Ceiling light 60s house

[dougal1983]

Just got a ceiling plastered and got a new light rose to replace the old one, however i'm very confused about the wiring.

I have 3 red wires, 1 black with red sleeve and 2 bare copper that have been taped up.

The black with the red sleeve is the live switch wire and connects to the brown light fitting wire, however, I was expecting another black wire to connect with the blue wire of the new light fitting, while the i assume that the 3 red wires are the loop wires and the taped copper ones are the earth wires.... the light is not working so, should one of the red wires link to the blue neutral?

 

[sparkwright]

Convention would be three red wires in a connection on their own, a black sleeved red being switched L, two blacks the N, and three bare wires sleeved green and yellow being E.

Any wires pushed up in the ceiling void?

Bit odd only 2 earth wires, though there was a trend to provide an earth at the light and not the switch, meaning no earth in the switch cable.

Photos most welcome here.

 

[Doggit]

3 red wires suggest a live feed coming in to the socket, and live feed going to the next fitting, and a live feed down to the light switch, and the black with the red sleeve will be the return. So to have 3 reds, 2 bare copper wires (the earths) but only 1 black, suggests that there are 2 black and 1 copper wire missing.

You need to pull the wires down a bit, and see if there's anything stuffed up there, or have the wires been accidentally cut off. Hopefully you'll find three cables with enough spare to sort things out.

The 3 reds will go into the middle set of the ceiling rose, the blacks will go to one side, and the black with the red sleeve will go to the other side. Sleeve the bare copper wires with green/yellow pvc sleeving into the earth point, and all should be well.

 

[securespark]

There could well be no cpc to the switch, but there are still 2 blacks missing.

Pictures, please!

 

[dougal1983]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't think there are extra cables pushed in the ceiling- I disconnected the light to change the fitting and (stupidly!) didn't note the wiring -I'm pretty confident the original only used these wires.... I'll double check this evening for extra cable and take a picture aswell

 

[Doggit]

It's not an extra cable that you've got to look for. By virtue that you have three red wires, that means that you should also have three black wires as well, but you've only got two. You need to check each cable to see where the missing black has gone.

 

[sparkwright]

WAIT A MINUTE.

Could it be two twin-and-earth cables?

A cable with one red, one black, and one bare earth - this being the feed cable.

And a cable with two reds, and one bare earth - this being the switch cable.

?

 

[sparkwright]

Mind you, that wouldn't explain the red sleeve on the black.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Nothings impossible. Needs testing.

 

[securespark]

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[mfarrow]

@sparkwright If the sleeved cable was the neutral, the light would be on constantly. The OP says it doesn't work at all.

A picture paints 1000 words.

 

[stem]

Where did they go on the original fitting?

 

[securespark]

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[stillp]

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I think some pictures might be helpful...

 

[securespark]

[Muttley]Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!!![/Muttley]