Problem with Security Lights - Am I missing something?

[jimbop81]

Just had 2 new Timeguard security floodlights fitted by an established electrician but one is not working. Having difficulty switching them off to check anything and since the fitter has not responded to my calls I was hoping someone would help me understand what could be wrong.

One of the lights is wired from the back of one of the 13 amp sockets in the bedroom. The cable goes out the back of the box but there is no switch - should a switch have been fitted to let me switch it off without killing all power upstairs?

The other one comes from the shaver socket in the bathroom and a switch has been fitted beside it. I've opened up both of these and I'm confused by the wiring. It would be best to show a photo but let me try to sum up. The new cable is 3 core and a separate earth. The red wire is connected to the brown on the shaver socket and at the other end goes into one terminal of the switch together with the red wire from the cable going through the wall to the light. The black wire is connected to the blue on the shaver socket and at the new switch has been wound together with the black wire from the light cable but is otherwise hanging loose. Both the grey and earth wires in the small connecting cable have been cut as has the grey wire on the light cable. The earth wire on the light cable has been connected to the other terminal of the light switch.

Sorry if this is confusing - if I could have added a photo it might have been clearer.

Anyway when it gets dark the outside light comes on and I can't get it to go back off. Anyone got any ideas what is going on.

Many thanks


JP

 

[sparky79]

hi
is this guy part p registered?
do a google search on it if are not sure what i mean.

the blue and black should be in a connector, not just twisted together.

it sounds as if the light fitting is faulty.

the cable coming out of the socket should have a switch fuse spur on it.

this all sounds very poor workmanship to be honest. have you paid him?

 

[gaz76]

Just had 2 new Timeguard security floodlights fitted by an established electrician but one is not working. Having difficulty switching them off to check anything and since the fitter has not responded to my calls I was hoping someone would help me understand what could be wrong.

One of the lights is wired from the back of one of the 13 amp sockets in the bedroom. The cable goes out the back of the box but there is no switch - should a switch have been fitted to let me switch it off without killing all power upstairs?

The other one comes from the shaver socket in the bathroom and a switch has been fitted beside it. I've opened up both of these and I'm confused by the wiring. It would be best to show a photo but let me try to sum up. The new cable is 3 core and a separate earth. The red wire is connected to the brown on the shaver socket and at the other end goes into one terminal of the switch together with the red wire from the cable going through the wall to the light. The black wire is connected to the blue on the shaver socket and at the new switch has been wound together with the black wire from the light cable but is otherwise hanging loose. Both the grey and earth wires in the small connecting cable have been cut as has the grey wire on the light cable. The earth wire on the light cable has been connected to the other terminal of the light switch.

Sorry if this is confusing - if I could have added a photo it might have been clearer.

Anyway when it gets dark the outside light comes on and I can't get it to go back off. Anyone got any ideas what is going on.

Many thanks


JP

surely this is a wind up thread? not even the dodgiest spark would be able to make that many balls ups

 

[golfpaul]

WTF!

Shoddy...

 

[Guest123]

Just had 2 new Timeguard security floodlights fitted by an established electrician but one is not working. Having difficulty switching them off to check anything and since the fitter has not responded to my calls I was hoping someone would help me understand what could be wrong.

One of the lights is wired from the back of one of the 13 amp sockets in the bedroom. The cable goes out the back of the box but there is no switch - should a switch have been fitted to let me switch it off without killing all power upstairs?

The other one comes from the shaver socket in the bathroom and a switch has been fitted beside it. I've opened up both of these and I'm confused by the wiring. It would be best to show a photo but let me try to sum up. The new cable is 3 core and a separate earth. The red wire is connected to the brown on the shaver socket and at the other end goes into one terminal of the switch together with the red wire from the cable going through the wall to the light. The black wire is connected to the blue on the shaver socket and at the new switch has been wound together with the black wire from the light cable but is otherwise hanging loose. Both the grey and earth wires in the small connecting cable have been cut as has the grey wire on the light cable. The earth wire on the light cable has been connected to the other terminal of the light switch.

Sorry if this is confusing - if I could have added a photo it might have been clearer.

Anyway when it gets dark the outside light comes on and I can't get it to go back off. Anyone got any ideas what is going on.

Many thanks


JP

You cannot be serious.......sounds like one is spurred directly out of the back of a socket with no additional protection or isolation and one is spurred off the shaver point with a switch sited right next to it.

Sounds R.A.F to me!!!

Was this spark real???

 

[jimbop81]

surely this is a wind up thread? not even the dodgiest spark would be able to make that many balls ups

gaz76 - No this is definitely not a wind-up. I have photos of the wiring.

I am in Scotland - does Part P apply here? or is there something else I can check

 

[jeremy]

Colours seem a bit confusing as well or is that the Heineken reading (though that seems to be the least of the worries!!)

 

[gaz76]

gaz76 - No this is definitely not a wind-up. I have photos of the wiring.

I am in Scotland - does Part P apply here? or is there something else I can check

part p? it'l be a paramedic you'll need if you carry on using that light off the shaver socket, you have to post the pics mate, this i have got to see

 

[jimbop81]

How can I post the pics? Can I just add a jpeg?

 

[Phil]

click "Go advanced" then the manage attachments, paper clip you can then upload. all thanks go to Lenny who showed me my errors the other day when i could not get it

 

[jimbop81]

Sorry, not too good with this - I've selected the file but when I click upload nothing happens

 

[danzor]

Can't try it as I'm on my phone, but did u give it enough tome to upload?

 

[Hawk81]

Alot of things worry me about what you have described. No fused spur on one of the lights and the 1 that comes from the shaver point is just wrong from start to finish. Is there rcd protection on the bathroom shaver point? If i can remember correctly i think there is a 3 year warrenty on timegaurd floodlights.

 

[jimbop81]

Problem was the picture was too big - Think I've got it attached now

 

[tornadoarnold]

from what i can figure, it sounds like he has wired the switch in a way that will give you a permenent live to the light. and if i am right all the switch is doing is putting power down the earth cable to the light effectively making the outer casing of the light live when in the on position.

seriously get someone competant into disconnect it asap. sounds like the whole lot will need redoing tbh cuz the amount of rules this guy has broken is just silly and dangerous.