Yesterday I bought a new ceiling light (3 spots). After much huffing and puffing my partner eventually attached it to the ceiling. They looked great until we tried to turn them off at the switch and nothing happened. As you can appreciate my partner is not very DIY minded and would appreciate any advice on how to rectify problem. Don't really want to get in an electrician for such a small job.
Installing spotlights
- Thread starter keira
- Start date
If the lights stayed on when you turned the switch off, you've reconnected the cables incorrectly. How many cables were there? Did one of the black cables have a bit of red tape/sleeving on it? What did you connect the L terminal on the light fiting to? If you could send a photo it might help.
If you had an terminal block or lighting block, in,or on the celing. There would have been 4 connections,
permanent live, usally two, or three red cables,
a neutral, usally one,two, or three black cables,
earth, Yellow and green,
and the switched live, (see below).
The switched live is usually a black with red sleeving or red insulation tape around it, or it may be another red cable. This connects to the brown cable of the old light.
The switched live all depends on how it was originally wired.
I the older days, or dependant on who wired it, the switched live cables were left as black, which is very confusing for the DIYer. Who would have thought that this was a neutral.
I bet what your hubby has done is to connect the permanent live to the light (brown cable) and not the switched live.
permanent live, usally two, or three red cables,
a neutral, usally one,two, or three black cables,
earth, Yellow and green,
and the switched live, (see below).
The switched live is usually a black with red sleeving or red insulation tape around it, or it may be another red cable. This connects to the brown cable of the old light.
The switched live all depends on how it was originally wired.
I the older days, or dependant on who wired it, the switched live cables were left as black, which is very confusing for the DIYer. Who would have thought that this was a neutral.
I bet what your hubby has done is to connect the permanent live to the light (brown cable) and not the switched live.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
