please help no downstairs lights

[simonlacey]

hi can anybody help 2 days ago now i swithced on the downstairs lights and they blew the fuse ,i replaced the fuse wire tried again and it blew again, at this time all the lights were still on downstairs but as soon as i switched on the lights in the sitting room it blew the fuse again.
so i replaced the wire the second time and now none of the lights downtairs work i have checked for power in the sitting room at the ceiling and i ahve no power going to them can anybody shed any light on the problem and if i have to call an sparky in what should i be paying a hour for work for them.thanks for your help simon

 

[breezer]

sounds like a fault has literaly burnt away a wire, you will have to get an electrcian in, but get quotes / hour first, as per how much depends on where you are

 

[BR]

Simon, your most likely problem here is that you gave a short between live/neutral or live/earth somewhere within the lighting circuit. An electrician will be able to track this down a lot quicker than you, using special equipment, however it is quite possible for you to locate and fix the problem yourself. If you have recently done any work on the lights or elsewhere in the house start there otherwise... Try this first:

Switch off all lights on that circuit (flick light switch)
Now replace the fuse wire and reinsert the carrier. If it DOES NOT blow, flick on lights individually to find the one, which is causing the problem. If the fuse DOES blow the fault is on the feed side of the switch.

This could potentially be a pretty complex fault. I assume your house is fairly old. Do you know what type of lighting system do you have? Junction Box system perhaps? Also do you have a multimeter?

 

[simonlacey]

hi thanks for the quick replys the house was bulit in the 50`s it was alocal authority house so it was mainted by them up to 1 year ago i have put the carrier back in the consumer unit and it doesnt blow but i still have no power to the lights in th sitting room where the problem first started and there is still no lights downstairs . thanks for all your help

 

[breezer]

its probable its in the sitting room (proffesor plumb did it with the lead pipe)

here is the clue as i switched on the lights in the sitting room it blew the fuse again.


the poster does not have a multi meter, for if they did, would they not be using it to find the fault?

 

[BR]

the poster does not have a multi meter, for if they did, would they not be using it to find the fault?

maybe a little short sited of you breezer. you would be surprised the number of people who would have cheap "blackspur" and the like meters perhaps for electronic hobbies or that came with a set. Alternatively maybe his neighbour might have one.

 

[breezer]

fair point, but i think not, lets see.

I also believe in what my late father said

"its not liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive "

no seriously he said "a little knowlede is a dangerous thing"

 

[supersparks]

sounds a silly question, but, has it been rewired?
i know a house where the street was re wired and a house was missed out, untill i told them about it, then they came out in about 2 weeks, blokes who did it said(and i saw) that the insulation on the cable was non existant, and if left a few more weeks would have been a fire

 

[sde1969]

From the consumer unit to all the light fittings must be live on all the time on a radial circuit. Then test all your wiring when the power is switch off to see if you have s short circuit. Remove all lamps to do this.

 

[simonlacey]

managed to get lights back on downstairs everywhere but the sitting room where the problem started on a two way sitch should each switch be common(red) and L2 (black) on both sides of the swicth what is L1 used for

 

[securespark]

Simon

there are two common methods of wiring two way switches:


A

at one end there will be a live feed (common) and two strappers which go to L1 and L2

at the other end will be a switch wire (live when light is on) connected to common and the other end of the strappers again connected to L1 and L2.

B

If the switch has been converted from 1 to 2 way, then you may find this set-up:

at one end will be the original live feed and switch wire attached to L1 and L2

also in this switch will be three other conductors, two attached also to L1 and L2 (so there are two wires in each of the L1 and L2 terminals) and the third will goto common.

at the other end, there will be three wires, L1 and L2 will have the other end of the cable that goes to L1 and L2 at the other end, and ditto with the common.

L1 is usually used when wiring one way switches - the live goes to common and the switch wire to L1. L2 is used in two way circuits.