New light fittings in lounge - won't turn off

[Kether]

Red wire from "switch" cable - light 2 permanently on. That's the live to the swich.
Red wire from "middle" cable - light 1 permanently on. That must be the live supply.
Red wire from Cable "3" - no power to anything. It must be this one, then.

you are putting it in with the switched live, aren't you? Not instead of.

Yes, I'm assuming option 3 should be the one to get the whole thing working properly. I will re-check to make sure none of the connections have come loose.

The "middle" red is the permanenty live cable and the switch red appears to lead to light 2.

 

[EFLImpudence]

This is what you should have-

 

[Kether]

That diagram is exactly what I've done but no lights are coming on...

So confused!

 

[riveralt]

If you have wired as per diagram then it should work.
It is possible that through changing the conductors around you have frazzled your dimmer switch and you may need to change it - I would suggest you swop it for a single gang rocker switch and try again.

 

[Kether]

If you have wired as per diagram then it should work.
It is possible that through changing the conductors around you have frazzled your dimmer switch and you may need to change it - I would suggest you swop it for a single gang rocker switch and try again.

Yeah that makes sense as the system did trip at one point and the dimmer wouldn't work after that.

I've ordered a new dimmer and some LED candle bulbs for the fittings so hopefully once they're installed everything should be hunky dory.

Thanks everybody for the help!

 

[Kether]

If you have wired as per diagram then it should work.
It is possible that through changing the conductors around you have frazzled your dimmer switch and you may need to change it - I would suggest you swop it for a single gang rocker switch and try again.

Yeah that makes sense as the system did trip at one point and the dimmer wouldn't work after that.

I've ordered a new dimmer and some LED candle bulbs for the fittings so hopefully once they're installed everything should be hunky dory.

Thanks everybody for the help!

 

[riveralt]

I've ordered a new dimmer and some LED candle bulbs for the fittings so hopefully once they're installed everything should be hunky dory.

I would still try the circuit with a cheap rocker switch - just in case the wiring isn't correct - you don't want to keep changing dimmers.
Also you will need to make sure that the LED's are dimmable and that they come already with the appropriate led driver built in. In the same context you will need to make sure your dimmer is capable of handling low watt Leds.
Most dimmers have a min and max watt range - say 60/250w - if your led's don't fall within that range or are not dimmable they will not work or they will give you peanuts in terms of light.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yeah that makes sense as the system did trip at one point

So basically you've been sticking wires into terminals, hoping that you'd hit on the right combination by chance, and in the process have had lights not working, lights on all the time, a short circuit which destroyed a dimmer...

Why did it not occur to you that maybe learning how things work before starting to fiddle with them was a good idea?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I would still try the circuit with a cheap rocker switch - just in case the wiring isn't correct - you don't want to keep changing dimmers.

FGS don't encourage him to carry on powering it up and seeing what happens.

Kether - please learn how lighting circuits are wired, equip yourself with a multimeter, learn how to use it, identify which conductor is which, and then, and only then, start connecting things up.