Flex Wire with 2 Black/1 Earth Wire

[Damian30]

Hi,

I've just bought a G9 mains halogen light fitting and noticed that the flex has 2 black wires (one is printed '1' and the other '2').

I'm not sure whether with this type of lighting whether it matters which is the live and which is the neutral. I would have assumed if anything that '1' is live but does anyone have any views.

Also when I was trimming back the flex to enable me to connect the wires into a terminal block, I slightly nicked one of the black wires near to where I cut the flex (so if you bend the wire you can see the copper). I've just wrapped some insulation tape around the set of wires - is this okay or do I need to cut back on the flex and start again? The nicked wire will be enclosed in the fitting but I wondered about the likelihood of any leakage from the nicked wire.

Sorry for such trivial questions - any views would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Damian

 

[bernardgreen]

If there is a switch in the fitting you need to ensure that the wire thatr is switched goes to live.

And / or if the bulbs are screw in you need to ensure the wire that goes to the threaded part of the lamp socket is connected to neutral.

Otherwise changing the bulb could mean your fingers touching live metal as you screw or un-screw a bulb.