Odd wiring for outside light.

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23 Feb 2010
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Bedfordshire
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United Kingdom
I bought a replacement light for the outside light that has been here since I moved in (has been working intermittently for a while, think it's the sensor and stopped working completely a few months ago). The switch for this light it connected to a 3 gang light switch inside near the front door, the others 2 switches power the porch light and the hallway light inside the house.

Upon remove the old outside light I was greeted with this ...
IMG_20220604_180805.jpg

IMG_20220604_180903.jpg


There's 2 sets of wires here....

2 red which I guess are live, which are connected together via a chocolate block.
2 black which should be neutral, with one going to the live terminal on the small white chocolate block inside the light. And the other black wire going to the neutral terminal on the white chocolate block.
There is only 1 earth wire I can see, not sure where the other is but this it not connected to anything.

I have taken the 3 gang switch off the wall Inside the house and the 3 sets of wires Inside are black and red atrached to the switch with the 3 earth's going to the light shell housing.

The way the light is wired must have been correct as the light did work before BUT doesn't this wiring seem odd with the 2 red wires connected to each other?.
 
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Reds are permanent live, one from the supply and the other to the switch.
The blacks are the switched live from the switch and neutral.

One cable is L&N from the supply, the other L and SL to the switch.
 
So it's correct then, got me a bit confused ??

Does it matter that there is just the 1 earth wire connected?

How would you be able to identify which black wire was which if I wasn't able to copy it from the previous light ?
 
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Late to this, but...

I see two cores poking out the earth sleeving, so I expect they have crimped or twisted together inside the sleeving... Not ideal but not uncommon.

When to come to checking which was which I would probably use a multi-meter or a screw driver with a live signal bulb and get somebody to switch the switches.for me. That said the terminal block is labeled L (for live) and N (for neutral). So I would expect the one that is marked L is the switched live.... But I would still check. Then I would put a red sleeve on the switched live.
 

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