Problem Ceiling Light

[dpooley85]

Hi all, i have replaced a set of two ceiling lights and having some problems with them.

They are both on the samr switch and have identified the switched live but no matter which way i wire from diagrams on other sites or books only one light stays on permanantly whether the switch is on or not and it is the last one on the circuit.

I have gone from using a connector block to a ceiling rose and seem to remember having to connect a neutral and live together to bypass the first light. Could that be my problem?

How do i get both lights working at the same time with the switch, any ideas or suggestions welcome as i am getting really annoyed with it.

Cheers

 

[amlu]

I have gone from using a connector block to a ceiling rose and seem to remember having to connect a neutral and live together to bypass the first light. Could that be my problem?

How do i get both lights working at the same time with the switch, any ideas or suggestions welcome as i am getting really annoyed with it.

Cheers

You should call for a electrician, especially if you planning on connecting any lives to a neutral...
If you found a switched live and light stays on no matter of switch, means you got it wrong.
it is pretty impossible to guess what kind of wiring you have in there without seeing and testing it.

 

[dpooley85]

You should call for a electrician, especially if you planning on connecting any lives to a neutral...
If you found a switched live and light stays on no matter of switch, means you got it wrong.
it is pretty impossible to guess what kind of wiring you have in there without seeing and testing it.

Just to clarify type of wiring, i have 3 cables, each with a live and neutral, so one is the source one is the switch and the other is the next light.

Any other suggestions?

 

[ayjay]

how many cables are in the"next light"?

 

[onions1066]

The black you think is a neutral is actually probably the switch live. That goes with the red to the other light that comes on with it. Then you should just have 2 neutrals left and 2 lives left. The lives go together in a connector not into the light fitting. The neutrals the earths and the red and black switch wires go into the light fitting. Not saying that is definitely how yours is wired but that is ow it's normally done. Try it what's the worst that could happen. Lol

 

[dpooley85]

just a red black and earth as its the last in the series

 

[trev]

Any other suggestions?

Please take notice of the first 6 words in post 2.I admire your willingness to have a go but electricity is not something that the uninitiated should be messing around with mate. The generally accepted lethal shock is measured in milliamps and you're poking around in a circuit that most likely is protected by a 5 or 6 amp device. Shocks hurt and can kill, fires can kill, electricians are usually cheaper and less traumatic than funerals.

 

[dpooley85]

thats shed a bit of light on the situation as i was sure that not everything should have been in the three plate connector as i was sure when the last light was up it had a loop to the next light on it via a connector block

 

[dpooley85]

thanks for the warning mate, i'm a training electrician and have done safe isolation and all other checks on the circuit to make sure its safe.

 

[ayjay]

do as onions says ,thats providing your qualified to do so as trev says
it sounds like you may not be a sparky though, as this circuit is the most basic

 

[trev]

thanks for the warning mate, i'm a training electrician and have done safe isolation and all other checks on the circuit to make sure its safe.

Fair enough mate, the only reason I posted what I did was that your terminology was a bit off and you sounded like an enthusiastic DIYer but if you're a trainee there's nowt wrong with asking for your hand to be held take a step back and think of your first basics and you'll figure it out. It's as you say, one is a feed in one is a feed out to the next light and the other is a feed to the sw and the sw line.
You got your test gear handy?

 

[GLENNSPARK]

quickly read the O/P....seen enough already.....lol...

 

[Octopus]

Just to clarify type of wiring, i have 3 cables, each with a live and neutral, so one is the source one is the switch and the other is the next light.

Any other suggestions?

Are you 100% sure which is which. Maybe your MFT could come in useful.

 

[telectrix]

with the power OFF, use a mutimeter to check which is the switch wire ( get someone to operate the switch ). then sleeve the black with red sleeve or tape. then you know the switched L and can go from there.

 

[SYKRAPS]

Sounds like you have a switch cable, a feed cable and a slave switch live and neutral cable.

You need your test gear to work out which is which before you can proceed, and if you are in training perhaps your gaffer to help?

 

[DieselShunter]

LOL - this reminds me of a neighbour (or rather, his wife!) asking for my help with a simple installation of a kitchen under-cupboard strip light.

He explained that he nearly had it right: when the switch was on the light was on. And when switched off the light went off, but curiously it wouldn't come on again until he reset the MCB. And he couldn't reset the MCB with this light switched off either.

Opening up the switch found he had wired supply and load neutral to common, supply and load phase to L2, and finally supply and load cpc to L1. Very neat. Fortunately there was no RCD present, or it would have all been a lot less fun.

His wiife said he'd spent most of the day trying various combinations of wires in the switch. I could only guess at how much exercise that 6Amp MCB had had that day!

Sorted his wiring for him. And his misses sorted me with a very splended Rioja Gran Riserva a few days later, which I suspected might have been bought with the proceeds from her selling the contents of his electrical tool kit......

 

[dpooley85]

didnt go quite to plan, first light on when switched on and vice versa and second light stays off permanantly. had wiring checked and all is pukka in that respect.

the mystery deepens.

called various ppl and cant seem to phathom what ive done wrong or whether its a dud light

anyone got any ideas before i call the local electrician?

 

[vjsmarwick]

Three cables at the light fitting I would have guessed 2 lives and a switch wire but there are so many ways to wire them no one could tell without testing them and seeing exactly what they are best of luck but my advise is get a sparky

 

[telectrix]

some good sparkys in essex. they're not all essex girls.

 

[Octopus]

didnt go quite to plan, first light on when switched on and vice versa and second light stays off permanantly. had wiring checked and all is pukka in that respect.

the mystery deepens.

called various ppl and cant seem to phathom what ive done wrong or whether its a dud light

anyone got any ideas before i call the local electrician?

Read post #13 again. It ain't that difficult

 

[ayjay]

someone send him a diagram for gods sake

 

[ayjay]

 

[ayjay]

no pee taking

 

[trev]

no pee taking

As if we would Ayjay, what a terribly low opinion you have of us all

 

[bigbaddave]

I think you may need to add the earth... Otherwise I suspect that either they will be snipped or connected to Live.. Now that would be interesting...

 

[ayjay]

that thought did cross my mind big dave
i still dont think the diagram will help, but i try o,h how i try