Lighting will not work

[kevstar]

Can someone please help me. I installed 2 new halogen ceiling lights to my living room and during the installation i managed to short circuit the wiring and subsequently tripped the RCB. I blew the switch which was replaced with no problem. The lights to the living room all work fine but the light to the adjacent hallway does not work now. This light incorporates a ceiling rose. In addition the front door bell also does not work which is connected to the ceiling rose.

Is it possible to blow a ceiling rose? Incidently i replaced the 2 gang 2 way switch to this light with now luck.

Can anyone help me out?

 

[xAlex]

It's difficult to say from the information given. Possibly the hallway light was looped into the living room lights which you have changed, and an incorrect connection means it is not receiving power now.

 

[Steve]

during the installation i managed to short circuit the wiring and subsequently tripped the RCB. I blew the switch

So you were working live?

RCD or MCB?

 

[kevstar]

i was not working live, the trip happened when i switched the consumer unit on. i tripped the MCB.

Incidently the live to the switch goes to the switch on the other side of the wall which is in the living room. The live is then looped to the adjacent common on the 2 way and then goes back into the wall. not sure whether this helps you to understand the situation.

When i touch my screwdriver to the ceiling rose there is a faint light. i am not sure whether this is a reason for the problem as not enough power getting through the cables.

 

[Steve]

Throw your neon screwdriver away! (this is the second time i've handed out this very useful tip today, in fact, the third time, the first person didnt listen)

Your screwdriver will probably glow faintly in the same fashion if you touch it to the plastic case of your electric meter or your fuse box. They are VERY unreliable and are NOT a piece of test equipment.

Go and buy a multimeter for £10 from Maplin. This will enable you to TEST your connections and what voltage and continuity you have on each cable.


First things first, what wires did you have at the ceiling rose? I'm going to guess at lots of reds and blacks. And you connected all the reds together, and all the blacks together. Is this the case? Its a typical DIY error, and we can help if you can find which of these cables goes to the switch.

 

[kevstar]

Steve,

The cable to the ceiling rose are as follows,

cable 1-main cable
red to loop
black to neutral
green to earth

cable 2-switch
red to loop
black to live
green to earth

cable 3-door bell
brown to live
blue to neutral

The light did work before until i tripped the system and installed the lights to the living room.

 

[Steve]

Both reds and brown to LOOP.

main cable black to neutral, doorbell blue to neutral = ok.

switch black to live = ok.

your light fitting connected to live and neutral.

This should work! If not, something is astray in your switches.

 

[kevstar]

ok here is the switch connections. The switch is a 2 gang 2 way, controlling light to downstairs and upstairs. The light upstairs has a switch too.

For the 2 gang the com has a red cable which is connected to the adjacent com and then through the wall to the switch on the other side. The L2 has a black cable, which i guess is a live switch. The L1 to the upstairs switch has a black cable and the L2 has a red cable. The L1 to the downstairs light is not used. does this connection look right.