What Are These Round Pin Sockets In The UK? 

Glad to see someone talking about these, no very common. I put four in our bedroom and one at the bottom of the stairs, all on the lighting circuit. That was in 2003, still classy today. 👌

Wow, didn't think I would see those sockets again, I remember installing lots of them back in the day in hotels to stop guests from stealing lamps. Great video thanks.

The larger 15 amp plugs were almost always used in theatres for lighting rigs that were difficult to access, so unfused plugs were preferred. Circuit protection was done at the backstage lighting board. Round pin plugs are the norm in countries such as South Africa, India, and other former British colonies.

I like the uncluttered presentation, no distracting music, no face pulling or hyperactive look at meeeee! delivery; just measured, useful information. Thanks for sharing.

Some electricians use 2amp sockets as well . Often switched at the door for table lamps. Wired on the lighting circuit. Some use 5amp some use 2amp

These are fitted in my house which is only 5 years old. In bedrooms for bedside lamps and lounge for table lamps etc, find them quite handy

In the 1950's ( UK ) there would ( also ) be a much larger 15 Amp version for big bar fires ... and ... a smaller 2 Amp version for table lamps / clocks ... the BIG advantage over the " modern " 13 Amp rectangular pin type shown , is they did not overheat ... when you plug in a heavy load ( 3 bar fire ? ) the plug fuse holder contacts overheat and make the live pin VERY hot ( can start fires ! ! ) ... however the round pin types needed a big fuse board as each socket had to be individually fused ... the way to overcome the overheating live pin is to SOLDER the fuse in , thus lowering the contact resistance .. this tip is ( tried - n - tested ) and SAFE ! .............. DAVE™ ...............

When we bought this (old) house it had to be rewired and we had 5amp plugs fitted across all the main ground floor rooms. Best thing ever as we do have more lamps than you can shake a stick at all being centrally switched is very handy indeed. A newer alternative these days of course are smart plugs which of course can be grouped room by room.

I remember those round pin sockets from an oil central heating system my grandparents had at their cottage in the late 70's/early 80's. The oil boiler was installed in a separate building, maybe due to fire hazard. I remember it had thin bare wires above it, and I was told it was for safety should the boiler catch fire the wires would break and cut off the oil. But on the wall next to the boiler were these small almost triangular looking plugs, which had these round pins.

Great explanation. I have some spare lamps with plugs which I wanted to use in the loft utilising the exposed lighting cable up there. I originally thought about just connecting the lamp wires to the lighting circuit via a ceiling rose, but then though there's no fuse to protect them (am I right?). Instead, I'll create a spur off the circuit with a junction box to a round-pin socket and replace the plugs on the lamps with round pins. That should offer my lamps some protection and stop anyone in future plugging any appliance into the lighting circuit.

Excellent. I’m fitting these for lamp lighting too, in MK metalclad with conduit. Nice!.

Reminds me of the old 'Wylex' plug system from way back in time. Earth was a hollow round pin while L and N were flat rectangular pins one each side of the central round pin. They came in at least two sizes, the larger one was marked as 3KW and smaller one marked as 5 amp, they were similar in design but the 5 amp was smaller than the 3KW. The 5 amp was used for lighting and power was switched at the doorway to a room. I remember them in the family home back in the 50's. The Wylex company was based in Manchester and if I remember they were more likely to be found in homes around the North West than nationwide.

Used to use the round pin type plugs in large false ceiling applications. Saved a lot of messing about with hard wiring . There were no fuses in these plugs.

You can get round-pin plugs with fuses, but you have to search for them. They were common in Hong Kong when I lived there.

32A you need to go back and do your basic BS 7671 A ring final curcuit may be rated at 32 A but each socket is limited to 13 A -that's why the plug has a fuse in curcuit -running a 32 A or even a 16 A to BS EN 60309 & Bs 4343 (industrial sockets and plugs) are not permitted on a domestic ring final circuit as they are unshuttered and should be (rather than must be) on an appropriately rated radial curcuit in any industrial application.

I use 5A plugs and sockets all the time on demo boards for discharge lamps.

