Rewire dimmer after council visit

[ags87]

Hi, Iam new here and hope someone will be able to guide me.

I replaced a single switch for a double dimmer and added some wall lights. After some mucking around I managed to get them working and everything seemed fine until the council showed up to do a house check. They replaced some lights and main box, but now the dimmer for my wall lights trips when I turn it on.

I would call the council, but I am not sure if I would get billed for the fix as I done the original work. Anyhow here is a pick below of my wiring which is tripping out, is my wiring correct?

Thanks in advance

 

[deadshort]

What trips MCB or RCD ?

regards,

DS

 

[Taylortwocities]

I feel the rumblings of a borrowed neutral....

From where do the wall lights get their neutral?

 

[deadshort]

How very right you are sir! off the back of the nearest socket no doubt !

DS

 

[deadshort]

The council obviously completed tests when installing the new 'box' NOT !

DS

 

[Echo the husky]

Or worse, the neutral comes from the earth terminal in the back box.

 

[ags87]

I feel the rumblings of a borrowed neutral....

From where do the wall lights get their neutral?

Didn't think installing some low voltage lights would cause me a problem. Cannot recall where the neutral comes from, been up for over six years. Would they not work at all if they didnt have a neutral?

 

[securespark]

Yes, if the neutral comes from a different circuit, the lights will work. Even if the lights use the cpc to return, they will illuminate. Very wrong, but they do light up.

 

[ags87]

I would have thought I would have got the neutral the same place as I got the live. Instinct tells me this should be at the switch? Excuse my ignorance, I would automatically assume it was something I had done if I had more confidence in the council.

 

[Echo the husky]

Well you are there, what does it connect to?! It's cut off in the photo.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I would have thought I would have got the neutral the same place as I got the live. Instinct tells me this should be at the switch? .

Don't trust your instinct then. It is more usual for the neutral NOT to be at the switch.
Per the above. Let's see a better pic of the wiring, especially the cable that goes to the wall light.

 

[Adam_151]

Excuse my ignorance, I would automatically assume it was something I had done if I had more confidence in the council.

It doesn't look like there is a neutral at that switch, as others have said, we need a better picture at the switch and also at the lights

 

[ags87]

The cable that runs to the lights has a stiff copper wire which I ran to the earth on the back box of the switch. The black and grey cable don't go anywhere yet. Haven't connected them yet or wasn't aware they were not connected because the lights were working. Wish I was in a more fortunate position where I didn't have to trust my instincts. I will take a better picture once I have fixed my phone. On my grandsons tablet which is not great - sorry

 

[ericmark]

The wire I have named "this wire" rings alarm bells. Likely it is causing a borrowed neutral, from what you say I would think if removed wall lights would stop working but nothing would trip.

I would expect to find when some one wired the wall lights they have borrowed the neutral for somewhere like the sockets, and the use of a borrowed neutral is not permitted as it can cause circuits proved as dead to become live. It is very dangerous for those working on the system.

I know in Flintshire when council houses are upgraded all the lovely chandeliers were ripped out and it was returned to ceiling rose and pendent lamp, it was council policy not to permit any changes to lighting all dimmers also removed and all went into the skip, so you are lucky that did not happen with you. The ceiling roses and wall switches were all charged to tenant together with a standard time. My son doing the job got told off for not skipping a chandelier he was told, don't care if you intended to steal it, or leave it for the tenant you don't leave anything like that in the house, it goes into the skip. So yes calling the council may not be a good move. Even if who ever fitted the new consumer unit (electric box) has made errors likely better not to high light it.

 

[deadshort]

You must have connected the neutral from the wall lights to something ? Did you fit a join box somewhere along the route of the cable?

You need to get a neutral from the same lighting circuit that supplies the L to the dimmer switch.
The good thing is that you have spare cores on you cable at the switch which must run to the cable connected to the wall lights. So you are not cutting walls open at the switch!

DS