Maintained Emergency light with an extra cable - what does it do?

[thejonesy]

I was asked to changed a light bulb today on a maintained emergency light, changed the bulb and nothing.

I had a check of the connections whilst I was there and it was wired in 3 core old colours, there was 3 lives in a chock block. Two neutrals going into the inbuilt connector in the light, a blue cable (sleeved up as a switch live) 3 earths, and then 3 yellow cables all with a tiny bit of red sleeving on them going to a connector on the light.

whats the yellow cable with the red sleeving on for?

cheers Jonesy

 

[Plonker 3]

Permanant live for the normal lighting circuit?

 

[thejonesy]

I thought that would be the 3 red cable loop in/loop out/ and feed to light switch?

 

[Plonker 3]

Did you not use a voltage tester to test the cables?

 

[Wiredspark]

I gonna stop being bitchy


Switched I'd say

 

[malcolmsanford]

I was asked to changed a light bulb today on a maintained emergency light, changed the bulb and nothing.

I had a check of the connections whilst I was there and it was wired in 3 core old colours, there was 3 lives in a chock block. Two neutrals going into the inbuilt connector in the light, a blue cable (sleeved up as a switch live) 3 earths, and then 3 yellow cables all with a tiny bit of red sleeving on them going to a connector on the light.

whats the yellow cable with the red sleeving on for?

cheers Jonesy

Jonesy I make that 4 conductor of various colours so need a bit of clarification

Normally in old money

Red-------------would be the switch line
Blue-------------neutral
Yellow-----------Permanent feed

For emergency lighting. Though often the red/yellows would be switched round

So what do you have exactly

 

[sedgy34]

I was asked to changed a light bulb today on a maintained emergency light, changed the bulb and nothing.

I had a check of the connections whilst I was there and it was wired in 3 core old colours, there was 3 lives in a chock block. Two neutrals going into the inbuilt connector in the light, a blue cable (sleeved up as a switch live) 3 earths, and then 3 yellow cables all with a tiny bit of red sleeving on them going to a connector on the light.

whats the yellow cable with the red sleeving on for?

cheers Jonesy

ITS A LIVE OR A SWITCH LIVE but with that info you have provided lets all keep guessing

 

[BlueToBits]

The answers assume that the OP understands the significance of a 'maintained' fitting. A maintained emergency light will always illuminate in the event of power failure and may also be switched on and off as a normal light. A permanent live (I personally always used the red) monitors the supply for emergency lighting, the other sleeved cable is the switched live that allows the light to be switched on and off when the permanent supply is healthy. A Non-maintained light is permanently lit, cannot be switched off and therefore has no switch wire. The fact that a 'new' lamp does not work may indicate that the fitting is switched off.

 

[Plonker 3]

A maintained emergency light will always illuminate in the event of power failure and may also be switched on and off as a normal light.

Incorrect a maintained fitting is permanently illuminated.

A fitting that can be used as a normal fitting as well as a emergency is a sustain fitting.

 

[thejonesy]

Thanks for the responses.

I've since managed to put my martindales on it, theres no voltage getting to the switched live. (blue sleeved brown)

colours are as follows

red - 3 cables in a chock block
blue sleeved brown - in connector on the light with a 3a fuse in a holder
earth - 3 cables in a connector in the light.
neutral (blue) - 2 cables in a connector
yellow sleeved red - 3 cables in a connector which comes live when the switch is turned on

there is also a extractor fan in this room...

 

[Guitarist]

The answers assume that the OP understands the significance of a 'maintained' fitting. A maintained emergency light will always illuminate in the event of power failure and may also be switched on and off as a normal light. A permanent live (I personally always used the red) monitors the supply for emergency lighting, the other sleeved cable is the switched live that allows the light to be switched on and off when the permanent supply is healthy. A Non-maintained light is permanently lit, cannot be switched off and therefore has no switch wire. The fact that a 'new' lamp does not work may indicate that the fitting is switched off.

Non-maintained means that it comes on with loss of mains feed. It will not be on during normal service.

 

[malcolmsanford]

Jonesy I think we have a problem here, you should not have 4 separate connections there

The 3 reds must be live loops. The 2 neutrals seem to be the blue and the 3 yellows are S/LINES, 1 for that fitting, 1 for the fan and there must be another light/appliance that comes on when you close the S/LINE.

Now this odd blue I think must be a neutral, but where did this brown sleeve come from, especially when the yellows are sleeved red. Not being funny mate have you done something there?

The only way to find out really is bell the cables out, but unless you have something unique , there should not be 4 connections

 

[Guitarist]

Overide test switch somewhere in the cct?

 

[thejonesy]

Jonesy I think we have a problem here, you should not have 4 separate connections there

The 3 reds must be live loops. The 2 neutrals seem to be the blue and the 3 yellows are S/LINES, 1 for that fitting, 1 for the fan and there must be another light/appliance that comes on when you close the S/LINE.

Now this odd blue I think must be a neutral, but where did this brown sleeve come from, especially when the yellows are sleeved red. Not being funny mate have you done something there?

The only way to find out really is bell the cables out, but unless you have something unique , there should not be 4 connections

Hiya, I know its really confused me,

I forgot to mention that the 3 yellows show 50v when the switch is off, and 230 when switched on, but surely the blue cable that goes into the inbuilt fuse holder should be the switched live??

No fair comment mate, I haven't done anything wiring wise there at all lol, just merely looked at it and checked connections etc. The light switch has a test key next to it but I didn't have a key with me to operate it

Jonesy

 

[Plonker 3]

So you turned up to a job with a fault, couldn't find it. Then posted on here and feed us little bits of information at a time and expect us to help you?

No mention of a fan at first, then no mention of not being able to operate the keyswitch. Maybe you should have tried that before you posted on here.