Round pin non-fused plugs and sockets come in three different sizes. 2 amp - lighting; 5 amp - lighting; 15 amp - power/lighting. All three are different sizes being non-interchangable. I have the 2A sockets at three points around my living room for table lamps. The three are all off a dimmer switch on the wall. I can turn on and off and dim all three from the wall. Simple cheap and effective.

Growing in a council flat many moons ago we round pin sockets and the live pin was actually a screw in fuse . As an aside i have fitted 2 amp s/o for my table lamps switched from the door .

32A rating on the square pin socket!!! I don't think so!! And the reason that the 5A plugs don't have fuse is because the lighting circuit is limited to 6A at the consumer unit anyway!!!

Thank you, now I know what these are in my Victorian house. Cheers.😊

Well worth having a look at wireless light switches

Did you try the MK with wago connectors? I found them very nice but expensive.

Thank you, this was super helpful and exactly what I was looking for. Do you know if the interface is the same as the plug type for India / Sri Lanka / S.Africa?

using these in combination with a smart switch at the wall means you can add as many lights as you would like to that circuit all controlled from your H,A and it would cost much less to make a full room smart ,ceiling / lamps / decorative led on one device instead of multiple "smart" sockets and smart devices cluttering the network

American here. Do those round pin plugs also have the safety flap that the ground pin disengages, or are they always open? I did notice that the round pin plug had a longer ground pin as well, so I assume the round pin sockets have the safety flap like the regular outlets do?

Excellent info thanks. I have a few of these round 3 pin sockets in my living room. I have table lamp with the standard 3 pin plug. The plug is moulded to the cable. Can I just cut the cable, strip back the wire and stick on a rounded 3 pin plug?

The round pin plugs are used in South Africa as a standard for many years - 230V AC 50Hz - it was derived from the British square plug. Question below - Do those round pin plugs also have the safety flap that the ground pin disengages, or are they always open? Yes - the pins are protected - when you insert a plug the safety pins move sideways to allow contact.

You are,what they say, an up and coming vlogger for sharing tidbits.And you do so without patronising viewers... MK should streamline the looks of its products like some Asian brands,even European ones like Simons,though.

Is there a convertor I could use instead of having to rewire my lighting fixtures to the round socket?

Just a video I was looking for but I would still need some help if he could kindly please assist me I'd be grateful. I bought some led worktop lights which works off a 30w driver. Can I rewire the plug for that driver and use it to get power from the 5a round plug socket?

Correction. The standard square pin socket is rated at 13A! True a radial circuit is usually rated at 32A but that is for the distributed load on the whole ring main. Please check that you know what you're talking about.

I really like the fused plugs, I think it should be standard.

EU plugs work perfect in that round hole socket

So much easier to turn all the lamps on (one switch, all the lamps come on Vs walking around the whole place individually turning on lamps). I wish they were standard Edit: obviously you can do that with normal sockets too if you wire them that way, but it helps to know which sockets are connected to the light switch on the wall (it's the ones with round holes)

We use round pin plugs in South Africa

When I fitted a shower pump in my upstairs airing cupboard I decided to power it from the lighting circuit as there was no easy access to the ring main. To prevent anyone plugging a vacuum cleaner etc to the new spur I used this ype of plug and socket.

Personally I'd change the bloody socket, because even if there is a lighting circuit behind it, that can only handle 5 amp, you are unlikely to plug in anything that will overload it unless you use an electric fire or electric kettle. Stick a label on the socket if you are that worried. This kind of thing reminds me of the ceiling LED light setup in my late brother's flat. Every low voltage LED was connected via a transformer. I regularly had to replace transformers for him that had melted! The idea was to protect morons who change lights without switching off the power. I removed all the transformers and replaced the low voltage LED lights with 240V ones: problem solved.

Pizza Express use these to stop people plugging in phone chargers

They're rated for 13A not 32A!!

Will you explain that on the back of the single square pinned socket its states 13A not 32 ampas you said. Most of your viewers must bewondering the same.

These are like the South African plugs

There is nothing to stop you using a switched 20A wall switch with a 13 amp to control switched lighting circuits and such rated circuits would be perfectly safe as they are in effect a 20 amp radial or a fused spur off a 32 a ring circuit.