New halogen light keeps tripping

[Sky123]

Hello,

I have been replacing a ceiling rose in the kitchen with a new halogen bar and have run into some trouble.

The rose is at the end of the circuit and only has two flex cables coming into it. I have terminated the two red live wires in a connector block and wrapped in electrical tape, attached the switched lived (the black wire with a red sleeve) into the live on the new fitting and the only black wire into the neutral. Both earths have been connected to the earth on the new fitting.

When I try to turn the new light on, it trips the circuit straight away. Providing the circuit hasn't been tripped, the other light on the circuit works just fine. Have I done something fundamentally wrong with the wiring, or is there a more serious problem?

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Sky

 

[ColJack]

what's tripping ? is it just an MCB or is it tripping an RCD?

take the earths out and put them in a connector block together..
does this cure it?

what rating is the light and what other lighting do you have on the same circuit?

 

[PrinceofDarkness]

Are you serious, ColJack, about removing the earth connection from a potentially faulty fitting?

If the fitting is 'ClassI' and the cpc is removed it would lead to the casing becoming 'live' in the event of an earth leakage fault.

There are such things as test meters, without resorting to 'trial by elimination'.



Lucia.

 

[ColJack]

you're right.. sorry..

make sure you are not holding the fitting when turning it back on and that no one else is holding it or able to get to it without your knowledge..
if it does not trip, turn it back off and take the fitting back it's fubar..

until we hear back whether it's a RCD, RCBO or MCB that's tripping we're only guessing at the fault

 

[Taylortwocities]

Just in case the OP is not sure what the differences are:

Untitled

• Taylortwocities
• 27 Mar 2010
• 43

 

[PrinceofDarkness]

Your first step, as a DIYer, Sky123, should be to remove the new fitting and refit the original rose - just to verify that you haven't done anything silly with the connections.

What type of halogen fitting is it? Does it have 230V lamps, or is it one of those dreadful ELV fittings with an in-built toroidal transformer (which often have a very dirty in-rush current for a domestic MCB)?


Lucia.

 

[Sky123]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all your replies - especially on a bank holiday Monday - or maybe that's the best time to look for help!!!

We have an old style consumer unit, which has 5A standard type fuses in it. There are two lighting circuits in the house, and as soon as I try and turn on the new halogen, nothing happens and I find one of the fuses blown.

The light we have installed is an IKEA job, with 4x 12V 20W bulbs. There are four other lights on the circuit, two of which are interior halogens bars (not sure of the ratings on these off hand) and two exterior standard type lights. None of these lights have been on when I have tried to turn the new light on.


The new halogen I am trying to install was to replace another halogen bar which had some flex going from the rose into as external transformer - the wires coming out of the non-mains side of the transformer were well and truly fried hence the need to replace it (this was put in by the people who used to live in the house and looks like a bit of a bodge job and I have never seen it work). Whoever uncovered it removed the switch from the wall and put all the wires in connector blocks so it couldn't be used. Acquired a new switch (only one switch controls the light so nothing too complicated) and wired that in as well.?

We had some fairly lights up in the kitchen as a temp measure, but trying to find something more permanent now.

 

[Johnmelad502]

Ignore wires supply to next light

 

[PrinceofDarkness]

Do yourself a favour, Sky, and get an electrician in.

You ommited to say in your O/P that the original ceiling rose also didn't work and that the switch had been disconnected.

Don't bother to add more information. Just get an electrican in.



Lucia.

 

[Sky123]

Yeah - I feared that it might be something more serious than just changing the light fitting but thought it was worth a shot as the one that was left with the property had to be replaced in any case.

Will be calling the sparky in the morning!

Thanks everyone for all your help!

S

 

[1john]

Yeah - I feared that it might be something more serious than just changing the light fitting but thought it was worth a shot as the one that was left with the property had to be replaced in any case.

Will be calling the sparky in the morning!

Thanks everyone for all your help!

S

Be sure to let us know the outcome and what the problem was.

 

[RF Lighting]

is it one of those dreadful ELV fittings with an in-built toroidal transformer (which often have a very dirty in-rush current for a domestic MCB)?

I reckon you're probably bang on the money there.

 

[Taylortwocities]

He would be, except for this little bit of information - that is puzzling me.

We have an old style consumer unit, which has 5A standard type fuses in it. There are two lighting circuits in the house, and as soon as I try and turn on the new halogen, nothing happens and I find one of the fuses blown.

 

[ColJack]

were the fairy lights wired to the lights or plugged into a socket?

if they were plugged in and the old light never worked then odds are there's a damaged wire somewhere.. might be a nail through the wire or a melted cable somewhere..

 

[PrinceofDarkness]

Quite so, 'Taylor-two': A cheap toroidal transformer wouldn't normally bother a fuse link as much as a Type B MCB. But at the time of my suggestion the O/P had only written of the circuit 'tripping'. Subsequently he added that bit about the elderly fuse box and that the wall switch had been disconnected. I then realised that he was out of his depth, so I suggested that he should contact an electrician.

There's something significant in the fact that switch had been disconnected.


Lucia.