As a homeowner, upgrading or replacing your overhead electrical fixtures can be one of the biggest challenges you’re ever likely to face. That’s because even after you’ve decided where, what kind, and how many fixtures you’d like to change, you’re still faced with the prospect of needing a licensed electrician to do the actual wiring.
Ultimately, every homeowner wants a safe, convenient way to install and power their new LED downlights or other fixtures without hiring a sparkie to perform costly electrical works; that makes it the perfect reason to convert your built-in, hardwired fixtures over to surface-mounted plugs. It the smart move that gives you the flexibility to change the style and location of your lighting and other fixtures as often as you want, to wherever you want, and with no sparkie required.
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Overhaul Your Overhead Space with Surface-mounted Plugs
Let’s be honest: with the efficiency of overhead electrical lights and fixtures increasing every year, just the thought of not being able to do anything to your fixtures without paying for the services of a licensed electrician can be frustrating. However, by having your electrician replace your hardwired downlights with high-quality surface-mounted plug bases, you’ll instantly have the ability to change or upgrade your fixtures anytime you want, and never have to contact an electrician again about doing the job for you.
It’s no secret that Australian regulations regarding structural wiring, and who’s authorized to work on it, are some of the strictest in the world. Only licensed electricians are permitted to perform most electrical works, but surface-mounted plug bases are the critical components that let you install any fixture that’s outfitted with a standard power plug at your own leisure.
Installing a universal plug base for each individual light or fixture allows you to safely eliminate the cost, and eventual inconvenience of having fixtures hardwired into position, while also offering a range of benefits that include:
- Unequalled simplicity. Surface-mounted plug bases are easy to install in any roof or crawl space; and like standard GPOs, will work with any AC fixture that you plug into them.
- Unlimited Versatility. Plug bases give you the ability to change, switch out, and relocate fixtures anytime you want – an advantage that’s especially valuable when fixtures begin to fail, and would ordinarily mean that you should call a sparkie to replace it.
- Uncompromised Safety. Surface-mounted plugs eliminate the potential of hardwired connections coming loose, or the terminations of power cords inadvertently becoming exposed or shorting out.
Once installed, plug bases free property owners from the costly annoyance of having to reach out to a licensed electrician anytime they want to change fixtures; and not surprisingly, they’re an especially appealing alternative if you’re in the process of performing a renovation. Repeated visits from electricians in the middle of a renovation job can cost you thousands in labour charges, but a one-time plug base installation is all you need to overhaul all your ceiling and overhead power needs.
Plug Base Specs that Make Installs Simpler
Kimberly Accessories, Hager, and Australia’s own Clipsal are among the electrical industry’s premier manufacturers of high quality, single and double socket surface plug base outlets; and their AS (Australian Standard) 3100-compliant plug bases are sold either with, or without mounting plates, and boast a flexible range of technical specs that include:
- A complete range of either 2, 3, or 4 pin configurations;
- A choice of 110V, 250V, or 415V AC voltage ratings; and,
- 10A or 15A current ratings.
With their wide array of voltage and current ratings, surface-mounted plug bases are the most expedient way for home and property owners to make improvements without the need for complicated electrical wiring. And while plug bases help ensure that the installation of more efficient dropdown lighting fixtures, cooling ceiling fans, and even overhead projectors and home entertainment systems couldn’t be simpler for homeowners, Clipsal has even developed a way to make the installation of their plugs simpler for sparkies too.
Clipsal Leads the Way With Quick Connect® Convenience
No matter if you’re a property owner who’s having surface-mounted plugs installed, or the electrician who’s performing the install, the purpose behind these sockets is to make electrical installations more convenient for everyone. And with the introduction of their Quick Connect® surface sockets, not only does Clipsal make installations more convenient, they even make them safer.
Unlike traditional base plugs, hinged Quick Connect plugs contain colour-coded groves which are clamped down around your power cable. With the cable’s outer sheathing pulled back, all that needs to be done is to lock the hinged cover into position with a pair of pliers and the plug is ready for use.
At the Quick Connect’s core is a solid range of features that electricians can count on for every installation, including:
- 240V / 10A / 3 pin construction;
- Clearance for 1sq mm to 2.5sq mm solid or stranded conductors; and,
- Terminations for 2 sets of Active, Neutral, and Earth conductors.
And although the installation of these cutting-edge plugs is still restricted to licensed electricians, their rugged design and reliability means that they can be deployed quicker, and with more confidence than traditional base plugs. Quick Connects give electricians the install advantage, so that they can experience their versatility even quicker.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, if you’re looking at renovating part of your home and are considering updating your lighting, it also makes sense to consider your wiring. Traditional hardware, however, denies homeowners the flexibility they need to be able to change their overhead fixtures when they want to. Fortunately, though, the fix is as simple as migrating away from fixed hardwiring in favour of the method that’s infinitely simpler, more versatile, and safer.
Surface-mounted plug bases give you the freedom to change your overhead fixtures anytime you want, but without the burden and expense of calling a licensed electrician. They’re the small change that makes a big difference.
