Trouble with new light fitting wiring.

[slowmx5]

All,

Am stumped over the wiring for a new 12v halogen flush light fitting in the kitchen. It is operated by 2 switches on opposite sides of the room. On removing the old light I have found 3 cables, 2 with 3 wires (red,black, earth in each) and 1 with 4 wires. The 2 with 3 wires are no doubt the loop, the one with 4 wires (yellow/red sleeve, black, blue and earth) is the one confusing me. I know it is for the permanent switched live circuit with switched live being the yellow/red sleeve wire and the earth is obvious, but am unsure of how to deal with the additional black and blue wires.

Any help appreciated.

Steve.
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[stem]

Can you find the other end of the 3 core and earth and see what the wires are connected to? Without more information, there could be several possible scenarios.

 

[slowmx5]

Can you find the other end of the 3 core and earth and see what the wires are connected to? Without more information, there could be several possible scenarios.

I am not sure I can, on one side of the room there is a double switch and on the other there is a treble.

If I had 3 three core cables I'd be happy I knew what I was doing, but it's the four core cable with the extra blue wire that is holding me up/confusing me.

I've done a search of the site, but the closest I can come up with is this which has two 4 core cables entering the fitting (I only have the one 4 core).

At the moment, in a chock block, I have the switched live separate, the black and blue wires together, the red wires together and the earths together. I was *thinking* that I should connect the halogen light fitting brown to yellow switched and the fitting neutral to the black/blue cluster.

Not sure if that helps - probably not? I have testing equipment.[/url]

 

[securespark]

It could be a switch cable to a 2G switch.

The red may be a feed to the 2G switch, with the Y & B as switchwires.

At the ceiling position, one switchwire would be connected to one light fitting & the second may connect to a red of a twin & earth cable feeding another.

 

[slowmx5]

Thanks all. My Wife now tells me that the previous owners had a ceiling fan - I am assuming that the 4th wire was to power that?

Anyway to check?

Steve.
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[RF Lighting]

Never assume anything where electricity is concerned.

How is the wiring connected to the existing fitting?

 

[slowmx5]

Never assume anything where electricity is concerned.

How is the wiring connected to the existing fitting?

No I'll not do that, good advice.

I don't know about the previous fitting as what was left when we moved in was a simple ceiling rose and single pendent bulb.

I have done a little digging with my multimeter. This is what I have found.

Behind the 3 way switch:
2 four core cables and 2 three core cables.
Switch 1 (the one that operates this fitting) has blue red sleeved and yellow red sleeved common in socket 3 (top RHS looking at the swicth mounted) and yellow red sleeved below in socket 1. Top yellow (3) offers continuity to my light fitting via 4 core cable. Blue (3) and bottom yellow (1) enter other 4 core cable, no continuity with fitting, and no doubt go to switch on other side of room.

Now the 4 core cable that the top yellow enters and offers continuity to the fitting. Blue wire offers continuity to the fitting - it is also grouped/joined to the 2 black wires from the 3 core loop cables. Red wire goes to the top of middle switch (labelled 2) of the 3 but is jumpered to the tops of the switches 1 and 3. All these sockets are labelled 2. Earth goes to switch case.

So can anyone help me work out what is going on here? I am more than willing to do more testing if required to get this right. Can also post pictures if needed.

TIA.

Steve.
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[slowmx5]

Fine, that is just my private website detailing modifications to my car - there's nothing for sale on there and never has been. I work in a completely different field. Seems a little heavy handed but no skin off my nose.

- Edit, OK my bad, following another link reveals no URLs allowed in signatures. Apologies. There was however no intention to advertise anything - the only intention was to allow people replying to my questions here to gauge my general level of competence at DIY and to see what I get up to in my spare time (if interested in engine building/management/tuning)

 

[slowmx5]

I think I am happy with how things are working, but would like to check that what I am about to do is OK with those more knowledgeable.

At the ceiling wiring point I have used an insulated connector block to bring together, in separate terminals, all the neutrals (2 black, 1 blue), all the permanent lives (3 red), all the earths (3) and the yellow switched live.

I have checked all wall switch combinations and I only get ~240v on the yellow switched. The blue wire that shows continuity from the switch to the light fitting is never live - hence I deduce that it is a neutral and have grouped it with the 2 other (black) neutrals from the loop (as it is in the wall switch as noted above).

My plan is to connect the halogen fittings brown wire to the yellow swicthed and its blue wire to the neutral block (2 black one blue). Sound OK?

BTW the yellow switched goes from roughly ~240v on to ~70v off, not zero?

Steve.

 

[reggiemental]

i've recently had a disaster at home where a ceiling has fallen. I'm confident with light fittings but this one has stumped me. WHen the ceiling fell obviously the light fitting went with it. ok, to my problem.

In the switch, i have (connected by block) 2 red, 1 black 1 blue, yellow to common, 3 earths together.
at the fitting end i have 1 3 core and 1 4 core to be connected to fitting. comprising red blue yellow earth, and red black earth.
i know i can wire reds together in fitting, i know i can wire black blue together, i know i can wire earth at earth point. WHat do i wire yellow to? on the fitting i have earth and two points for wires on back. i would presume this will be for the 2 reds, and the black/blue combination.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It would have been better to start a new thread. However,

unless I am missing something the only way I can get this to work is if someone has put the switch on the neutral, which is wrong.

Firstly, please answer the following:

Are any other lights, anywhere, not working?
Do you have another light in the same room which also used to be controlled by this switch?
Is this the only switch which operates this light?


edit - Getting confused with old postings.

 

[reggiemental]

It would have been better to start a new thread. However,

unless I am missing something the only way I can get this to work is if someone has put the switch on the neutral, which is wrong.

Firstly, please answer the following:

Are any other lights, anywhere, not working?
Do you have another light in the same room which also used to be controlled by this switch?
Is this the only switch which operates this light?

yes i agree, it may have been better to start a new thread, sorry.

All the lights upstairs have ceased to work. (i'm hoping that they will spring back to life when this fitting is reinstalled. There used to be another fitting connected to the 2 way switches but that was taken out a while ago. Theres a switch top and bottom of stairs which controls this fitting. The other switch has black to 1 way, red to 2 way, grey sheathed core to common, earth to earth.
Hope this helps

 

[EFLImpudence]

At the bottom of stairs switch are you sure the red is red. Could it be brown?
If it is brown, are any of the 'reds' upstairs brown?

Must admit I'm confused by all the different colours. It would suggest a junction box or two somewhere,

Have you a test meter of any kind? Using a long lead you will need to find out which wire goes where.

 

[reggiemental]

i'll take photo's tomorrow morning buddy. too dark to see now. t.b.h nothing surprises me in this bloody house any more.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Also - don't connect all black wires together, one of them should be a switched live - it should have a red sleeve on it to signify this but not always.