dizzy bird

[carefultwo]

Good morning, Now I need advice as i've started to pull my hair out, I have four halogen ceiling lights, one dimmer switch, three cables coming through, my lights had to be disabled because of a leak by a profestional, and in disconnecting he so kindly cut the cables to the lights leaving me enough to see how to wire them back, so far so good I wired them up and pushed them back in, now to the dimmer switch, three cables, one connected to an isolator red and black, earth to the box, leaving me with two red and two black, common sense she thought two red in l1 two black in o as they are the only holes available, nothing, i've tested the bulbs they work fine, rechecked my wiring to the lights fine. now what!!!, all answers appreciated.

 

[Lectrician]

What do you mean by red and black to an isolator at the dimmer?? The red and black connected into seperate 'terminal blocks'??

When you re-wired the lights, did 3 of them have two cables, and 1 of them have a single cable??

Do all other lights in the property work??

 

[securespark]

How many switches on the switch plate?

 

[carefultwo]

morning, yes two cables from three lights and a single from one, a red cable and black is in a protective white casing which i feel might be isolating them.

 

[carefultwo]

oh sorry yes one dimmer switch

 

[Lectrician]

I would say the 'isolated' ones would be the feed - 'safely' isolated temporarily.

Another will be going to the lights, and the other is an unknown quantity at this stage!

You could try all three blacks into a connector, the isolated red into one side of the dimmer, and the two other reds into the other side.

Are you sure that there isn't another light somewhere not working?

 

[carefultwo]

I have a ceiling fan in another room which also will need refitting, so reading back , and feeling a right charlie, are you saying i have to connect it?

 

[carefultwo]

right i,m off to fit my fan, .
Many thanks for you advice and help.

 

[carefultwo]

good morning, Right fan up and secured, spent all day searching the net, and diy shops, again trying to figure out these switches, yesterday I worked out with your help the dimmer switch, and on opening the switch to the fan, i found the same problem, but also an added worry, no earthing screw either inside the recessed box, or on the plate it,s self?, also i have a replica amount of wires coming into the fan room from what looks like the dimmer switch, surly all these wires don,t fit into two small holes ? and now don,t laugh !!!!, the cables from the fan are different colours, blue, yellow, earth ,and red,.

many thanks