I am trying to replace an existing pendant light fitting with a new three light halogen "bar" designed to connect to the existing ceiling rose wiring.
The light I am replacing is a stairway light controlled by two switches, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the stairs. I wrapped together the ceiling rose cables as I disconnected them so that I would preserve the wiring arrangement but despite doing this the new light fitting keeps blowing the 5 amp lighting circuit fuse - so something must be wrong.
Inbound to my old ceiling rose were three twin and earth cables and a twin brown and blue cable. The twin cable was connected to the live terminal in the ceiling rose that was, in turn, connected to the pendant wires leading to the bayonet fitting. I therefore assumed that this was the wiring connecting the two switches providing the "switched live". I have also assumed that of the three twin and earth cables one is an "inbound" from the consumer unit side of the circuit and the other two outbound.
With so many wires coming into the fitting I decided to use a three point terminal block to terminate the inbound wiring in and run a piece of twin an earth to the terminal block inside the light fitting.
The new light has a four point bock connector pre-wired on one side to three halogen spots. One of the four terminates in the fitting for the loop wires and the other three are the live, earth and neutral connections.
This is how i have wired it. I have terminated all of the red wires into one connector on the terminal block, all the blacks in another and all the earths in the third. The brown cable of the twin core I have also connected to the same terminal in the block as the three red wires. I think that gives me a permanent live in the brown cable.
From that terminal block I have connected the black terminal to the Neutral terminal of the light fitting, the earth to the earth and the blue cable from the twin core to the live terminal of the light fitting. I think that is now my switched live.
I have also connected the red terminal to the loop terminal in the light fitting just so as to not have an unconnected wire on the interconnecting twin and core.
When i replace the mains fuse nothing happens but as soon as i switch the light on the mains fuse goes.
What have I done wrong (apart from even start in the first place).
As I mentioned, I thought I had wrapped all of the cables together for reconnection but I had one Black cable standing alone which I assumed had come adrift from the others and so put back with the group. Might it be that one of these twin and core cables runs from the other switch and there should in fact be two switched earths going to the live terminal of the light fitting?
Any help gratefully received - even if it is only "find an electrician"
The light I am replacing is a stairway light controlled by two switches, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the stairs. I wrapped together the ceiling rose cables as I disconnected them so that I would preserve the wiring arrangement but despite doing this the new light fitting keeps blowing the 5 amp lighting circuit fuse - so something must be wrong.
Inbound to my old ceiling rose were three twin and earth cables and a twin brown and blue cable. The twin cable was connected to the live terminal in the ceiling rose that was, in turn, connected to the pendant wires leading to the bayonet fitting. I therefore assumed that this was the wiring connecting the two switches providing the "switched live". I have also assumed that of the three twin and earth cables one is an "inbound" from the consumer unit side of the circuit and the other two outbound.
With so many wires coming into the fitting I decided to use a three point terminal block to terminate the inbound wiring in and run a piece of twin an earth to the terminal block inside the light fitting.
The new light has a four point bock connector pre-wired on one side to three halogen spots. One of the four terminates in the fitting for the loop wires and the other three are the live, earth and neutral connections.
This is how i have wired it. I have terminated all of the red wires into one connector on the terminal block, all the blacks in another and all the earths in the third. The brown cable of the twin core I have also connected to the same terminal in the block as the three red wires. I think that gives me a permanent live in the brown cable.
From that terminal block I have connected the black terminal to the Neutral terminal of the light fitting, the earth to the earth and the blue cable from the twin core to the live terminal of the light fitting. I think that is now my switched live.
I have also connected the red terminal to the loop terminal in the light fitting just so as to not have an unconnected wire on the interconnecting twin and core.
When i replace the mains fuse nothing happens but as soon as i switch the light on the mains fuse goes.
What have I done wrong (apart from even start in the first place).
As I mentioned, I thought I had wrapped all of the cables together for reconnection but I had one Black cable standing alone which I assumed had come adrift from the others and so put back with the group. Might it be that one of these twin and core cables runs from the other switch and there should in fact be two switched earths going to the live terminal of the light fitting?
Any help gratefully received - even if it is only "find an electrician"
