Green wire

[downsouth]

Hi, I have a chandelier which I am fitting to the ciling. On wiring it I cam up against the following:

Supply had two red wires, two black wires and a green/yellow earth
Light fitting had a green and yellow earth, one brown, one blue wire and one green wire

In the instructions I was asked to put earth to earth and brown to red and black to blue.

My question is where the wires double up (i.e black and red) should they go in the same connector socket?

Second, where should the green wire go as it is not mentioned in the instruction manual.

Thanks

 

[ban-all-sheds]

From your Q it sounds like you didn't make a note of where the wires went in the original light....

Look in the Wiki / For Reference section for explanations of how lighting circuits work. One of those blacks might be live, not neutral, and if you connect live & neutral together Bad Things will happen.

As for the green wire - no idea, you'll have to contact the manufacturer. It is just a light is it, no fan, or other added features?

 

[Pensdown]

Did you make a note of how the wires were connected to the old light?

One of the blacks could be the switched live from the light switch if so that would need to connect to the brown

The other black would be the neutral which would go to the blue

The 2 reds would join in a sperate connector block.

Your problem is which black is which or is it wired as a looped switched supply?

Is there any red sleaving on one of the blacks?

Do you have a multimeter?

 

[EdwardCurrent]

Hello,

As BAS has said, the wikki will help you.

When you say 'green wire' do you mean green and yellow ?

I think you may need to know which cable is the 'feed' and which is the 'switch line'. Do any of the 'black' conductors have any form of tape or sleeving on them ?

Do you posses a meter ?

Ed

 

[downsouth]

No I didn't make a a note of which one was which and there isn't any red sleeving on either black wire.

Is there a tester I can buy perhaps from B&Q?

In terms of the green wire and the fitting it is just a standard chandelier, there aren't any extras (i.e fan).

By green, I meant a plain green wire coming from the light fitting.

I will check the wiki for further guidance.

Cheers

Did you make a note of how the wires were connected to the old light?

One of the blacks could be the switched live from the light switch if so that would need to connect to the brown

The other black would be the neutral which would go to the blue

The 2 reds would join in a sperate connector block.

Your problem is which black is which or is it wired as a looped switched supply?

Is there ant red sleaving on one of the blacks?

Do you have a multimeter?

 

[333rocky333]

Can you see where the green wire goes on the fitting, if it is joined to the metal casing then it is likely to be earth as well.

sometimes if the fitting has a chain ,one earth is with the brown and blue disappearing into the fitting.
A second earth is a short piece connected just to the light fitting base that fits to the ceiling

 

[downsouth]

I went back to the retailer (BHS) who confirmed that the green wire is another earth wire so I've put it with the gren and yellow.

So far so good. My light now comes on but doesn't switch off meaning I've still got my wires crossed (pun intended). Right now one black wire is in a separate connector block but I was thinking to switch them to see if that might work.

p.s. Is there a tester kit I can get to check which wires are live?

 

[JohnD]

You can buy a multimeter in most hardware shops or DIY sheds for about £10

make sure you get one that covers mains voltages, not just a Car one.

You can read //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=677885#677885 if you like.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Any multimeter will do, they don't cost much.

However, if you're going to be doing more work in the future, you might like to take a look at this: http://www.beha.com/files_d/sets/1333.pdf

Looks ideal for a household starter set - multimeter, voltage indicator and dedicated continuity tester, all in a handy case.

Couldn't find details of the set in English, but all 3 individual instruments are listed.

http://www.beha.com/files_uk/multimeter/93549.pdf

http://www.beha.com/files_uk/voltagetesters/6741.pdf

http://www.beha.com/files_uk/continuitytesters/9023.pdf


Also see the full discussion here: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26282

 

[downsouth]

thanks for the info guys. I will see if i can get a starter pack.