Shower room lights...help please

[tclapham]

I have three grey wires each with a brown and a blue and an earth (earth ignored).

These grey wires represent 1) 1 downlighter 2) An extractor fan 3) a mirror light (pullcord)/heated mirror pad. There is a 2-gang switch (excluding the mirror light) one switch (currently) controls the light and the other the extractor fan .

The plan that the electrician (who has now dissapeared!) had was for the external switches to control the mirror light also.

The three brown wires go as follows;

one to L1 (left switch)
one to the other L1 (right switch)
one to C (left switch)

The three blue wires are all together in a connector block - but going nowhere

There is also a piece (of independent) wire conneting the two C terminals

As I said the extractor and the downlighter work, but the mirror light - which has one pair of the blue & brown wires doesn't.

If anyone can hlep I'd be v.grateful. Email me if you'd like a photo or drawing....I don't see how I can add an attachment to this message.

Cheers

MOD

e mail removed

 

[mapj1]

adding pictures is described in the reference section, you need to host them either on your website or a 3rd party host...
If you don't know which of the 'identical looking wires is which, you will need a meter, or similar method of testing continuity, to reverse engineer what you have. Look in the reference section for likely configurations. You don't mention a supply cable, normally that either comes (via other fittings in other rooms) either to loop in at the switch or to loop in at the light. You need to look at the switch and see what is there too, if you don't already know.
Before removing anything number or mark the cables with blobs of tipex or indelible pen. This reduces the risk of repeating a mistake later. Record what goes where

1) If the 3 wires (actually 3 cables,each twin and earth = T+E) you are describing is at the switch - it is not clear as described if you have the wires in the ceiling light or at the wall from your post, then the blues are a neutral cluster, which makes it 'loop-through-switch' This means that the live that goes 2 the 2 com terminals is probably the supply live, and that twin and earth (T+E) is the supply.
Then I Suggest putting the new cable for the mirror light in // with the supply to the downlighter.

2) if the 3 wires you are describing is at the light fitting or mirror, then we need to know what has been done at the switch with the blue cores as well.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The three brown wires go as follows;

one to L1 (left switch)
one to the other L1 (right switch)
one to C (left switch)

The three blue wires are all together in a connector block - but going nowhere

There is also a piece (of independent) wire conneting the two C terminals

Sounds to me like one cable is supplying the switch (the one with the brown going to the two strapped COMs), and then there are two more - one taking L/N/E to the downlighter and one taking L/N/E to the extractor.

In which case:

The three blue wires are all together in a connector block - but going nowhere

They aren't going nowhere - one is "coming in" and the other two are "going out", if you see what I mean..

As I said the extractor and the downlighter work, but the mirror light - which has one pair of the blue & brown wires doesn't.

And this is where your idea goes wrong - you don't have a cable at the switch which goes to the mirror light.

If you want to switch it from there, then you'll need to replace the switch with a 3-gang one and run another cable from the switch to the mirror light. Note that the integral switch in the mirror light will not be 2-way, so you won't be able to have 2-way switching for it, but this probably doesn't matter.

Also note that this will count as notifiable work in terms of Part P.

 

[tclapham]

Thanks for the help - much appreciated.

I definately have 3 cables (each T&E) at the switch. And the non working mirror light has one of these (3) cables going to it (unless its coming off the downlight or the extractor (?).

Surely its just a case of changing them around at the switch to get power to the mirror light.

I don't really mind whether the mirror light works at the same time as the down light or the extractor, or works off its own built in switch.

Is this possible because I can't run any more cables because its all been tiled since?

Cheers

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I definately have 3 cables (each T&E) at the switch.

Yup - one coming in and two going out.

And the non working mirror light has one of these (3) cables going to it

That's what I doubt.

(unless its coming off the downlight or the extractor (?).

That's a distinct possibility.

Surely its just a case of changing them around at the switch to get power to the mirror light.

But everything is connected at the switch already. There are no wires not connected, and both sides of the switch are being used - there is nothing left to connect.

Is this possible because I can't run any more cables because its all been tiled since?

I take it you're sure that the mirror light works?

If it does, you'll need to find the other end of the cable that goes to it and connect it to (the downlighter would make most sense).