How to wire a light...

Xcellor

OK, wanted to change the light in bedroom so took plastic yoke off the ceiling.

I have three cables...

Neutral - Live - Ground (3 individual cables)
Neutral - Live - Ground (3 indiviudal cables)
Live - Live (guessing this is loop)... (two brown cables)

The light that I am attaching has Neutral - Live - Ground...

I am thinking both neutrals go into the nuetral and then Loop Live combines with other live... and the other loop live combines with the other...

Did the above but seems something isnt right, now my bedroom light switch also tursn off bathroom lights... (sometimes)...

I begged missus only to get a light shade but she wouldnt listen

Ant11

Xcellor wrote: »

OK, wanted to change the light in bedroom so took plastic yoke off the ceiling.

I have three cables...

Neutral - Live - Ground (3 individual cables)
Neutral - Live - Ground (3 indiviudal cables)
Live - Live (guessing this is loop)... (two brown cables)

The light that I am attaching has Neutral - Live - Ground...

I am thinking both neutrals go into the nuetral and then Loop Live combines with other live... and the other loop live combines with the other...

Did the above but seems something isnt right, now my bedroom light switch also tursn off bathroom lights... (sometimes)...

I begged missus only to get a light shade but she wouldnt listen

Your explanation isn't the clearest but from what your saying whoever wired the light in the bedroom looped off it to the bathroom light and you have mixed the lives up. Probably the switch wire if the bedroom light is turning off the bathroom light. Normally lights are looped on a circuit and a switch wire is used to switch them but it depends how your lights were wired.

If I could see it I could tell you straight away as its hard to work out from your explanation.

Basically you have a neutral (blue) and earth (green/yellow) going to the light. You also have live(brown) going to the switch this is the switch feed and then from the switch you have a live up to the light which is the switch wire. Thats how you end up with 3 cables at the light, live neutral and earth.

Xcellor

Ant11 wrote: »

Your explanation isn't the clearest but from what your saying whoever wired the light in the bedroom looped off it to the bathroom light and you have mixed the lives up. Probably the switch wire if the bedroom light is turning off the bathroom light. Normally lights are looped on a circuit and a switch wire is used to switch them but it depends how your lights were wired.

If I could see it I could tell you straight away as its hard to work out from your explanation.

Basically you have a neutral (blue) and earth (green/yellow) going to the light. You also have live(brown) going to the switch this is the switch feed and then from the switch you have a live up to the light which is the switch wire. Thats how you end up with 3 cables at the light, live neutral and earth.

Yeah was difficult to explain. In hindsight I should have looked at what I was pulling out before pulling it was only when I went to wire up the light I realised there were extra cables...

After lots of cursing I thought I had figured it out but when my missus started screaming in the bathroom that the light had gone out I knew something wasn't right...

On one occasion I managed to completely isolate the switch so my light stayed on regardless of how the switch was set.

There are only a limited amount of combinations before I get the right one. I haven't tripped the switch yet which is impressive.

Ant11

Xcellor wrote: »

Yeah was difficult to explain. In hindsight I should have looked at what I was pulling out before pulling it was only when I went to wire up the light I realised there were extra cables...

After lots of cursing I thought I had figured it out but when my missus started screaming in the bathroom that the light had gone out I knew something wasn't right...

On one occasion I managed to completely isolate the switch so my light stayed on regardless of how the switch was set.

There are only a limited amount of combinations before I get the right one. I haven't tripped the switch yet which is impressive.

ha ha! I know what you've done. The lives are mixed up. Theres an easy way to sort it out but you would need a multi meter. Its what we sparks would use to check for continuity between cables. How many brown cables are there?

Xcellor

Ant11 wrote: »

ha ha! I know what you've done. The lives are mixed up. Theres an easy way to sort it out but you would need a multi meter. Its what we sparks would use to check for continuity between cables. How many brown cables are there?

4 brown cables.

2 of them come with a neutral cable. 2 of them are just in their own sheath. (forgetting about ground since I know where that goes...)

Ant11

Xcellor wrote: »

4 brown cables.

2 of them come with a neutral cable. 2 of them are just in their own sheath. (forgetting about ground since I know where that goes...)

Ok the single browns are probably the switch wires so do what I said connect all the neutrals and earth and leave them there, their fine its just the lives you need to sort out.

Take all browns out and then connect one of the single blown with 1 of the browns that comes with the neutral. So you will have 2 browns connected and 2 not. Once their re connected turn power on and see if the light in bedroom works.

Ant11

If have to head out so I'll leave you with this, I'll be back on tonight.

After youve connected what i said above, if it doesn't work take the single brown out and replace it with the other single brown.

what is sounds like is that you need to have 1 single brown connected with another brown that came with the neutral. and the other single brown needs to be connected with the other brown that came with the neutral. so you should end up with 2 browns connect in the live section and 2 browns connected in the loop section but make sure you keep them single browns separate.

You may have to move around these around but try 2 and turn the light on and just repeat.

I hope you can follow this. Its hard to explain in writing. If I could see it I could fix it in 2 minutes.

meercat

Xcellor wrote: »

4 brown cables.

