Stupid light wiring question

[siross85]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to change the light fitting in our front room and it's got me stumped. I assumed it would be a simple case of changing the existing live, neutral and earth from the old one into the new but not the case.

The existing light was connected to a connection block with the earth connected to the light itself, this is not an option with the new fitting. Does this mean that I do not need to earth the new light fitting?

Also, these are the wires as they stand:

There are 2 black wires and 1 red wire with a bare wire coming from the same sheath as the red wire. When I disconnected the old light the bare wire wasn't in the connection block but the red wire was, however it wasn't trimmed back, it was still fully covered in it's red casing

When I disconnected it all, the lights went off upstairs so I'm assuming it is part of the main lighting circuit. I've connected the 2 black wires back into the connection block and the lights are back on upstairs but I'm still at a loss as how to safely connect the new light.

Any help greatly appreciated guys,

Cheers,

Simon

 

[sparkwright]

Ah, northern wiring.

MAKE SURE THE POWER IS COMPLETELY OFF BEFORE STARTING WORK.

If the new fitting is double insulated and does not require an earth, sleeve the bare wire with green and yellow sleeving, and fit a 5 amp connector block on the end.

However, if the light fitting is metal it almost certainly will need earthing, and there will be an earth terminal to connect to. Again, sleeve the bare earth wire with green and yellow and connect to the earth terminal.

Connect the two blacks to the neutral terminal of the light.

Connect the red to the live terminal of the light.

I take it this is how the light was wired before? If not, report back first.

Make sure the insulation is stripped back enough to make a good connection to the terminal blocks. No exposed copper should be seen though. I would imagine the wire that was not stripped back was just making contact through pinched insulation.

 

[siross85]

Hi sparkwright thanks for the quick reply!


Not sure if the new light is double insulated, please excuse my ignorance. The fitting is a simple pendant with the wires going to an terminal with only positive and negative wires.


The old light fitting was metal the new one isn't. The light fitting is made of plastic with braided fabric.

The light fitting wasn't as you described originally. The bare wire as shown in the pics was not connected anywhere. There was a single independent wire connected from a bolt on the light itself to the Choc block.

Thanks,

Simon

 

[sparkwright]

Is the new fitting plastic? This MAY mean it's double insulated.

There may be a symbol on it somewhere - a square inside a square. This symbol means double insulated and no earth required.

If in doubt, send a photo of the new light fitting.

Remember to sleeve the bare earth wire in green and yellow sleeving, available from most DIY shops.

 

[siross85]

This is the light fitting:

http://www.habitat.co.uk/pendel 120cm chrome pendant light fitting/pendants//fcp-product/29056

There doesn't seem to be any logos or anything similar on the instructions or the box.

The wiring diagram inside however shows the live and neutral of the light fitting into the existing connection block and the live, neutral and earth going into the other side so there is only one earth connection (from the house side).

Am I right in assuming the bare wire from the ceiling is the earth cable and I just need to wrap the bare wire in green and yellow casing as you've said previously?

Thanks,

Simon

 

[ericmark]

The

is bit to look for.

I was rather upset with my mothers kitchen had to pay well over the odds for a lamp with that sign.

 

[securespark]

The fitting does not need an earth according to the website you linked to.

Terminate your cables, including the bare copper wire as advised.

 

[ericmark]

Recommended bulb (sold separately): E27 15W GLS (sku no: 29939) or E27 11W GLS (sku no: 29938). Electrical class 2, 220/240V

States "Class 2" so no need for earth. But do not break the earth, if there is an earth in the cables these must all be connected together or there will be no earth at next lamp or switch.

 

[siross85]

Ha, just looked in the box that I threw in the bin after taking out "all" of the paper. It had another leaflet in which had the double box logo with the description:

"Double insulated wall, ceiling or pendant light"

Sorry guys.

I assume I can proceed by putting the red wire to positive, 2 blacks to negative and the bare wire to earth (once I've covered with green and yellow rubber casing?)

Many thanks,

Simon

 

[siross85]

One last quick question guys.

Can I get away with using insulation tape instead of sleeving for the bare earth wire? Don't fancy buying a load of it!

 

[sparkwright]

One last quick question guys.

Can I get away with using insulation tape instead of sleeving for the bare earth wire? Don't fancy buying a load of it!

You shouldn't really.

Wilko do a short length for 55p.

Maybe you have an off cut of large flex somewhere. If so, you could strip off some insulation and slide it over. It does need to be green and yellow though.

 

[RF Lighting]

Ah, northern wiring.