No lights after installing new roses

[securespark]

My expectation is that you should have

one cable from the switch
one cable = power feed in
one cable = power feed out
one cable =feed to porch light

I think the fourth could be a switched feed to the second light in the hall.

 

[securespark]

Hmm put my mm on and it went bang and tripped the fuse, now i need new pants.

Yikes...
Did you have the MM set to test for mains voltage?

 

[gerbils]

Here is where I am setup as of today.

The only reason I labeled them switches is because of the switch test with my mm. They both go off when one of the 2 switches is on.

The dimmer wires are also connected to the porch light because swapping these over can turn the porch lights on/off from the living room dimmer if wired incorrectly (as I havefound out today).

I have 3 wires in my dimmer, currently 2 in #3 and 1 in #2 - there is no #1 port in this dimmer switch.

 

[securespark]

I have 3 wires in my dimmer, currently 2 in #3 and 1 in #2 - there is no #1 port in this dimmer switch.

And no blacks connected together?

Can you clear up confusion with the testing using the multimeter?

What did you do and how was the MM set-up when it went bang?

Is the MM OK?

And please confirm you have touched nothing other than the ceiling connections to the lights depicted.

 

[gerbils]

And no blacks connected together?

Can you clear up confusion with the testing using the multimeter?

What did you do and how was the MM set-up when it went bang?

Is the MM OK?

In the light switch I have 3 red cables, 2 into L3 and 1 into L2 (those are the only inputs). I replaced this with a switch that had L1,L2,L3 and it works when I place the pair in L1 and the single into L2.

RE the MM - yes it's fine as are the lights. I put MM on V 200 and had a reading that was variable when placed on the left most black and red cables, about 20v give or take.

I think put my red prong into the COM socket of the MM and redid it, though I can't recall exactly what I touched as it made me jump. This was advice from my father who claims my house is to be condemned if the roses are passing electricity to one another.... :/

 

[securespark]

So there must be an electricity supply at that rose, even though you noted it was not working?

 

[securespark]

Is the unnamed black blob on your floorplan a second light in the hall, coming on with the other one?

Have you taken down any other ceiling fittings or switches other than those already mentioned?

 

[gerbils]

Definetly electricity into the living room roses - they are on just not the usual brightness - as if they are not getting enough power?

Re the black blob, yes sorry I should have labeled that. This is exactly as you said; a light at the bottom of the stairs that comes on/off with light #3 on my diagram.

 

[securespark]

The issue is that the lights in the living room now won't turn on.

That is what caused confusion. Now you say they are working but dimly?

Are both working dimly?

 

[securespark]

You say the porch and an outside light do not work.

Is there any power at the porch light?

 

[gerbils]

Hi Securespark- sorry about the confusion.

I posted an update this morning; basically I swapped rose #3 for a better quality one (easier for me to swap wires around) and I also worked out how the original rose was wired up and copied that exactly. Since then all the lights work correctly, the only issue now is that the 2 living room bulbs are unusually dim.

Unfortunately I made no note of roses 1 & 2 which I think has been my big mistake...

 

[EFLImpudence]

the only issue now is that the 2 living room bulbs are unusually dim.

Can you tell why the lights are dim?

 

[securespark]

After a lot of thinking and going back to a similar case, I am beginning to think you have your 4 blacks mixed up in the hall. But that mix-up relies on the red sleeving having fallen off the switch wire and inadvertently being placed on to the outgoing neutral wire.

In your hall rose, three of the black wires are neutrals and one is a switch wire. I think you have one neutral going to one side of the lamp holder (mistaken for and labelled as, the switched line), along with the red to the other hall rose and the other neutrals and the (real) switch wire are on the other?

At the hall rose, which I believe is the penultimate one on the circuit, the incoming neutral goes to the line side of the lamp holder, along with the red wire feeding the other hall rose.

The other neutral (which is going to the lounge, that is I believe the last light on the circuit) is connected to the switch wire (which has lost its sleeving, remember). These wires are connected to the neutral side of the lamp holder.
When the hall switch is closed but the lounge switch is open, the circuit completes as it would usually, illuminating the hall's lamps at full brightness.

When the lounge switch is closed, the circuit is completed through the lamps' filaments back to the neutral, giving a reduced brightness, as they are in series with each other, not parallel.

Is this possible?

 

[gerbils]

View attachment 107946

Can you tell why the lights are dim?

I've seen some advice that says if lights #1 & #2 are on the same circuit with a single switch then it should be both reds together and both blacks together. I think that makes sense to me, but I've also seen advice saying never to put 2 blacks together!

 

[gerbils]

After a lot of thinking and going back to a similar case, I am beginning to think you have your 4 blacks mixed up in the hall. But that mix-up relies on the red sleeving having fallen off the switch wire and inadvertently being placed on to the outgoing neutral wire.

In your hall rose, three of the black wires are neutrals and one is a switch wire. I think you have one neutral going to one side of the lamp holder (mistaken for and labelled as, the switched line), along with the red to the other hall rose and the other neutrals and the (real) switch wire are on the other?

At the hall rose, which I believe is the penultimate one on the circuit, the incoming neutral goes to the line side of the lamp holder, along with the red wire feeding the other hall rose.

The other neutral (which is going to the lounge, that is I believe the last light on the circuit) is connected to the switch wire (which has lost its sleeving, remember). These wires are connected to the neutral side of the lamp holder.
When the hall switch is closed but the lounge switch is open, the circuit completes as it would usually, illuminating the hall's lamps at full brightness.

When the lounge switch is closed, the circuit is completed through the lamps' filaments back to the neutral, giving a reduced brightness, as they are in series with each other, not parallel.

Is this possible?

I really don't recall it coming off, if anything I was very cautious of keeping it on, but with 2 screaming kids and everything else going on it's possibility I guess...