Strange light socket

[wozzac]

Hi Guys,

I was just wondering if anyone had any pointers for an issue that i have.

I have just bought a new property that has an outhouse. Recently the dimmer switch in the outhouse stopped working (as in you could turn the lights on but not off again) - this type of switch http://www.decswitch.com/shop/info_1133.html. As i thought it was the switch i bought another one to replace it. When i unscrewed the switch some of the wires came out of the connecting terminals on the dimmer unit to reveal that there are 3 earths, 2 lives and no neutrals (the neutrals are actually connected together, see here -

Untitled

• wozzac
• 2 Jul 2014
• 1

As im not sure how the last dimmer was connected can anyone advise how i should continue? And does this look dangerous?

Cheers

 

[AndyPRK]

The earths all connect to the earth terminal as its a metal front.

The browns to the dimmer terminals.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

.. 2 lives ..

One permanent, and one switched.

Perfectly normal.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:lighting

 

[wozzac]

Thanks guys.

So there are 3 connectors on the back of the dimmer switch. One marked live, one marked neutral and one in the middle which seems to be for when you have more than one switch on a circuit. So, i just re-install both into the live connector?

Cheers

 

[EFLImpudence]

One marked live, one marked neutral

That is very unlikely.

So, i just re-install both into the live connector?

There will have been instructions included with the product.

Please read the links above.



Wires can be anything we want them to be; they do not know what colour they are.

 

[bernardgreen]

If you put the two brown wires ( one the permanent live and the other the switched live ) into the same terminal on the switch ( dimmer ) then the light will be ON all the time and the switch will have no effect.

 

[AndyPRK]

Put one brown wire into the terminal marked Live
Put the other brown wire into the terminal marked ~

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So, i just re-install both into the live connector?

That shows a massive ignorance of the simplest concepts of electrical circuits and what switches do.

Please do a bit of reading.

• http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=electrical+circuits+101
  
  
• http://kevinboone.net/electricity.html
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/domesticinstallations.html
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:books
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics
  
  

 

[wozzac]

Thanks for all of your answers guys, and yes i certainly need to learn more about this subject. I will be reading up on it tonight.

Thanks again.

W.