Shaver socket disables all lights?

[Raggy99]

Can someone confirm if this is correct or not:
Just been doing some new tiling in the bathroom and disconnected the shaver socket (now I know its wired to the lighting circuit not sockets as I originally guessed!) anyway as not finished I termineted the wires in a connector block and taped them so they were safe while I finished tiling. Comes the darkness, turns on the upstairs lights....no lights? Put only thing I changed backwhich was the shaver socket and hey presto all upstairs lights working as they should!

Is this the correct operation that removing the shaver socket breaks the lighting circuit completely. I hasten to add I did not do any of the wiring, its all just as the house was built in 1994

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

No, makes no sense at all.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Disconnecting the shaver socket should have no effect on anything else unless wired incorrectly. Did it work properly before?

Have you tripped the mcb for upstairs lights when you disconnected it? Can't imagine you wouldn't have noticed the flash.

Have you tripped the rcd by touching the neutral and earth? This would switch off other circuits as well, though.

Edit - Take no notice - just seen it's all working when you put it back.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Is there just one cable (with three wires in) at the shaver socket?

Or are there two cables (six wires)? I.e. power in and power to rest of lighting.

 

[EngStudent]

I hate to state the bleeding obvious, but you didn't shove all the wires together in one hole did you?

You don't mention whether or not the MCB tripped.

 

[Raggy99]

No it didnt make sense to ma at all but does not surprise me at all!
As to your questions,
No did not trip the fuse, checked that was on when lights did not first go on as thought it may have tripped.
No did not connect all wires together just ones that were connected together in the socket i.e. lives together only, earths together only.
Wires connected to the socket two earths, two neutral two live.
Confussed? certainly was when lights did not come on and more confussed when connected socket back up as it was originally and they came on!

Hope that helps,

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

Ah, that's slightly different. It's an unusual wiring setup. The only explanation is that in your connector block, one of the pairs of wires wasn't connected properly.

 

[EFLImpudence]

just ones that were connected together in the socket i.e. lives together only, earths together only.

Why do you not mention neutrals here?

Wires connected to the socket two earths, two neutral two live.

but you do here.

Can only assume when you put the wires in the connector they were not touching.

Try again.

 

[Raggy99]

Didnt mention the neutrals but should have done, just a mistake, forgot to add etc to end of that sentance then I suppose it would have made more sense.

Strange setup! Thats about normal for things in this house!

Wires not connecting or tightened up correctly when socket removed? Now that could be the answer! Now that makes sense! Have socket connected back on at the moment and may not need to take it off again as done tiling there now, but may check again at some point later.

Thanks for all the replies, think thats that one sorted, looks like screwdriver to circuit interface error....i.e. me!

 

[EFLImpudence]

 

[bernardgreen]

No, makes no sense at all.

It would if the shaver socket was the first item on the radial from the CU to the upstairs lights.

Remove the wires ( two live and two neutral ) from the shaver socket and tape them separately and the feed to the lights has been disconnected. Put the wires back in the socket as they were before and the feed is restored.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

No, makes no sense at all.

It would if the shaver socket was the first item on the radial from the CU to the upstairs lights.

Of course it makes sense, once we learn that there is a second cable present.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Remove the wires ( two live and two neutral ) from the shaver socket and tape them separately and the feed to the lights has been disconnected.

But he didn't - he kept them properly connected.

 

[Chri5]

Remove the wires ( two live and two neutral ) from the shaver socket and tape them separately and the feed to the lights has been disconnected.

But he didn't - he kept them properly connected.

Maybe he didn't.

As already mentioned, if the LNE's for the 2 cables are connected in the shaver socket the lights work.

Thus the connector arrangement appears to be the failure point.

Re term the cables on a 3 way connector block L to L, N to N, E to E making sure the terminal bite the wire, not the core sheath.

If the shaver is to be dumped, the join will have to be accessable or crimped.

 

[Raggy99]

Shaver socket not going to be dumped (although daughter wonders why she has a shaver socket in her bathroom!). It was only removed so I could cut a hole in the tile that was going behind it rather than tile around it. All working fine again now.