Lighting wiring help needed

[Lucy6892]

Hi

My partner very daringly (!) just chose to remove all of the above wires from the shown fitting and didn't make a note of what went where. We are trying to put on a new chandelier light fitting but now would just settle for everything going back to where it should be so that we can give in. The new light fitting doesn't have enough terminals for all the old wires and he can't remember what's what. I'm determined not to moan at him but any help anyone can give about replacing the shown wires into the shown fitting would be most appreciated as now we have broken the loop we have no lights and bare wires on show.

Many thanks

 

[Iggifer]

Are there definitely only two cables? Or is there a white one not quite showing in the photo?

And am I to assume you have no kind of multimeter or similar?

 

[Taylortwocities]

I hope he has turned the power off!!

If there are only two cables, the two red wires need to be joined together in a separate, insulated connector.
One black will then go to the live side of the new light fitting. The other black to the neutral. Both the green (earth) wires go to the earth on the light fitting. That should be it.

If there is a third cable, all bets are off and you need a multimeter and/or an electrician.

Hope you've got some candles..

 

[securespark]

Yeah. Either the extra cable (if that is indeed what it is) is a switch cable or it's a switched feed to another fitting.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Yeah. Either the extra cable (if that is indeed what it is) is a switch cable or it's a switched feed to another fitting.

Or a permanent live and neutral feed to an added fitting, TV amp, shaver point, the list/possibilities are endless!!

 

[Iggifer]

She does say she's lost ALL her lights though. Would imply it's a typical 3 wire rose set up. We shall see

 

[securespark]

Indeed. I deliberately left that off my list...ahem!

 

[Taylortwocities]

In which case, Lucy, I am afraid that

you need a multimeter and/or an electrician.

And some candles. how romantic….


EDIT

One thing you could check, to make things easier: have a look behind the light switch, is the cable there a white, or a grey one.???

 

[Lucy6892]

OK - thanks for your help so far everyone. We (I say we, I mean my partner) blocked them off with the terminal blocks and turned the power on so we do have lighting (wahoo) but trying to fit the new fitting is going to be somewhat more difficult not knowing where to put things now we don't know what they are. I'll read your replies in detail and have a good look. What I can say is that the third wire is a feed to the attic. So we have one white cable with a brown and blue wire coming out (attic bit I think), and two grey cables (the in and the out?) each grey cable has a black, a red and a green coming out of it. Would it help if I included a pic of the terminals on the new fitting? Please forgive my incorrect terminology etc, I'm not really an expert on this. Believe it or not we have tackled changing other light fittings ourselves and had a bit more success than this!

Thanks in advance everyone

 

[Lucy6892]

I should clarify that it's a single wire to a light fitting in the attic that is controlled by the same switch. Thanks

 

[securespark]

What do you mean?

The white cable is going to a light fitting in the loft that is controlled by the same switch?

So before you took the old fitting down, the loft light would come on when you turned that other light on?

It would be better to make the cable to the loft light a permanent feed, then add a switch in the loft so it is independent.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Does the attic bit still work?
Also you have like elsewhere, how is the cable in the picture currently connected together, difficult to say for sure by photo.
Are all the reds together and are all the blacks together or are the split?
Plus do you know what cable cores are at the light switch?

I would advice at this point that all the earth cables are terminated together.

 

[Lucy6892]

Thanks for the replies, the light in the attic has its own switch on the light fitting but as its joined to the bedroom light both switches need to be on for the attic light to work. This was done before we moved in and is on the list of things to get sorted out at some point. At the moment all the wires are in separate terminal blocks (safely?) and all other lights are working. The switch has the standard three wires (old so red black and earth).

Given the above would the advice given earlier be sufficient:

"If there are only two cables, the two red wires need to be joined together in a separate, insulated connector.
One black will then go to the live side of the new light fitting. The other black to the neutral. Both the green (earth) wires go to the earth on the light fitting. That should be it"

In addition we would put the attic light wires into the suitable live and neutral ports on the new light.

How does this sound?

Thanks again

 

[securespark]

Well, given that you want to "sort out" the attic light, you may as well do it at this time.

Put the attic light line (red) into the live loop terminal not the switched terminal (that comes on with the room's switch).

Then the supply to the attic light is permanent. You either use the existing in line switch on the attic fitting to turn it on or you can alter the wiring slightly and add a pullcord near the hatch.

 

[Lucy6892]

When I said 'sort it out', I meant next time we had an electrician around- but if that can be done easily now then great but I'm not sure I follow,

So I will have two red wires in a block, the two black wires to neutral and live on the new fitting and all earths into earth. Where would you put the blue and brown wires from the attic light? Are you saying the brown live wire can go with the Reds? What about the neutral- attached to the neutral on the new fitting ?

Think we are getting there- thanks for the advice so far