Fitting a Strip Light

[daviepurves]

Hi All

I'm about to collect a florescent strip light for my garage and being a novice diy'er i wondered if there's any guidance on fitting it, can it be connected to the existing bayonet light fitting, I'm not completely stupid regarding electrics and have a basic knowledge but is there anything serious i'm missing possibly do's and dont's of florescent strips,

Thanks in advance

Davie

 

[GaryMo]

Yes, you can replace your existing fitting with a fluorescent fitting.

 

[jj4091]

You will have to remove the lampholder & ceiling rose & connect to the existing supply cable. The only problems that I can think of , that you may have, are the length of the cable & if it has an earth wire.

 

[bernardgreen]

It may need an earth.

The usual two wire lead ( switched live and neutral ) to the bayonent will not have an earth conductor in it.

 

[GaryMo]

It may need an earth.

The usual two wire lead ( switched live and neutral ) to the bayonent will not have an earth conductor in it.

He needs to remove the whole fitting and not just route the flex into the new fluorescent.

 

[rebuke]

The other thing to point out, is when removing the old fitting - make sure you note down which conductors went where, especially if there is more than just a single live, neutral and earth (e.g. if it's a traditional ceiling rose arrangement with a supply and switch cable).

Oh, and obviously, before starting, isolate and test to make sure it's dead...

 

[daviepurves]

I've wired it up and the light is permanently on now, the switch on the wall is not working, when you switch the switch ( so to speak) it makes no difference.

I'm sure that its something to do with there being two flex going to the rose, two reds were wired into the previous rose in to LOOP and one red wired into LIVE

The new fluorescent fitting only seems to have one connector which reads
L E & N

By the way there is an EARTH

aaahhhhhhhhhhhhh


Please Help

Regards

Davie

If any kind soul was willing to talk over the phone I'd be glad to give my number out

 

[GaryMo]

You've put all the reds together haven't you?

The two reds that terminated into the loop in terminal of the existing ceiling rose - these need to terminate into a connector block which isn't part of your fluorescent fitting.

You should then be left with a black and a red or two blacks (one with red sleeving). They are your switched live and neutral which terminate to the L and N terminals in the new fluorescent fitting.

 

[rebuke]

So have you now wired all the reds together - that would explain what you're seeing.

It sounds like what you have, is one cable coming in which is the permanently on supply (this one should have had a red, black and earth), and another going to the switch (which by the sound of it has two reds, and presumably an earth). What you need to do, is get a bit of connector block, and wire the red from the supply, to one of the reds to the switch in it. The other red from the switch then goes in to the lights 'L' terminal, as that is the switched live...

Edit to add: obviously wire all the earths to the earth terminal, and the black wire to the 'N' terminal...

 

[daviepurves]

right i'll tell you what i got,

hanging from the rafters are two grey flex

Grey Flex 1 has two reds and a earth copper

Grey Flex 2 has one red one black and an earth copper

on the light fitting i got a connector block with L N E

What do i do now, this is killing me

Regards

Davie

 

[rebuke]

Strictly speaking they're probably not flex's, they're cables, but that's me being pedantic.

I've told you where to wire everything in my previous post - you need to get a bit of connector block (B&Q sell strips of it), and then, in summary of previous post:

Red from cable 2, and one of the reds from cable 1 in to connector block, just left neatly tucked away inside fitting.
Black from cable 2 to 'N' terminal on fitting
Earth from cables 1 and 2 to 'E' terminal on fitting
Remaining red from cable 1 to 'L' terminal on fitting

Job done...

 

[daviepurves]

does it matter which red from the double red "cable"

davie

 

[rebuke]

No - basically, these will go to your switch, when switched off, they are separate, when it switches on, it links them together. The wires you put in the connector block are therefore the 'permanent' live, i.e. there will always be power there, when the switch is on, the red in the 'L' terminal is live, so the light comes on, when off, that wire is dead, so the light is off..

 

[GaryMo]

does it matter which red from the double red "cable"

davie

Technically speaking the permanent live should connect to the common terminal in the switch and the switched live to L1 in the switch.

A simple bell and battery or cheap multimeter will tell you which is which.

 

[rebuke]

I don't think there's any regulation that states that they have to be hooked up that way, it won't make any different to the functionality etc, it's just convention - so OP I wouldn't worry about it - either will do...