1-Way Light switch powered by Plug

[rainman2]

Hello

I am attempting to put an architrave switch on a flex powered light unit. The light is powered by a plug with 13A fuse.
The light is working ok. I have cut the cable (2 core brown and blue) and connected the 2 blue wires to common and the 2 brown wires to L1.
The light turns on once but the fuse in the plug then blows.

Is it short circuiting in the switch or is the wiring wrong

Thanks for your help.

 

[comms]

You are crossing neutral & live thats why the fuse blows.

from the plug cable put brown to common terminal
from light put brown to L1 terminal
Join both the blues from light & plug in a seperate terminalblock
Dont forget to connect the earth cables if there are any, also the fuse maywell be a 5amp not 13.

 

[rainman2]

Many thanks for your reply coms

When comms says

"Join both the blues from light & plug in a seperate terminalblock "

given this particular scenario (light powered by plug) can the separate terminal block be L2 or should it be a separate one. Its just that being an architrave switch space is tight.

Appreciate the help.

 

[breezer]

separate connetcor block (both in same one) and NO you can not use L2 (it would have the same effect as you have now)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You made a fundamental mistake the first time (what on earth do you think a switch does??).

You failed to look at even the most basic of info to help you understand anything about electricity.

You were given the answer - it's a very simple thing to do, and yet you didn't understand it, you don't know the difference between a terminal block and a terminal on a light switch, you still haven't learnt from your mistake and twigged what a switch does, and you propose to repeat the same mistake.

And you're using the wrong sort of switch anyway.

For pity's sake call an electrician.

 

[rainman2]

Budget dictated an electrician was out of the question
Sorry for the stupid question
Sorted now
Thanks for your assistance

 

[securespark]

My friend thought he could cut corners and do it himself with car maintenance - at the grand old age of 36 with 4 kids, he is now 6 feet under due to that error of judgement.

I can hear people saying "yeah right - it won't happen to me". He probably did, too. But it happened to him.

I am not anti-DIY at all, but you have to know when you don't have the savvy to do a job. Self-education is great, but you need to know when you can tackle work and when you need to know more before doing so.

 

[plugwash]

what makes this connecting the light accross the switch so worrying (and many many newcomers do it) is it shows you have absoloutely no idea WHY you are doing what you are doing. Anyone with even the most basic knowlage of electricity (even the tiny amount in gcse science) would know that this couldn't possiblly work.

 

[andy]

My friend thought he could cut corners and do it himself with car maintenance - at the grand old age of 36 with 4 kids, he is now 6 feet under due to that error of judgement.

what happened?

 

[breezer]

i bet the fell on him