Voltage test seems okay but no power?

[AFT4B]

I look at 4 x twin and earth and think two feed in, and two feed out, so maybe outside feed in is not connected in the consumer unit, and capacitive and inductive linking are enough to light tester.

I would not link either lines or neutrals as it could cause a borrowed neutral situation. And it could mean two circuit overloads feed both circuits. And if you have RCBOs it will cause them to trip.

So what would you suggest?

 

[AFT4B]

Depends if the OP connected the switch or the electrician.

I didn't connect the switch.

But the sparky is reading my message and not responding - doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his ability.

 

[pete01]

Get a voltage tester and see if one rcbo turns all power off to that switch, if it does do what I said yesterday

 

[JohnD]

Okay, that seems like as good an explanation as any given the 4 neutrals are not all connected together. Should I just wagoing them all together and see if that makes the difference first?

View attachment 422465

I think you would be wise to invest £10 in a multimeter first, instead of relying on you indicator. The test each wire at each point. Blue to brown should be 240v if live. Blue to earth should be zero to maybe 10v. Brown to earth should be 240v

 

[AFT4B]

Get a voltage tester and see if one rcbo turns all power off to that switch, if it does do what I said yesterday

Thanks @pete01 - you were spot on!

There is a dedicated RCBO for the outside lights. (ignore the cheap wago - I need to get a compact one!)

I did as you suggested, including bridging the COM (will swap a brown wire, don't worry!) and it worked!!

One switch controls the wall lights and one switch controls the flood lights - except one! which seems a bit odd.

I might live with it though as that light is covering an external pedestrian gate and will be motion sensor operated. If there were one light I don't think I would ever switch off, it would be this one.

Thank you all for your help!

 

[pete01]

Thanks @pete01 - you were spot on!

There is a dedicated RCBO for the outside lights. (ignore the cheap wago - I need to get a compact one!)

I did as you said, including bridging the COM and it worked!!

View attachment 422482View attachment 422483

One switch controls the wall lights and one switch controls the flood lights - except one! which seems a bit odd.

I might live with it though as that light is covering an external pedestrian gate and will be motion sensor operated. If there were one light I don't think I would ever switch off, it would be this one.

Thank you all for your help!

I usually am spot on

Seriously though its a bit odd that the electrician connected his own wiring incorrectly

 

[JohnD]

"Electrician"

 

[AFT4B]

I've self managed a pretty substantial extension build/ garage conversion/ existing house reno and the stories I have to tell about "professionals" would make a grown man weep! Given I had to switch off the Main switch - it certainly wasn't me doing the wiring if that's what been implied.

I'm guessing he thought he would correct anything which needed correcting during the rest of the second fix. But then became unresponsive when I offered him to come back and second fix the garden lights. Odd!

thankfully I didn't pay him in advance for it.

 

[ericmark]

The NCV test tells you power is off before you remove the switch. After the switch is removed you needs to use leads for volt tests.

Step one is work out which fuse/MCB/RCBO feeds the switch, there may be more than one.

With leads either line to neutral or line to earth, confirm which overload feeds the switch.

I think it is possible the feed to outside light has not been connected at CU and left until lamp is fitted.

 

[AFT4B]

The NCV test tells you power is off before you remove the switch. After the switch is removed you needs to use leads for volt tests.

Step one is work out which fuse/MCB/RCBO feeds the switch, there may be more than one.

With leads either line to neutral or line to earth, confirm which overload feeds the switch.

I think it is possible the feed to outside light has not been connected at CU and left until lamp is fitted.

Thanks - but looks like there is definitely a live at the switch. I got it sorted in the end.

 

[oceansoul]

If your drawing in post 14 is correct you have one feed in from RCBO and 3 switched feeds out to lights. Not a feed in/feed out as some suggested. I think you will need to find out which brown is the live in from the RCBO. That stays in the switch with the blue link, but the other brown feeds the light which won't switch off. Unless you want this to remain on. If you want it to switch off put it with the brown of the switch that you want it to come on off with.

 

[AFT4B]

If your drawing in post 14 is correct you have one feed in from RCBO and 3 switched feeds out to lights. Not a feed in/feed out as some suggested. I think you will need to find out which brown is the live in from the RCBO. That stays in the switch with the blue link, but the other brown feeds the light which won't switch off. Unless you want this to remain on. If you want it to switch off put it with the brown of the switch that you want it to come on off with.

I don't know if that drawing is accurate for sure but for the flood lights I would expect to see three wires at the closest light to the switch (that being the centre one) with one wire being from the switch and other two running to the other two lights? As the two end lights are a single wire and the centre light had only two wires, I've assumed that's how it's been wired.

 

[mikehammer69]

If your drawing in post 14 is correct you have one feed in from RCBO and 3 switched feeds out to lights. Not a feed in/feed out as some suggested. I think you will need to find out which brown is the live in from the RCBO. That stays in the switch with the blue link, but the other brown feeds the light which won't switch off. Unless you want this to remain on. If you want it to switch off put it with the brown of the switch that you want it to come on off with.

Don't say that , he "got sorted"

 

[pete01]

If your drawing in post 14 is correct you have one feed in from RCBO and 3 switched feeds out to lights. Not a feed in/feed out as some suggested. I think you will need to find out which brown is the live in from the RCBO. That stays in the switch with the blue link, but the other brown feeds the light which won't switch off. Unless you want this to remain on. If you want it to switch off put it with the brown of the switch that you want it to come on off with.

Good thinking Batman....errr I knew that.