Light wiring issue

[DizzyPip]

Hey,
Tried looking through to find answers to my problem but as i'm a complete novice in regards to electrics I found it hard going.

So i'm replacing a light that someone took down, no cables marked, and I'm struggling to get it all back up and running.

I've got 3 red and 3 black cables to sort, which will run kitchen/hall/utility room lights, and one light fitting for them to all go into!

Currently i have 3 red into the live connector and 2 black into the neutral. This gives power to all lights but the utility light won't turn on/off. Wherever i put the remaining black results in no change or it trips the fuse, utterly at a loss.
So my question is "can someone offer advice as to where to put all these cables?"

 

[EFLImpudence]

Obviously it is not possible to tell from here which of the blacks are neutral and which is switched live.
If you are not certain the two blacks are the correct two then please get an electrician.

You need to do this:
Note the three reds are connected together but not to anything else.

 

[DizzyPip]

Thanks for the response. I'm trying to become a little bit less useless on the housing repairs front, already becoming passably decent at plastering/joinery, hence trying to sort this out myself. I'm getting a multimeter tomorrow, to try and figure out the cables.

The light fitting literally just has one part for each Live/Neutral/Earth. Which is why i'm having a bit of a hard time figuring this one out as all the diagrams I've found don't really show this.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes - you will need a spare connector for the three reds.

Have a read of this so you know what is happening,
http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Lighting-Circuit-layouts

 

[Iggifer]

And this page is exactly what you have, and needed to follow

http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Lighting-Rose

 

[EFLImpudence]

And this page is exactly what you have, and needed to follow
http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Lighting-Rose

Don't be confused by the switch cable having two red wires.

 

[Iggifer]

And this page is exactly what you have, and needed to follow
http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Lighting-Rose

Don't be confused by the switch cable having two red wires.

Indeed, didn't even see that myself. I'm not a huuuge fan of red/red brown/brown (unless the SL gets oversleeved - but then you may as well have used standard colours!

 

[EFLImpudence]

I agree.

 

[DizzyPip]

Just like to say a big thanks guys, the images/documentation you linked me to have really helped. Problem all sorted and functioning lights that work as intended!

 

[Risteard]

And this page is exactly what you have, and needed to follow
http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Lighting-Rose

Don't be confused by the switch cable having two red wires.

Indeed, didn't even see that myself. I'm not a huuuge fan of red/red brown/brown (unless the SL gets oversleeved - but then you may as well have used standard colours!

Why not? It is preferable. Even the Wiring Regulations state a preference for cores to be identifiable throughout their length.

Over here no-one would ever contemplate using red/black oversleeved for a switch drop. It's dog rough.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

At least with an unidentified red or brown switched live nothing damaging happens if you get them mixed up. The same can't be said for an unidentified black or blue one...

 

[Iggifer]

Simple answer is to just loop at the switch

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Makes switches very busy.

This is a 3-gang 2-way switch:

Looping there could mean 39 conductors in the back box, vs 21 and no bits of choc block. OK - unlikely, but possible.

The point is that looping at the switches is not necessarily a simple answer.

It's also difficult to retrofit.

 

[bernardgreen]

Why not? It is preferable. Even the Wiring Regulations state a preference for cores to be identifiable throughout their length. Over here no-one would ever contemplate using red/black oversleeved for a switch drop. It's dog rough.

Being pendantic a good install then would have one colour for Permanent Live, another for Switched Live and a third for Neutral.

Personally I consider properly oversleeved red ( or brown ) as a Switched Live is clear in its meaning It is Live but can also be ( via the lamp ) at neutral potential.

 

[Risteard]

Being pendantic a good install then would have one colour for Permanent Live, another for Switched Live and a third for Neutral.

Assuming you mean phase/line by "live" (which also includes the neutral), then why would the switched phase warrant a different colour from the permanent phase despite the fact that BS 7671 requires the phase of a single phase circuit to be brown and not any other colour.