Old Wiring - Replacing Ceiling Light

[SimonB]

Hi,
I am trying to replace an old ceiling light with a new fitting, however the wiring does not seem to add up to me. Can someone help me please?!
There are 2 light switches connected to the light, with 4 cables coming out from the ceiling. 2 cables have live, earth and neutral, and 2 just have live and earth. The 2 neutral wires are connected to the same connector block, which was connected to the old light fitting. A live wire from one of the cables with just a live and an earth wire is connected to 2nd connector block, which was connected to the old light fitting too. The 4 earth wires are all going into a connector block (2 in each, with a loop), and the remaining 3 live wires are all going into a 4th connector block (2 in one, 1 in the other, with a loop).
It seems straightforward to reconnect the new live and neutral wires where I took the old ones out from, but how do I connect the earth?
Thanks,
SimonB

 

[telectrix]

get a local spark to sort it. for the sake of £40.....

 

[snowhead]

It seems straightforward to reconnect the new live and neutral wires where I took the old ones out from, but how do I connect the neutral?
Thanks,
SimonB

You've answered the question.
If the new light fitting is metallic, don't forget to connect the earth to it.

 

[SimonB]

Oops meant to write "but how do I connect the earth?"...I've edited it now. Cheers.

 

[telectrix]

as snowhead said, if the new fitting is metal, then earth it. if not, just terminate the cpc's in a wago.

 

[Guitarist]

I get called to a lot of lighting problems where people have tried to simply change a fitting, but either connect incorrectly, or forget how the old unit came down.
If in doubt, get an electrician in.

 

[davethsparky]

It generally costs more to have a diyers attempts at electrics put right than it does to have it done properly from the beginning

 

[trev]

It's like the old rule isn't it, £X to get it done, £XX if you want to watch £--- if you've had a go yourself.

 

[davethsparky]

I like the sound of that Trev, I think i'll have to remember that one in future.

 

[g-davies]

Seems like you've got live an neutral in,live an neutral out,a live and earth to the switch,and a live and earth back to operate the light.Put the blacks in a block,=n.The reds from the twin cable in another block with one of the single reds,=permanent live.Then connect the last single red in another block,=live switch wire.This connects to the live of the fitting.You must connect the earth to the metal of the fitting,unless it is a class 2.A square in a square symbol.

 

[telectrix]

Seems like you've got live an neutral in,live an neutral out,a live and earth to the switch,and a live and earth back to operate the light.Put the blacks in a block,=n.The reds from the twin cable in another block with one of the single reds,=permanent live.Then connect the last single red in another block,=live switch wire.This connects to the live of the fitting.You must connect the earth to the metal of the fitting,unless it is a class 2.A square in a square symbol.

he's got a couple of singles in there. 2 way switching done in an unconventional way.

 

[trev]

.Put the blacks in a block,=n.The reds from the twin cable in another block .

You've just told him how to set up a short circuit mate, your post didn't make a great deal of sense to me and I've been doing this for 30+ years. Remember, he's a layman

 

[telectrix]

without seeing it, it's all guesswork anyway.

 

[Chris sparky]

I wonder how these people get on half the time. I mean it's nigh on impossible to give him a correct answer without physically bloody being their or seeing a detailed picture. They just come on here, ask if we know what wire goes where and when they realize they wont get an answer they bugger off. Leaving me wondering, "did he bodge it up or call a sparks for 50 quid"

 

[davethsparky]

You've just told him how to set up a short circuit mate, your post didn't make a great deal of sense to me and I've been doing this for 30+ years. Remember, he's a layman

Sorry to disagree but I think he probably had it right.

Translating the OP we get :
-two T+E cables for the feed in and out
-two of the old single red core plus earth cables one for permanent live to the two way one for switch live back from the two way.

What g-davies was saying is:
-two blacks from the t+e's are N
-two reds from the t+e's plus one of the singles is Permanent L
-the other red is switched L

Though I think both posts took far too much thinking about to translate into plain english properly, talking about a technical subject without a reasonable degree of clarity is useless