how do I wire a simple pendant light fitting

[UpAroundTheBend]

I disconnected an old light fitting in my bedroom to replace it with a cheap n cheerful pendant. my ceiling has 2 grey cables coming out each with a red, black and bare/earth wire. my pendant has a blue and brown wire wired to the connector block built in the fitting. how do I connect the wires from the ceiling into the pendant? Ive read about a switched live and needing to identify it (usually black wire with a red band) but I just have plain red and plain black wires coming from the ceiling and when I disconnected the old light I didnt take any notice how it had been wired up (sorry, ill know better next time). so how do I find out which is the switched live? what does switched live mean? how do I wire the new fitting? the new fitting has connectors for live, loop, neutral, and a clamp for the earth wires. thanks for any help.

p.s. I know the pendant is blue/neutral
, brown/live (new colours) and the ceiling cables are red/live, black/neutral, bare/earth (old colours). its the switched live and loop things that have baffled me. thanks again.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You have live loop which will be the two red cables, they are connected together in the live loop terminal.
Then two blacks one is neutral and the other is switched live (as you correctly say, should be identified by red sleeve)
One black the (neutral) goes to neutral side of fitting, the second black (SL) goes to live side of fitting.
The switch live is so called because at the loop one red is permanently live, the other then goes to your switch plate and terminated at the switch, then the across the switch is the black cable that returns to your light (the one that should be sleeved). When the switch is closed this becomes live, therefore "switch live" also the bare copper conductors CPC (AKA as earth), must be sleeved green and yellow.
You really require a multi-meter or approved voltage tester to ID cables.

 

[UpAroundTheBend]

thanks for your answer. so when you say the 2 reds go together in the loop fitting, does it mean both wires into 1 clamp or each red goes to its own loop clamp?

and is it possible/safe to wire it as you say, reds to loop, bares to earth clamp and 1 black to neutral and the other black to live on the pendant then turn the power on and see if the light works, if it doesnt then switch the blacks round?

 

[sparkwright]

The loop terminal is usually the centre block, with three holes. You can put the red wires in any of these holes. You can put them in separate holes, or put them both in the same hole.

If you can get access to the loft, trace the cable that goes from the light to the switch. This is the switch cable. At the light put this black to the pendant live terminal. If possible sleeve it red, but don't worry too much. The remaining black is neutral.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

thanks for your answer. so when you say the 2 reds go together in the loop fitting, does it mean both wires into 1 clamp or each red goes to its own loop clamp?

and is it possible/safe to wire it as you say, reds to loop, bares to earth clamp and 1 black to neutral and the other black to live on the pendant then turn the power on and see if the light works, if it doesnt then switch the blacks round?

The two reds need to have continuity, so must contact each other, depending how the loop is on the fitting would dictate the way you achieve this.
The earths go to earth terminal and continuous connection.
It is likely that which ever way round you terminate the two blacks, the light will work, as it seems this is last in line. Not the safe thing to do though, I would strongly suggest you identify these conductors, prior to connecting.

 

[ColJack]

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