Need help pretty quick with eletric box

[AndyPRK]

If all the wires have been altered, maybe even shorted out L and N

Usually the two blacks goto the light

 

[ban-all-sheds]

According to the OP he originally had just the red & black (one from each cable) connected to the light, and the other red & other black just disappear into the ceiling.

 

[securespark]

Did you disconnect and reconnect the two cables in the ceiling from each other?

That light could be the end of a line: there is a red and black going up into the ceiling void that could be joined together.

If you have disconnected these cables and reconnected them incorrectly, you could have created a LN short circuit which may have blown apart the joint.

Convention is that the two reds go together and then one of the blacks (which is a switched live from the switch) is labelled red and connected to the fitting's live terminal. The other black is the end of line neutral and is connected to the fitting's neutral terminal.

But ideally, to make correct identification, you should get hold of a multimeter.

EDIT: Apologies. I was feverishly typing away, but you two beat me to it.

 

[JohnW2]

If all the wires have been altered, maybe even shorted out L and N

Maybe - but that would have resulted in an MCB operating, not the RCD.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I wonder if the RCD resumes operating if the cpcs are reconnected, either to the light or the ceiling bracket?

 

[JohnW2]

I wonder if the RCD resumes operating if the cpcs are reconnected, either to the light or the ceiling bracket?

My understanding is that the RCD is stuck in its 'operated state' despite those CPCs not being connected. What did you have in mind?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

All sorts of things - the quality of this chardonnay, wondering how near to done my (non-microwaved) baked potatoes are, what the risks are of opening up ports to allow my son to use his PS3 online.

But not, it seems, a good memory of what has gone before in this topic - I thought the RCD was now working, and un-tripped.

 

[JohnW2]

... But not, it seems, a good memory of what has gone before in this topic - I thought the RCD was now working, and un-tripped.

Well, as I said, my understanding was that it is still not resettable - but I may have misunderstood.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

On 2nd thoughts - wouldn't he be reporting more than just the lights not working if the RCD was still tripped?

 

[JohnW2]

On 2nd thoughts - wouldn't he be reporting more than just the lights not working if the RCD was still tripped?

I wondered that - but if it's the right-hand RCD, there appears to only be one other circuit, so maybe he hasn't yet noticed (or didn't bother mentioning it).

Kind Regards, John

 

[sparkwright]

You said 'some' spotlights.

Is there more you've connected up, that we haven't seen a picture of?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

On 2nd thoughts - wouldn't he be reporting more than just the lights not working if the RCD was still tripped?

I wondered that - but if it's the right-hand RCD, there appears to only be one other circuit

Sockets. Surely he'd notice that?

And the lighting circuit on the RH RCD is the outside lighting.

 

[JohnW2]

I wondered that - but if it's the right-hand RCD, there appears to only be one other circuit

Sockets. Surely he'd notice that? ... And the lighting circuit on the RH RCD is the outside lighting.

I bow to your superior eyesight!

In fact, on reflection, I don't think that we know for sure that the RCD can't be reset. What we were told is that when the OP pushed its lever back up, the lights still didn't work - so it could be that there is a persistent problem on the circuit, but not one which is now tripping the RCD (although it apparently did originally).

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

We need clarification.

The RCD looks reset in the piccy.

If the RCD trips when the cpc's are reconn'd, then that suggests a U/S fitting. Could be, it's from Argos!

Or, if there are other light fittings that have been installed/ replaced, that wiring could be suspect.

 

[JohnW2]

We need clarification.

We do indeed.

The RCD looks reset in the piccy.

It does. The more I think about it, the more I think that it probably is reset - as I just wrote, the OP merely told us that when he pushed the lever back up (he didn't say that he couldn't push it up), the lights still didn't work. If he removed the CPC before trying to reset the RCD then, as you go on to say, all might be explained!

Kind Regards, John