2 of them come with a neutral cable. 2 of them are just in their own sheath. (forgetting about ground since I know where that goes...)

join 3 brown cables together(the 2 that come with neutral wires and any one of the other brown wires)in a connector block
use the remaining brown cable to feed the existing light fitting

Ant11

meercat wrote: »

join 3 brown cables together(the 2 that come with neutral wires and any one of the other brown wires)in a connector block
use the remaining brown cable to feed the existing light fitting

What do you make of the light turning on in the bathroom??

meercat

Ant11 wrote: »

meercat wrote: »

join 3 brown cables together(the 2 that come with neutral wires and any one of the other brown wires)in a connector block
use the remaining brown cable to feed the existing light fitting

What do you make of the light turning on in the bathroom??

Loop fed off the lightswitch
If this reoccurs then swap the 2 single brown wires over at the light fitting

meercat

I imagine that the op has 1.5 t&e brown/brown

Ant11

meercat wrote: »

Loop fed off the lightswitch
If this reoccurs then swap the 2 single brown wires over at the light fitting

The OP didn't go near the switch in the first place. He said whatever he did when he took off the ceiling rose and re-connected the light in the bathroom was now being switched on and off with the same switch in the bedroom.

Strange, it's hard to tell without seeing it I suppose.

meercat

Ant11 wrote: »

The OP didn't go near the switch in the first place.

no.i never mentioned any connections at the switch(i just mentioned switch in answer to your question)
all these connections should be done at the ceiling rose
what the op has is
2 1.5 twin and earth wires(brown/blue)feed and loop feed
1 1.5 twin and earth wire (brown/brown)feed and switchwire to bedroom switch

if the bathroom light is fed off the bedroom switch,then a wrong connection may cause faulty switching

Ant11

meercat wrote: »

no.i never mentioned any connections at the switch(i just mentioned switch in answer to your question)
all these connections should be done at the ceiling rose
what the op has is
2 1.5 twin and earth wires(brown/blue)feed and loop feed
1 1.5 twin and earth wire (brown/brown)feed and switchwire to bedroom switch

if the bathroom light is fed off the bedroom switch,then a wrong connection may cause faulty switching

No I wasn't saying you meant connectors at the switch. I just meant that he hadn't touched the switch and what ever fiddling about he did at the light caused the bathroom light to come on. It sounds like a wrong connection somewhere. It's very hard to know without seeing it. I'm sure the OP will be back on at some stage, see if he sorts it out.

Xcellor

Thanks for reply.

Just to confirm I have not done anything with the switch on the wall however there is a combination that will cause the bedroom swtich to turn on both the bathroom light and the bedroom light ...

I'm going to try a couple of combinations mentioned here...

Everything was working fine before removing the light so there is a right combination... Just have to find it before I blow myself up j/k trip switches are a life safer.........

meercat

try this first

join 3 brown cables together(the 2 that come with neutral wires and any one of the other brown wires)in a connector block
use the remaining brown cable to feed the existing light fitting

Xcellor

meercat wrote: »

try this first

join 3 brown cables together(the 2 that come with neutral wires and any one of the other brown wires)in a connector block
use the remaining brown cable to feed the existing light fitting

This actually was the combination that worked. All lights working normally again !! Cheers for help.

EPC35

I have a similar query. In the process of replacing a bathroom light I found that there were two neutral blue wires and one brown going into the junction inside. I tried installing the new box which also has a junction for the earth which I dont have so I left unconnected. When I tried installing the new light fitting with the two neutral wires in the neutral junction the light now doesnt work. Any ideas for where I'm going wrong?

irishkopite 2011

Sounds like a netural make have come loose in your new light.

EPC35

Finally figured it out. Needed to clip the cover on the new shaver light before it would light up

EPC35

I managed to confuse myself with wiring again. The electrician wired a two way switch strangely so the left switch turned the far light on and off and the right switch turned the near light on and off. I decided to switch the wires around thinking it would be an easy job. My phone didn't take the photo correctly so i couldn't see how the wires were connected before I started. So anyway there are four grey wires two live and two not live(neutral I'm guessing). One of the lives has a bit of electrical tape attached to it for some reason. There's also a wire going from the com on both switches for some reason. Im guessing I should attach the live wires into the L1s but Im just not sure what to do with the neutrals. Oh yeah the tow ceiling lights are on the same circuit. Anyone got any ideas. Ive tried all possible L1 and L2 combinations so any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Steve

Glad to see you are still alive

dodzy

EPC35 wrote: »

I managed to confuse myself with wiring again. The electrician wired a two way switch strangely so the left switch turned the far light on and off and the right switch turned the near light on and off. I decided to switch the wires around thinking it would be an easy job. My phone didn't take the photo correctly so i couldn't see how the wires were connected before I started. So anyway there are four grey wires two live and two not live(neutral I'm guessing). One of the lives has a bit of electrical tape attached to it for some reason. There's also a wire going from the com on both switches for some reason. Im guessing I should attach the live wires into the L1s but Im just not sure what to do with the neutrals. Oh yeah the tow ceiling lights are on the same circuit. Anyone got any ideas. Ive tried all possible L1 and L2 combinations so any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

If there's enough flex, just rotate the switch plate 180 degrees and refit. If not, then the 2 wires going to either L1 or L2 on each side need to be swapped with each other.

Power off before commencing work.