Replacing wall lights - help with different connections

[MasterMark]

Hello all! So I was going to call an electrician in, but I'd really rather learn to do it myself. So hopefully someone will be kindly willing to spend a few minutes helping me out!

I have some wall lights to replace. They are currently linked to a master dimmer switch (3 gang for some other lights) with a second 3 gang on/off rocker switch. Flat was gutted and refurbished from scratch (including electrics obvs) in 2017.

Probably not relevant, but both the old and new lamps are Italian. The existing setup shows double wires for live, neutral and earth coming out of the wall into little Wago splicing connectors (not sure what the terminology is, but let's say "circuit in"). The live (I'm assuming Brown) and Neutral (Blue) "circuit out" connectors have wires connecting to the existing wall lamp (the two, identical, clear wires). The earth wire circuit out seems to be another double wire, one end connecting into the lamp, the other to the wall mounting plate.

So if I disconnect the existing wall light entirely, I'll just be left with the 3 sets of double wires coming out of the wall (the mounting plate will also disappear).

The new lights (second hand, ex-display from a showroom) were delivered to me as per the other photos. 2 metres of black cable with 3 wires (live, neutral, earth) that connect into the little grey "junction box", that then slots and connects into the lamp.

Any help for how I should be wiring this new lamp in would be massively appreciated! (Oh, and yes, I've turned off the relevant circuit in the fuse box

 

[chivers67]

You just need to strip a bit of the black cable sheath off and literally install the brown to the Wago block with Browns, The Earth to the Wago block with Earths and the Blue to the Wago block with blue cables.

*Edit Requires 3 New Wago blocks or similar to accept three conductors*

 

[JohnW2]

You just need to strip a bit of the black cable sheath off and literally install the brown to the Wago block with Browns, The Earth to the Wago block with Earths and the Blue to the Wago block with blue cables.

Is it an optical illusion or do I see multiple conductors going into one terminal in the Wago? If so, that's certainly not how they are meant to be used, and may not be very satisfactory.

 

[chivers67]

Actually you're right John, needs three x three way Wagos

 

[MasterMark]

You just need to strip a bit of the black cable sheath off and literally install the brown to the Wago block with Browns, The Earth to the Wago block with Earths and the Blue to the Wago block with blue cables.

That seemed the most logical! So the black cable with the new lamps is 2 metres long - I can just cut it down to the shortest possible length (so that it will fit inside the the lamp housing), and then just plug and play as you say?

 

[opps]

Is it an optical illusion or do I see multiple conductors going into one terminal in the Wago? If so, that's certainly not how they are meant to be used, and may not be very satisfactory.

In a follow up to a previous post about multiple cables running in to Wagos (doubled up), I emailed them and said it should not be done because of variations in the thickness of the copper.

 

[MasterMark]

Ok, so replace 2-way wago with 3-way wago. For, say, the two neutral blue wires coming from inside the wall - one into wago slot 1 and one into wago slot 2 (rather than both of them squeezed into 1 wago slot as is currently the case). And then blue wire from "new" black cable plugged into wago slot 3?

 

[opps]

You need 2*3 way Wagos and 1*4 way Wago for the earths.

BTW- I am not an electrician.

 

[JohnW2]

In a follow up to a previous post about multiple cables running in to Wagos (doubled up), I emailed them and said it should not be done because of variations in the thickness of the copper.

Quite so. I imagine it's not just a question of varying conductor sizes, but also whether the mechanism will achieve satisfactory contact with multiple conductors (even if they are the same size as one another), not the least because I doubt that such use will ever have been tested.

 

[EFLImpudence]

You need 2*3 way Wagos and 1*4 way Wago for the earths.

BTW- I am not an electrician.

Or just three bits of old fashioned connector block.

 

[MasterMark]

Great, thank you to everyone for their help and guidance - should be good to go and get these new lamps plugged in. Thanks to all!

 

[opps]

Or just three bits of old fashioned connector block.

Fair call.

Edit... I do like wagos though. I find them easier to work with, especially when trying to hold the fitting up. With one hand, I find it easier to push the cable in and flick the lever.

With the old fashioned connector blocks, I need a third arm to hold the connection static whilst I tighten the screws.

 

[FrodoOne]

Or just three bits of old fashioned connector block.

However, Wago connectors can never be or become "loose", because of their permanent "spring tension".
That is why they may be used in "Maintenance Free" Junction Boxes - in the UK.

 

[EFLImpudence]

However, Wago connectors can never be or become "loose", because of their permanent "spring tension".

Neither can or do "other" makes for the same "reason".

That is why they may be used in "Maintenance Free" Junction Boxes - in the UK.

So - if a "Maintenance Free" Junction Box is not "required" - in the UK, then just three bits of old fashioned connector block could be "used".

 

[JohnW2]

However, Wago connectors can never be or become "loose", because of ...

As I often observe, one of the first things I was taught in my higher education is that, given that the real world is such as it is, any statement/question which contains superlative words such as never/always, none/all, no-one/everyone etc. etc. are almost always incorrect !