installing a spotlight with too many wires

[marcymarc]

hello

am new to al this diy stuff. i am trying to fix a spotlight to the ceiling but am having problems connecting it. the connector that comes with it ha space for 1L, 1N, 1E. but coming from the ceiling i have 3 black N wires, 3 Red L wires and 1E wire. theres just too many wires.

any clues would be appreciated

thanx a bunch

 

[johnny_t]

Well the good news is that that's the right ammount of wires !! The slightly less good news is that if you didn't take notes when you took the old light off, you've got a bit of working out to do.

If you look in the 'For Reference' section at the top of the Electrics Forum, you will find a diagram of how lights should be connected. Not all light fittings have all the necessary connections, so you need to improvise a bit.

All three red wires want to be connected together in a new piece of terminal block, and to nothing else.

Two of the blacks need to go to the N terminal in your light fitting. The other one (which is the switched live) should go to the L terminal. Unless you are feeling adventurous, you will need a multimeter to work out which is the switched live. If one of the blacks has some red sleeving or tape on it, that is almost certainly your switched live.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

coming from the ceiling i have 3 black N wires, 3 Red L wires and 1E wire. theres just too many wires.

No - there are 2 too few...

 

[johnny_t]

Ah yes - The practice of ommiting the earth for clarity also extends to my brain when reading.......

 

[Qedelec]

Oh dear! you forgot the golden rule of DIY "always note how it was BEFORE you take it apart"

 

[pdcelec]

hello

am new to al this diy stuff.

Good luck with any projects that you undertake

i am trying to fix a spotlight to the ceiling but am having problems connecting it.

Use a terminal screwdriver and connect the wires to the appropriate terminals

the connector that comes with it ha space for 1L, 1N, 1E.

That sounds correct

but coming from the ceiling i have 3 black N wires, 3 Red L wires and 1E wire.

should have 3 earth wires as well as L N

theres just too many wires.

Remove the ones that you think are excessive then

any clues would be appreciated

Have a look in the "for reference" section, and all will become clear.