terminal block ratings

bluetuesday_2

Hello

Fitting a bathroom light earlier and the 1.5mm cable had a screw going straight through it. Funny because if we touched the old light it would turn off and you had to whack it a few times to get it to turn back on so we changed it.

Anyway, there was a screw from the light that was straight through the cable which was a bit worrying so I went upstairs and cut part of the cable and used a connection block to join some extra cable so it would still reach the light.

I know it's bad form but in the heat of the moment that's what I did. Question is, I used a 3a connection block. Is that enough? What would a 3amp block be used for? Should I over estimate and use like a 30a if I have one? What would happen if I used the wrong amperage?

I had the light on for an hour earlier and the block didn't even feel warm so I covered it with insulating tape. New floor is coming tomorrow so access after that will be limited.

Thanks

WobblyDog

Lighting circuits tend to have 5A fuses, so your terminal block is likely to be safe enough from a current-handling point of view, it will probably grip the relatively thin conductors used for lighting better than a 30A terminal block. I think you can get 5A ones, which might be better.

I think there are regulations and/or best practice to follow when making cable joints that will be inaccessible in future - it might be worth investigating and applying these before the floor goes down. A plastic junction box specifically designed for jointing lighting cables might be appropriate, but I'm no expert.