Lighting mistake

[jamin]

I think I have made the mistake that is mentioned in this wiki....

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting:problems:blackswlive

Can someone clarify if the symptons I describe are caused by the above fault, ie assuming all reds are live and all blacks are neutral... and what the next step is.

Connected as described above (all reds and all blacks together) and the light comes on. turned off the normal 2 position switch to the light and bang, blew the fuse and the switch has a black scortch mark on it! Now I have disconnected one of the Neutrals and all the lights work ok and now I cant turn off the offending light.

Am I right in saying the black I have isolated is the switched live (although not marked red in anyway) and that should be connected to the light and the three lives simply connected together on the 4 terminal block. I have a multimeter in the shed but cant get to it until tomorrow and currently have a very annoyed missus!

Thanks for any help offered.

 

[RF Lighting]

Certainly sounds like it.

I think you will need to replace the switch as well now

 

[Taylortwocities]

You'll need that multimeter.
It sounds to me like you'll now need a new lightswitch as the contacts have been welded closed.


Can't help more until you've rummaged in the shed, got the multimeter, and properly tested the cable you suspect is actually the switch wire.

 

[333rocky333]

If the light is ON then you have either NOT yet disconnected the switchlive or wrongly connected to the permanent live.

 

[jamin]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I have allready swapped the switch with another and its ok, so thats one things thats ok!

All lights in the house are now fine except the one I have tried to change. Would that not point to the Black wire I currently have disconnected being the switched live?

 

[ColJack]

yes, the black you have disconnected sound like the switched live, put the light across it and the other blacks and leave the reds in a seperate connector..

 

[1john]

put a bit of red tape around that single black wire so you know for next time.

 

[jamin]

Thanks again, ill have a go tonight and let you know how I get on. Fingers crossed (probably a bad thing to think when dealing with electrics )

 

[oharaf]

put a bit of red tape around that single black wire so you know for next time.

Brown sleeving!!!!

 

[ColJack]

don't be silly.. if it's red and black then you sleeve in red.. otherwise you'd have to put a "this installation is wired to 2 differnt versions of the regulations" sticker on the CU..

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you changed a socket, and it had the terminals a different way around and there wasn't enough slack for the cable to reach, and you were going to crimp a couple of extensions on, would you use red & black if you had it available, or would you use brown & blue?

 

[jamin]

Thanks for all your help. Finally fixed with a happy (er) missus. Off to cause some more destruction in the house!

 

[1john]

If you changed a socket, and it had the terminals a different way around and there wasn't enough slack for the cable to reach, and you were going to crimp a couple of extensions on, would you use red & black if you had it available, or would you use brown & blue?

if available i think i would use the original red and black,

in domestic single phase installations the colour change is slightly irrelevent as we have had pendants with brown and blue on th flex for years and years and never had to provide warning notices before

 

[ban-all-sheds]

if available i think i would use the original red and black

What about extending an existing circuit?

Or adding a switch drop?

Or adding a new circuit?

 

[martinxxxxxx]

If you changed a socket, and it had the terminals a different way around and there wasn't enough slack for the cable to reach, and you were going to crimp a couple of extensions on, would you use red & black if you had it available, or would you use brown & blue?

I believe new colours were introduced so I would use them and splash out on a sticker for the CU