Ceiling wiring got me worried

Tony Humphreys · Mar 11, 2019

Hi all,

I took down a kitchen light fitting and expected to fit the new one the same way - nope, nothing so easy eh? I am NOT an electrician but equally really don't want to pay the £100 to have someone come and do something I am sure I can do myself given a bit of advice.

The light fitting has just a L and N fitting so sorting out so many wires has got me puzzled. There is no ceiling rose either.

20190311_125202.jpg - https://drive.google.com/open?id=1X-v8eknbivtEBWl0YZRZmDobISkCAjB7

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Ceiling wiring got me worried

suffolkspark · Mar 11, 2019

Looks like youve dropped the bit of red tape or sleeving that would have been on one of those blacks, also not sure what gave you the impression an electrician would charge you £100 to do that

Pete999 · Mar 11, 2019

It's frowned upon to give step by step advice Tony, but what you have there seems to be a live pair (LandN) in and out and a switch pair L and SL going to the switch.
Not a difficult job for an Electrician to figure out which is which cable goes where, with the right equipment.
So the advice is get a Sparks to fit the new light for you, to be honest saying you don't want to spend £100 getting someone to do it for you is in my opinion false economy, what value do you put on your house catching fire or more importantly you ending up in Hospital, suffering from burns from an electric shock, they hurt I know I have had one or two in my lifetime, post your whereabouts and maybe a forum member could help you out.

Tony Humphreys · Mar 11, 2019

Which would have been the switch live is that correct? What now though? I have a huge motorcycle in my yard and have no issues 're rewiring that

...but this is new to me?!

Tony Humphreys · Mar 11, 2019

Thanks Pete999...but I like to learn and will remember for future reference. Not so much penny pinching as wanting to be able to do it myself. I have a meter and am ready to go.

DPG · Mar 11, 2019

It would have been wise to note where each wire was connected before disconnecting. Maybe even mark them up with a sharpie.

Also, it doesn't seem a good idea to come on to a forum full of electricians and basically say 'I don't want to pay you to do this job, so can you give me some free advice'.

Baddegg · Mar 11, 2019

As above you’ll need some test gear and a basic understanding to locate the switch wire....failing that you’ll need a spark, I think ££50 would be a bit nearer the mark for that job

Pete999 · Mar 11, 2019

Tony Humphreys said:
Thanks Pete999...but I like to learn and will remember for future reference. Not so much penny pinching as wanting to be able to do it myself. I have a meter and am ready to go.

You can always learn by watching and asking questions of a professional, but don't get in the way, there are some about who will take umbridge, so always ask questions by asking the engineer if he doesn't mind you being a bit nosey.

littlespark · Mar 11, 2019

If the wiring in the first place is correct, the 3 reds go together. The 3 bare copper in green and yello sleeping go together.
That leaves you with 3 blacks. 1 is switch live.... the other 2 are neutrals. You’ve got a 1 in 3 chance of picking the right one. Get it wrong and the switch will basically create a live to neutral short circuit and give off an almighty bang.

So you got to ask yourself.... do you feel lucky, punk? Well.... do ya?

Or get a tester and work out which is the switchwire. This can be done with the power off.

Squid · Mar 11, 2019

I can give you "free" advice "free" costs £100 ;o)))))

Squid · Mar 11, 2019

Horrible decor on the ceiling as well, that's free, no charge........ ;o))))

buzzlightyear · Mar 11, 2019

Tony Humphreys said:
I am NOT an electrician but equally really don't want to pay the £100 to have someone come and do something I am sure I can do myself given a bit of advice.

it cost more now to sort it out £150.00 pounds, it will be dark soon .LOL.

SparkyAndGeorge · Mar 11, 2019

Best advice, get a local sparky in to fix this for you.

davesparks · Mar 11, 2019

Tony Humphreys said:
Thanks Pete999...but I like to learn and will remember for future reference. Not so much penny pinching as wanting to be able to do it myself. I have a meter and am ready to go.

It's not wise to learn electrics by having a go and seeing what happens, occasionally people die in a rather painful manner as a result of this approach.

What sort of meter is it? An approved voltage indicator or a multimeter?