Light Fitting comes on when switch is off and vice versa

[mattnsiony]

Hi, Hopefully someone can help...the problem is I have installed a new light fitting and it comes on when the switich is in the off position and vice versa - I have installed another fitting in the same loop which is working fine.

Bit more detail...
I have bought two ikea light fittings (never again not worth the bother) to go in my open plan living/dining room. the existing fittings are part of a 3 light loop. the ceiling rose had one cable going to live, 2 to neutral and 3 to loop and 3 to earth. Upon removing the ceiling rose I had 3 grey cables, each with one red, and one black wire in them. the light fitting has only a L and N so I have put the 3 earth in a terminal block, 3 loop wires (red) in a terminal block, two neutral (black) into N and live (black with red sleeve) in L. is this correct?

The 2nd light fitting seems to be working fine and the other light in the loop is also working. I also can't remember if the light switch was the 'wrong' way round before I started messing about so could it be an old fault?

Many thanks for any help

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Sounds like you have wired the lights in correctly.
It's very likely that the switch has been wired in reverse, no big deal.
I assume it's a one way circuit.
If you want to change it, after isolation procedures, you can simply put red in to com and black(sleeved hopefully) in L1 on switch plate.
Or turn the switch plate upside down or right way around come to that, without causing stress to cables.

 

[mattnsiony]

Thanks for your reply. hopefully that is the case.

The only other thing I could possibly think of was that I had got the live and and neutrals mixed up - I put the red sleeve on as they were all black when I looked - I was 100% sure it was the correct wire but a few doubts have crept in now because of the problem - could this be a cause? looking around the internet it seems if I had labelled the wrong wire as live then it would result in blown fuses or lights not turning off rather than it simply being the wrong way round on the switch?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

No mixing neutrals and switch lives would cause other problems as you have pointed out, the switch function opens and closes as it should, just the switch plates are upside down or have been wired in reverse.

 

[333rocky333]

Does the light seem to be at full brightness or dim when its lit, when the switch is apparently off

The N in and N out should be the two together

Sounds to me like you have the black switchline in with the black N out
this would cause a similar problem your getting

The fuse is only likely to blow, like you read if you have connected the Black switchwire to the black N in, which i dont think you have done

 

[securespark]

I know this souns silly, but are you sure there isn't another switch somewhere else controlling the same lights?

 

[mattnsiony]

Does the light seem to be at full brightness or dim when its lit, when the switch is apparently off

The light is the normal brightness, not dim at all

The N in and N out should be the two together
Sounds to me like you have the black switchline in with the black N out
this would cause a similar problem your getting

Sorry Im not quite sure what you mean by this? I have two black wires going to N and one black wire, which I believe is live, going to L


One thing I probably should of mentioned is that the switch is part of a block of 4 with the other switches the right way round. the problem switch is on the left handside, dining room switch mid-left (for the new fitting that works), hall light is mid-right switch and upstairs landing light righthandside, the landing light is two way with another switch upstairs. I have taken the switch cover off and it looks fine to me. the switch cover seems to be split into two parts - the two switches on the left seem to be wired into the same plastic block (living room and dining room) and the hallway and landing light into another plastic box (i hope that makes sense). Any ideas?

 

[Lectrician]

On your four gang switch, look at the 'upside down' way.

If there is only one conductor in L1 and L2 (either in L1 or L2), move this from which ever terminal it is in to the other. If both L1 and L2 have conductors in them, there must be another switch somewhere, or it has been removed. If you can't locate the other switch, just swap the L1 and L2 over.

 

[Greenie9657]

Find the live and switched live coming from your light switch and swap the wires around within the ceiling. If its been done correctly then this should be the grey sleeving with a red wire(live), an earth and a black wire that should have a little red sleeve over it indicating its a switched live.(live when the switch is pulled). You can find out which wires are which with a multi meter. If you need any help with that feel free to give us a shout and we'll take you through it.

 

[Lectrician]

Find the live and switched live coming from your light switch and swap the wires around within the ceiling. If its been done correctly then this should be the grey sleeving with a red wire(live), an earth and a black wire that should have a little red sleeve over it indicating its a switched live.(live when the switch is pulled). You can find out which wires are which with a multi meter. If you need any help with that feel free to give us a shout and we'll take you through it.

What the hell are you banging on about? Nonsense.

 

[Greenie9657]

Find the live and switched live coming from your light switch and swap the wires around within the ceiling. If its been done correctly then this should be the grey sleeving with a red wire(live), an earth and a black wire that should have a little red sleeve over it indicating its a switched live.(live when the switch is pulled). You can find out which wires are which with a multi meter. If you need any help with that feel free to give us a shout and we'll take you through it.

What the hell are you banging on about? Nonsense.

If you have a problem with something then feel free to message me. Rather than do it in someone else's topic when all they want is help!!!!!

 

[Lectrician]

I havn't got a problem with you, just your reply.

Why would I message you to state your reply in nonsense? I would prefer others to see it too, and that way they would know to take your advice with a pinch of salt.

None of the advice you have given makes sense. Swapping the live and switch live from the switch in the light fitting is not going to reverse the action of the switch.

 

[mattnsiony]

quick update....I have looked at the switch and move the wire, it now works as it should, and I think there probably was another switch at some point as a wall has been knocked through to make the liveing/dining room open plan.

Another problem has now come up, we have spot lights in the kitchen and two switches, a few days ago 6 spotlights which run off the same switch all blew at the same time, the other spot lights which work from a different switch are fine. I have replaced one of the bulbs and it wont come on - is it likely the fuse has blown or the switch is broke, or could the lights all be knackered? The switch to the blown lights is a dimmer switch although it doesnt work as a dimmer it just switches on and off.

when the kitchen lights blew the lights I had been working on were switched off at the consumer unit as I hadnt sorted the switch (i wasnt doing any work ion them at the time). the kitchen lights are on a different fuse - is it likely to be a conncted problem or possibly a coincidence? maybe its time for an electrician.

Thnaks for your suggestions so far.

 

[Lectrician]

6 lights? What wattage/type? The dimmer may have been overloaded, explaining why one now doesn't dim, and the other packed up.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Or what "blew" was the transformer supplying those 6...