Security Light started to trip

[Akshay]

Hi I'm hoping this will be a quick fix but here goes. I have a front security light (along with 3 others) adjacent to the front door. I was having some new guttering installed and needed to move the light over about 2 inches, which I did. All connections were re-made like for like and there was enough slack in the cable to move the light. The only change was to rotate the terminal block round to allow better positioning of the supply cables, which is why the labelling on the light unit (in white lettering) is reversed.

The exterior lights run off a fused spur from the main fuseboard so can be switched off separatly. But when I switched it back on it causes the board to trip everything from the downstairs lights onwards.

The strange thing is though, this doesn't happen if I remove the bulb from the light unit. As soon as the bulb is replaced and the fused spur switched back on, the system trips!

Here are pics of the light unit and the connections...

Have I made a mistake in re-wiring or is something else at fault? The light was working perfectly prior to moving.

 

[bernardgreen]

Yes you have made mistake.

The green yellow wires need to go to the terminal marked Earth

Brown from lamp to browns from house, preferably in terminal marked L

Blue and one white from lamp to blues from house, preferably in terminal marked N

The red and white from lamp join to each other, preferably in terminal marked SL but NOT with any other wires

The connections you made connected the earth to one of the live wires and hence the protective devices operated on that fault.

 

[riveralt]

Did you also remove and replace the suppliers cable? The suppliers colours look in the wrong terminals.
Are the other lights the same. If so can you photograph the wiring for the unmoved light.
Is it a Edison screw in bulb? Some require the live to centre pin and neutral to the outer case - if this is reverse it will trip.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It looks like the feed wires on the left should all be moved down one connector.

Before switching on again I suggest you look in one of the other lights (if they are the same) and copy it.

You don't have it wired as per the L, N, E markings on the body but that doesn't really matter, although could lead to confusion in the future.

 

[Akshay]

Yes you have made mistake.

The green yellow wires need to go to the terminal marked Earth

Brown from lamp to browns from house, preferably in terminal marked L

Blue and one white from lamp to blues from house, preferably in terminal marked N

The red and white from lamp join to each other, preferably in terminal marked SL but NOT with any other wires

The connections you made connected the earth to one of the live wires and hence the protective devices operated on that fault.

I think I may have caused confusion here due to rotating the terminal block after re-fitting the light in the new location. Basically I have not removed any wires to the lamp, which go into the yellow sleeving. I only disconnected the supply cable so it's probably there I mixed something up.

So Bernard is the following based on the close-up photo correct?

Connect supply earth to brown lamp
Connect brown supply to red/white lamp
Connect Blue supply to blue/white lamp

That would imply I got the blue and earth supply mixed up.

The remaining 3 lights on this circuit are halogen floodlamps so the internal connections would be differnt to this particular light for comparison purposes.

The bulb type here is a BC.

 

[EFLImpudence]

No

Move all the wires on the left down one connector.

Brown to brown
Blue to blue and white

Green/yellow not connected to anything else and
Red and white not connected to anything else.

 

[bernardgreen]

EFL's explanation is good and exactly what need to be done.

 

[Akshay]

Thanks guys, that's been really helpfull. I'll give it a try either today or tomrrow and report back once done.

 

[Crazyf001]

You guys have helped him see the light (sorry).

 

[janner10]

would it not of been easier just to take a photo before disconnection?

 

[Akshay]

Made the suggested changes and it's all working like a charm. I think I simply got the connections out of synch when I switch the terminal block around to help with the wiring access when I moved the light unit over on the wall.

Thanks again to all who helped.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

All connections were re-made like for like

But they just weren't, were they.


Such basic, basic stuff and you got it wrong.

Please don't do any more electrical work.

 

[Akshay]

Such basic, basic stuff and you got it wrong.

Please don't do any more electrical work.

Of course I will. Just to annoy rude people like yourself. It's a public forum to help others of less knowledge and share experience, not make well educated people out to be completely stupid which you have done with your comments. I put my hand up and admitted I made a mistake but did I have a dig at anyone? Nope.

Give yourself a pat on the back, and that all important boost to your ego.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I'm not being rude - just observing that all you had to do was to connect wires into the same 3 terminals you removed them from, and you couldn't manage to get that right.

Whether that makes you stupid or not is irrelevant - what it shows, beyond any shadow of a doubt, is that you are utterly unable to give electrical work the attention to detail which it requires.

This time your cock-up resulted in an RCD tripping.

Next time that sort of thing could kill someone.

So unless you wake up to the reality that electrical work is just not your forte then you are being stupid.

 

[SgtTrojan]

Ahem.. keeping on top of things as always Sheds
kiss kiss