Just nailed through lighting cable

[clarkwgriswold]

OK done that, everything's ok (don't worry about being too detailed - I need all the help I can get ), apart from one problem.

We have a couple of dimmers in the house, they all work except the one in the living room which is directly beneath the bedroom where I went through the cable.

What could that be?

 

[Adam_151]

If you managed to short the switched live from that dimmer to earth (ie the cable you hit was either the switch line, or a switched feed to the light fixture) then its more than likely that you have killed the triac in the dimmer (or if your dimmer is so equipped, blown a fuse in the dimmer), semiconductors are sensitive, the fuse in the fuse box isn't quick enough to protect it.

So check dimmer for fuse, if found, replace it, if not, its new dimmer time

(how is the dimmer not working?, will the light not come on at all, or will it come on, but stick at full brightness and not be able to be dimmed?)

 

[clarkwgriswold]

It comes on full brightness, can't be dimmed.

It's a hideous gold plated one that was going to get changed anyway, so this'll spur me on to change it!

Glad it's not a major problem, thanks ever so much for your help.

andy

 

[Adam_151]

It comes on full brightness, can't be dimmed.

That'll be a failed triac in the dimmer then

It's a hideous gold plated one that was going to get changed anyway, so this'll spur me on to change it!

Lol, thats the way, destroy what you don't like, then you have to replace it whether you want to or not

Glad it's not a major problem, thanks ever so much for your help.

No probs

 

[Diyisfun]

Hope you pulled the fuse before you cut into the cable, you are long time replying shouldnt joke really I know

 

[clarkwgriswold]

Yes I pulled the fuse ... I had to go in work. I didn't blow myself up.

 

[securespark]

(Sorry, I'm not quite sure how experciencd you are with electrics, so ignore me if I've been stating the obvious)

Not at all, if he considers leaving the damaged cable in case he makes the damage worse by lifting the boards.......

Imagine that pierced cable is a pipe with a nail through it. That pipe is the CH flow, and it's spraying corrosive fluid into your ceiling void and making a soggy stain on the plasterboard in the room below.

NOW do you just leave it because you don't want to make the damage worse?

OF COURSE NOT!

Get it fixed, man, and stop faffing around.....

 

[clarkwgriswold]

Thanks for your input, would have been useful if I hadn't already fixed the problem thanks to the help of a couple of kind forum members.

Internet forums, a place for the **** in all of us to surface

 

[selfbuildy]

Imagine that pierced cable is a pipe with a nail through it. That pipe is the CH flow, and it's spraying corrosive fluid into your ceiling void and making a soggy stain on the plasterboard in the room below.

If it was it would in plumbing not here...

 

[securespark]

My point being that it would be madness to ignore a nail thro' a pipe, so why do the same with a nail thro' a cable?

 

[securespark]

Internet forums, a place for the **** in all of us to surface

Bit of pot and kettle here, mate! YOU were the one who wanted to ignore the problem and bury your head in the sand!