Lighting Help Please! - Yellow Earth?

[codcelica]

Hi

My girlfriend and I have just bought a flat. We wanted to replace the kitchen light fitting from a single dome style light to a 3 way halogen job from B&Q. When I took the old light off I am a bit confused by the colours of the wires!

Here's a pic of the ceiling rose. There's 2 cables joining at this rose from 2 conduits - each cable has 1 black, 1 red and 1 yellow cable. The yellows are joined together, the reds are joined together & the black cables were connected to the old light - 1 to the brown & 1 to the blue. So there was no earth on the kitchen light fitting (it was metal)! Is this right? :

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• codcelica
• 5 Oct 2013
• 1

Here's a pic of the connections in the light switch - the yellow cable is earthed! Does this mean the yellow cables in the ceiling are earth? To confirm there is just 1 switch in the kitchen. Im confused as elsewhere in the flat there is yellow/green earth wiring.

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• codcelica
• 5 Oct 2013
• 1

The new light we have bought says it needs earth attaching - im thinking the yellow wires must be earth then, but Ive never seen cable with black , red , yellow & no earth! Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers
Gareth

 

[EFLImpudence]

It certainly all looks satisfactory apart from, as you say, Red, Black and Yellow.

You should make certain that it is and is actually connected to earth.

If you have a multimeter, test for continuity between the Yellow (or connected back-box) and something which is earthed - a socket screw (assuming this back-box is metal) an earthed water pipe, hob or oven carcass etc.

 

[wingcoax]

At least you appear to have an earth, a lot of properties round here(and all over the country)use the conduit as earth. Due to the difficulty of getting new cables in most have to ensure they use double insulated fittings.You need to check that it is indeed an earth and goes back to the main consumer unit, if so then you can fit a metal light fitting.

DAMN; Too slow again

 

[333rocky333]

Dont make the common mistake here of joining the two blacks together.
Hopefully you took note of what blacks what, assuming they were right in the first place

 

[codcelica]

many thanks guys, bought a multimeter today & the yellow is indeed earthed.

Thanks for your help with this!

 

[EFLImpudence]

Very good. Well done.

 

[333rocky333]

Might be worth using said multimeter to confirm your black switch line and mark up red/brown

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Might be worth using said multimeter to confirm your black switch line and mark up red/brown

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