Cable Colour Confusion - Please help !

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Hi, I have just removed my daughters ceiling (main) bedroom light as I am trying to fit a newly purchased one before it gets dark..and discovered three thick grey cables coming from the attic through the ceiling and into the old light connection...each one has 3 little wires sticking out, one Red, one Green and one Black. Which colour is which please? and which ones do I use as the new light fitting is very simple and only has three slots for wires and I obviously have 9 wires to deal with...hope this makes sense to someone..Please help ! Thank you.
 
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Just put three wires back into the new light and it works fine but won't switch off at the wall ! Arrgghh, how will I know which one is for the switch as I have 6 spare wires to choose from :(
 
Look at the link I posted above, it tells you how to test for the switch wire. You will probably find other lights do not work at the moment. You will need another piece of block so you have 4 in total. The wiring diagram is in the link I posted.
 
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you have made a very common mistake :(

the good news is that you will pass the rest of your life without making this mistake again :)

the three cables are (almost certainly) power in; power out to next lamp, and Switch.

However as you did not mark them and draw a diagram before you started, you do not know which is which.

To find out, you need a multimeter (which will cost you about £10 in a hardware or DIY shop); some 6A choc-block (insulated terminal strip), a fine marker pen (and preferably also some white vinyl tape; some red sleeving (or red vinyl tape) and, if you have any bare copper earth wire showing, some green and yellow sleeving.

If you have a table lamp or uplighter you will be able to do it tonight, otherwise it will be a job for tomorrow.

We can talk you through it when you have the bits. it will take a matter of minutes when you have the right tools.

edited: looks like Spark123 has it covered :oops:
 
Hello again, thank you for the advice..I will have to buy a 4 block for the wires tomorrow as the new light only comes with a 3 block...I also have a multimeter at work so I will bring that home as well..hope I get it sorted tomorrow...daughter will just have to use bedside light for tonight :-/ Thanks again, I might be back on here same time tomorrow to continue the saga...
 
the way I test the wires is to put each of them (except the earths) into a separate terminal in the strip... so use 6 terminals when testing

you usually buy it is a pack of strips. You can cut it to the amount you need.
 
Thanks JohnD...so do you place all 6 wires(except earth) in the block (seperate terminals) and then what ? Do you just pull them out one by one to see which one operates the switch..which is the wire I am trying to locate?..Sorry I'm a bit thick when it comes to DIY (Like you havn't noticed).. :(
 
you then test them with your multimeter to see which is which. You can identify the switch cable with power off because continuity comes and goes as you operate the switch. You later tag the Switched Live core with your red sleeving and if you're me, you put a white vinyl label on each cable sheath to say "supply in" "supply out" "switch"
 
Thanks John, that kinda makes sense to me...I will see how it goes tomorrow - wish me luck... :LOL:
 
Hi, from my thread last night about fitting a new ceiling light in my daughters bedroom, (see further down this forum) I now have a 6 block to put all 9 wires into...which bit of the block does the "switch" wire go into as I have put black facing black,,red facing red etc...but still when I turn the mains back on the light remains on regardless of the lightswitch position..Please help It's really annoying...and it's gettiong dark ! Arrrgggh ! :(

I wanted you to put one wire in each terminal. None connected to each other. Then you can test and identify them.

If you only have 6 terminals available, put the 3 reds and 3 blacks into them while you test, with the earth wires all in the ceiling rose.

Like I said yesterday...

...To find out, you need a multimeter (which will cost you about £10 in a hardware or DIY shop); some 6A choc-block (insulated terminal strip), a fine marker pen (and preferably also some white vinyl tape; some red sleeving (or red vinyl tape) and, if you have any bare copper earth wire showing, some green and yellow sleeving....


...We can talk you through it when you have the bits. it will take a matter of minutes when you have the right tools....
 
Hi, I have just removed my daughters ceiling (main) bedroom light as I am trying to fit a newly purchased one before it gets dark..and discovered three thick grey cables coming from the attic through the ceiling and into the old light connection...each one has 3 little wires sticking out, one Red, one Green and one Black. Which colour is which please?

This: //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:lighting_circuit_layouts shows a lighting circuit building up, and explains the presence of 3 twin&earth cables there.

All of these show ceiling roses, and explain the presence of 3 twin&earth cables:

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=35550#35550

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=153373#153373

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=865866#865866

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=865871#865871

This: //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:rose shows how to replace a ceiling rose with a light that has only L/N/E terminals, and you'll find other versions of it in the For Reference topic.
 

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