New light onto a 2 way gang switch? - Tripped out

[Hightowermark]

Hi was wondering if someone can help me, i bought a light from Ikea yesterday and it's a block conector type, with only L/N wires. The light i'm replacing is a 2 way hall light with 3 cables coming down. Now the connector has only space for 2, can i cut off the connector and replace this with a 3 one and then wire the 3 lots of cable into this?

Also this light does not have a Earth switch so i just isolate this in it's own connector block?

Thanks

 

[andy]

perm. lives need to be in a seperate terminal block, as do earths if the light is class 2.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

the connector has only space for 2, can i cut off the connector and replace this with a 3 one and then wire the 3 lots of cable into this?

Absolutely not.

(Unless you want a bang when you switch on and have all the lights go out).

Look in the For Reference section for details of how lighting circuits work, and also here //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=221209#221209 which contains some illustrations that disappeared from there.

And put the first few books from here //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=75416#75416 on your Christmas list.....

Also this light does not have a Earth switch so i just isolate this in it's own connector block?

Yes.

 

[Hightowermark]

Look in the For Reference section for details of how lighting circuits work, and also here //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=221209#221209 which contains some illustrations that disappeared from there.

Also this light does not have a Earth switch so i just isolate this in it's own connector block?

Yes.

Sorry my wording is not what i wanted to stay, i ment what you posted in the first link. What i ment but cutting the connector block was the one on the light i'm fitting.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It wasn't the replacement of a 2-way block with a 3-way that was the problem - it was the idea that you could put all 3 sets of wires from the ceiling into a 3-way block.

 

[Hightowermark]

Thanks all sheds, good job i checked here before hand, never done a 2 way before. And my DIY book did not pick up on it, so will be getting a few books for xmas i think.

Thanks again for all the good info.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ok it went bang!

Here's what the wiring is like

3 red 'Loop' wires

2 Black N wires

1 Black (Red tape) L wire

3 G/Y earth wires

The 3 Loop wires are in a Connector block on it's own.

The i got a 3 way connector block.

And it's wired like this to the light i've installed.

1 Live wire (Black/Red tape) - Brown wire
2 Neut Black wires - Blue Wire
3 Earth wires - No wire.

All wired up and hit the power and the consumer unit knocked off

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Was it that i did'nt put the Earth wires in it's own connector block?

_____________________________________
moderator

please note 10a in forum rules

 

[Adam_151]

Was it that i did'nt put the Earth wires in it's own connector block?

What connector did you put the earths in?

They all want to be together with each other, but not with anything else

 

[Hightowermark]

I used normal connector blocks, it looks like the picture above (from the links)

Loop all on it's own, and then 3 peice connector block with L,N & E wired into it.

Never done a 2 way before and after this might not again.

 

[Lectrician]

umm...sounds reasonable. I expect you confuces the black with red sleeve with another one of the blacks somehow. Easily done.

You need a meter to determine which black is really a live!

And, yes, this light may be able to be switched from two positions, but the wiring at the light fitting is standard for 1 way or 2 way switching. It is the switched that are wired differently for 2 way.

 

[Hightowermark]

After a process of elimanation we found out that the black switch wire had the wrong peice of tape, so it took a few tries but now we have light.

At least i've learned far more in getting it wrong than getting it right first time, so good experence,.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Lectrician]

I hope your process of elimination wasn't trying each combination until it didnt trip