Light wiring in Switzlerand - help

[Swissnovice]

Hi, I just moved to Switzerland and in the living room of my rented apartment, there are 5 cables hanging out from where the ceiling light should be. Their colours are two blue wires, one purple and two green/yellow (see attached).

Untitled

• Swissnovice
• 16 Jan 2014
• 1

My question is how to connect these wires to an IKEA pendant light with only live and neutral. I presume I can leave the end of the two green/yellow earth cables in the plastic connector. But I am not sure how to fit the other three wires. For your information, the lighting point is controlled by two gang plastic switches.

Thanks in advance.[/img]

 

[undistilled]

Two green + yellow = earth cables
Two blues = neutral (loops from one fitting to another)
Purple = Switch live (i.e. when the switch is on this becomes live)

To be absolutely sure you will need a volt meter but you can always wire it up and try a flash-bang test.

 

[undistilled]

By the way, the earths will simply be left as they are - supposing you can neatly park them somewhere. Do not cut them back as they will be needed one day - even if only to test for presence of voltage.

 

[undistilled]

By the way again, the light fitting will have only two cable entries. It does not matter which one you use for neutral or for switch live - the fitting is indifferent to the polarity. The problem may be that might only be room for one cable in each terminal. In that case you will have to get an extra length of neutral and connect it to the other two and thence into the light fitting terminal.

 

[winston1]

By the way again, the light fitting will have only two cable entries. It does not matter which one you use for neutral or for switch live - the fitting is indifferent to the polarity. The problem may be that might only be room for one cable in each terminal. In that case you will have to get an extra length of neutral and connect it to the other two and thence into the light fitting terminal.

It does matter which way round they go ang live and neutral should be marked or colour coded blue neutral, brown live. The reason being is that Edison screw bulbs should have live on the tip and neutral on the thread.

 

[Swissnovice]

Many thanks. Just one clarification.

For the IKEA light connector which has two slots for live and another two for netural (see attached), I should clip the two neutrals from the ceiling (blue) to the connector and the purple to the live. Or should I just connect one of the two blues and leave one in the plastic connector as is?

Untitled

• Swissnovice
• 17 Jan 2014
• 1

 

[rjm2k]

Both otherwise downstream lights won't work! If there isn't space for 2 wires in the fitting you could run a flylead to the neutral block.

 

[Swissnovice]

Many thanks. That is very clear.

 

[undistilled]

Thanks for pointing that out, winston1, (edison screw and polarity). Lightbulb just lit in my head that the lamp might be an edison and polarity would matter.