Very strange lighting behaviour

[SarfrazAWali]

Hello,

I am not an electrician, but know enough to do the odd job around the house..

I changed a light in my hallway and landing and now the hallway light doesnt come on with the new chandalier type light, and the landing light doesnt go off! I am using 40w e14 candle bulbs if thats relevant. All i did was remove the old single bulb light and connected the live to the live stickered socket and the black to the neutral one.

in the hallway, there was no earth unlike the landing light's wiring which did have an earth.

any ideas anyone?

 

[bugsy]

I think you may have wired them incorrectly, Check your loop in and loop out and your switchlines ( your switches should have been wired in red / brown t&e or have been sleeved )- bet they was'nt

 

[Had8Lives]

Sounds like another case of whoever installed the cables orginally not tagging the switched live which should feed a light. There are some old ways of wiring two way switching which can cause problems too. Need to know how many cables are at each light to try and resolve this. Like Bugsy says, you'll need to check with a continuity tester which wires do what.

 

[SarfrazAWali]

Sorry I dont understand the details of what you are saying, you are obviously far more competent than me and understand what your talking about.

All i know is that my switches were working fine and straight after i changed the lights (wired the red wire to the live socket and black to the nettral one) now the light switch has no effect in switching the light off or on.

The live wire was made up of 3 red wires plated together and so were the black ones. there was a single wire which i assume was the earth.

Still think its wiring? could it be dangerous left as it is?

thanks

 

[Phil]

if the chandelier in the hallway is metal it needs an earth to it. it sounds like you have mixed the wires up if they were working before you would need as previously stated to bell the wires out. but if you are unsure of this i would suggest getting a spark in. rather that than someone messing with live wires. a few quid really is not worth getting an electric shock for.

 

[SarfrazAWali]

yes, both lights are metal.

basicaly there were 3 cables twisted together that i found going into the old lights (i assume live socket) and these were red so i pushed them into the live socket and secured it with the screw fitting. another 3 cables again were twisted together and they were black so i put them into the neutral hole and a final single wire was loose and i put that into the earth hole and secured it with the screw.

now it just stays on and the switch has no effect. 5 mins before the switch was ok.

 

[eddielarge]

hi if this is three plate then the reds should be not connected to, there is then two blacks which are neutrals and the last black will be the switch line which u should connect the live to, the switch line should be sleeved but probably not . just reading between the lines the cable u think is earth is probably the switch line

 

[Des 56]

I was going to reply but decided not to because you said the light was not working, yet you have put the three plate lives into the live connection and the neutrals into the neutral connection and what appears to be the switched live into the earth
The light is not on
Something in your description does not pan out

 

[SarfrazAWali]

The 3 plate lives into the live, the 3 plate neutrals into the neutral and the single plate into the earth. the light just stays on and the switch makes no difference, ie the light doesnt turn off and on as a result of flicking the switch.

looks as if the single cable wasnt earth then but was somethign to do with the switch?

 

[eddielarge]

as i said the three reds should not connect to the light, because if u do the light will stay on. they should be blocked in back of fitting . this leaves u with 3 blacks , two of them will be neutrals and should connect to neautral terminal , and the other black on its own will be the switch line which should connect to the live

 

[SarfrazAWali]

thanks,

only question now is do i need to go and disconnect it all given that the chandeliers are metal and looks as if i dont have any earth

that makes sense to a novice like me. i am an internet engineer but this stuff is above me. gettting to understand it more and more when i spesk to the masters....

 

[eddielarge]

yes if it is a metal light fitting you are responsible for the earth because you have changed the light.

 

[Phil]

yes mate. by the way the readers digest do a guide to home electrics, basic stuff but with pictures you can understand, i have handed them around to students in the first years before for an understanding to the basics. also be careful with what you are doing until you have a good sound understanding as you really need to be compitant when dealing with electrics.

 

[SarfrazAWali]

thanks all, im off to find an electrician,,,,,

 

[DurhamSparky]

EXCELLENT NEWS!!

lights can catch people out very easily!!!