket for a one-off job then take a chance and then, when the job's finished, remove it. If you want a permanent power socket in the loft run the proper cable up there - how often will you need a socket in the loft? Once a year or once a week? If seldom, just run an extension lead from the floor below and forget the permanent 13A socket outlet.

If in the UK this link might help... depending on your intentions for the loft space...

http://www.loft-conversion-uk.com/loft-conversions-building-regulations.html

Peccavi, June 2009

if it has a plug on it and a 13amp fuse in the plug , and use a socket that has a red"on and off switch on it , so you can turn it on and off from there if you want , . i dont see why not ,

joe, June 2009