Outside light stopped working, cable came out behind switch

[burt64]

Hi,

My outside light stopped working, which consists of a light bulb either side of the front door. I removed the four gang switch faceplate and discovered a red wire has come loose. With a tester I identified that this is not live and presume it is the circuit for the switch and should be connected to B1 together with the other cable. The image below shows the loose wire and position of B1 with the cyan arrows (the cable in B1 is not loose). The yellow circle identifies the switch with the fault. What I cannot understand is why both lights are not operating with this cable out and the other one still connected.

Grateful for any advice on how to test if this loose cable is part of the light circuit. I have a multitester.

 

[EFLImpudence]

All looks correct in the wiring excluding that unconnected wire.

Can only suggest you look at the wiring in the lights.
There might be a loose wire there and this unconnected wire is something else.
Then you can check the continuity from the lights to the switch

If one of the lights has two cables then only one wire would be needed at the switch.

 

[EFLImpudence]

This might help or you might know it already:

 

[burt64]

Hi,

Firstly, thanks for the help. You affirmed my thinking with the wiring.

So i demantled the lamps and dids a continuity test. The existing red wire in B1 with the cyan arrow is actually dead. It might have been an old outside light that was on the corner wall that the previous owner removed. So i took this out and put some electrical tape on it. There is continuity on the loose red wire to the lamps, so i put this in the B1 clamp and hey presto, light!

Thanks again for the help. Made my day.

 

[EFLImpudence]