Ceiling Rose Connections

Lamp sockets for beautiful installation of your lamps

On this page, you will find the selection of lamp sockets and covers that can provide a beautiful finishing touch to the installation of your lamps.

Lamp sockets allow for easy connection of power to your lamp, and they come in many varieties, most often in the colors white, gray, and anthracite gray.

Since not all lamps are designed to be connected to a socket, it may be necessary to have a lamp socket in the ceiling or at the top of the wall.

The lamp socket connects the building's main power with the lamp's wire, but with the lamp socket, you avoid having to connect two wires together.

It can best be described as a junction box for the lamp.

The lamp sockets come in different sizes and designs, but they are all approved for use in residences.

7 things you should know when looking for lamp sockets

When you look for lamp sockets, you will probably quickly realize that the selection is large and that it is easy to get lost in the many options.

Below are 7 things you can consider when looking for lamp sockets.

#1 - Lamp socket on wall or ceiling?

You should be aware that the selection of lamp sockets is better suited for installation in the ceiling or installation in the wall.

Often, many people choose the square design for the lamp socket when it needs to be placed in the wall, and the installation and the hole in the wall should match this type if that is the one chosen.

This means that if there is already a square lamp socket installed, and you would like a round one, you will need to get an electrician to replace the installation box itself.

If you prefer the lamp socket in the ceiling, you can do as many others and choose a round lamp socket.

There is nothing wrong with using a square lamp socket in the ceiling and a round one in the wall, however, the round lamp sockets are often slightly larger in circumference and therefore take up a bit more space on a wall than the square socket.

#2 - Type of lamp socket

There are several types of lamp sockets, and these are often characterized by how the wire is connected to the socket; below is a brief overview of the different types of lamp sockets.

• Lamp socket for lamp plug with ground - This type of lamp socket requires that a plug is fitted onto the wire, which is then turned into the socket, and the advantage of this is that you do not have to think about which color wire goes where. The plug has 3 pins.

• Lamp socket for lamp plug without ground - Looks similar to the model with ground, but here there are only 2 pins on the plug and thus no ground connection.
• Lamp socket for wireless control - looks like a regular lamp socket, but there is a receiver for WiFi or wireless control in the lamp socket itself, which can be controlled via an app or remote control.
• Flush-mounted lamp socket - has the same function and connection method as the regular lamp socket, but it is designed to lie flush with the ceiling or wall, meaning that nothing sticks out, other than obviously the wire you connect to the socket.
• Regular lamp socket - is a round socket without extra functions and is what is often found in homes before 2010.

Common to both the regular lamp socket and the flush-mounted lamp socket is that the wire from the lamp must be stripped and then placed in the correct terminals in the lamp socket.

#3 - Lamp socket cover

The cover for the lamp socket removes the view of the actual sockets, with the inserted wires, and thus provides a visually clean expression.

The covers come in different colors such as white, light gray, and anthracite gray, and some covers allow for more than one wire to be led into the lamp socket.

Some covers must be screwed onto the lamp socket, while others can simply be clicked onto the socket and easily removed again, with the help of a screwdriver that pops the cover off.

If you choose a cover that needs to be screwed onto the lamp socket, you should be aware that the screws used for fastening will be visible.

You can also choose to get a cover where the wire enters from the side, and not from the middle of the cover, which can be practical if the lamps need to hang a distance from the socket and the wires need to be led along the ceiling to the socket.

#4 - What can you do yourself?

There is a lot of legislation about what you can and cannot do yourself when it comes to electrical installations, and therefore you should inform yourself very thoroughly before you start replacing the lamp socket yourself.

It can have very serious consequences if something goes wrong, so always check with an electrician whether you can perform the task in question.

Installation of lamp sockets often involves loose wires, so it is strongly recommended to get a professional to handle it for you.

#5 - More lamps in the same lamp socket?

It is possible in some lamp sockets to connect more than one lamp, such as connecting a set of two lamps to the same socket.

This requires that there is space in the lamp socket for the two extra wires, but since most newer lamp sockets have 4 poles and one neutral, it is usually doable.

If you choose to connect two lamps to the same socket, you might consider buying a cover that supports two wires, and where the hole is therefore slightly larger for passage of the wires.

#6 - Lamp socket for hanging a lamp

Most lamp sockets can bear the weight of a lamp up to 5 kg, if the socket has a so-called load-bearing bracket.

The load-bearing bracket serves to take the weight away from the actual poles, where the wires connect, and distributes the weight across the entire socket.

Practically, it is often a small plastic bracket, under which the wire is tensioned, and then you do not need to think about a hook or similar to bear the weight of the lamp.

If the lamp socket does not have a load-bearing bracket, it may be necessary to use a hook that can be mounted in the socket to bear the weight of the lamp.

#7 - Poles

The poles in the lamp socket are the small holes where you insert the conductors from the lamp wire, and most lamp sockets have 5 poles.

However, most lamp wires only have 2 conductors, meaning you only need to use 2 of the poles.

Here it is usually the pole called N (neutral/o) and the one called M1, but always check with the lamp's instruction manual.

If you are in doubt, you should seek help from an electrician or another professional.