Pendant light with no colour coded wires

[md77]

Nice photo.

Can you cut that cable strap and spread the wires a bit so we can get a closer look at the cable. Thanks.

View attachment 35005

View attachment 35006

View attachment 35008

View attachment 35009

 

[Rpa07]

I can see a brown streak and a grey streak - other one earth to the fittings?

 

[buzzlightyear]

the possibility you have two lives and one neutral

 

[Jamchiv01]

@Rpa07 Hows this

 

[Marvo]

I think you may have a live, neutral and earth in that transparent cable but gawd knows which is which. You're going to have to either take the fitting somewhere that can test it and mark the wires or you're going to have to get a sparky to come and test.

Please don't try it with guesswork, if you get it wrong there's a good chance you'll make the body of the fitting live and give someone a bad shock.

 

[Rpa07]

I can see a brown streak and a grey streak - other one earth to the fittings?

I've never quoted my own message before but am I the only one that can see it?

 

[Rpa07]

@Rpa07 Hows this

Getting you no where but I like it!

 

[md77]

I've never quoted my own message before but am I the only one that can see it?

What's the grey one then, and is it fair to assume the other wire next to it is the same

 

[Karin]

not really safe to assume anything for us as it's too hard to get a picture of what's going on. could be quite a few options! can you give the model of the fitting?

 

[FatAlan]

Silly question, but they're always the best. Did it come with any instructions?

 

[Pete999]

Hi.....I'm new to the forum so go easy please

I had to get my ceiling replastered and my pendant light was removed, however there's no colour coding other than the earth. I've a single wire and 2 others tied together so I'm not sure what's neutral and what's live. I've stripped back some of the wires but still no colour coding. Is there anyway to check what's what before I attempt to fit the light?

Thanks

A picture would help

 

[md77]

not really safe to assume anything for us as it's too hard to get a picture of what's going on. could be quite a few options! can you give the model of the fitting?

It's a light from Pagazzi....PG14379, if that helps

 

[md77]

Silly question, but they're always the best. Did it come with any instructions?

Yeah, but they were binned. The light was already up and had to be taken down, the plasterer who took it down didn't leave me anything to work with unfortunately

 

[Hellmooth]

The 2 cables together have a white line running along them, I fitted one the other day and the white line was the neutral, can't guarantee it is the same here but I would think it was likely. Although in extra low voltage cable power supplies it seems the the white line is the positive. I would call their technical line they will tell you easy enough.

 

[Richard Burns]

A continuity tester would be able to identify the wiring for you.

It may be possible with much effort to physically trace the wires if you were to undo the nut at the base of the light fitting and separate the two halves but this could lead to there being lots of bits of light fitting all over the place and tracing wires through the flex is very hard.

The wires do show in the pictures that there is a grey stripe on at least one of the wires, though it may be on all of them, and so this might help tracing.

The wires should be one line, one neutral and one earth, the polarity of line and neutral will not matter on a G9 lamp but the earth identification is crucial to avoid an electric shock.

Even if you have a bulb and a battery with bits of wire to make a circuit you can use this on the wires (when disconnected from the mains supply) of the light fitting to trace them. The G9 lamp holder will have two contacts, one to either edge of the slot, make sure you are not shorting across the contacts and getting false readings.

One wire should go to one side of the lampholder, one wire to the other side of the lamp holder and the earth wire to the metal casing of the light fitting (similarly to the green wire you have already).

View attachment 35010