tripping out

[imamartian]

Hi,
Earlier today, i tried to add some lights to my loft.... i currently have a bulb and a flourescent in series....from a circular connector box thing.

I tried to add two light bulb holders in parallel... nothing too scientific...

So i followed the live wire to the switch... and back from the switch in a switched live to the load... and thenback to the neutral.....
But when i turn the power back on, it tripped....and when i removed the new lights it was ok.... if i do an ohm check on the new circuit, there's no resistance....!

 

[Steve]

Your explanation makes no sense.

Lights are never wired in series. Nothing is. Except some fairy lights.

Everything is in parallel with mains electric, ok?

 

[Taylortwocities]

it tripped

What tripped?
RCD
MCB
something else?

 

[ColJack]

picture speak louder than words..
do us a photo of the new light connections and where you connected them in the old lights..

 

[imamartian]

okay, i'll try to improve the terminology

Before i started, i had a round junction box with 5 cables in it. Two for the lighting circuit. One to the switch, and two others to two lights (one bulb, one flourescent).

I then added one more cable which went to a bulb holder, and i then took a cable from that bulb holder to another bulb holder.

I'm confident i'd wired up the junction box correctly.... two live wires from the ring main meet the live from the swith... neutral from the switch becomes switched live meets the three bulb live wires. And all the bulb neutral meet the mains neutrals..... and plenty of (bare) earth wires meet in a single chocblock as there weren't enough terminals in the junction box.

When the new wiring was in place, the mini rcd in my main fuse boc tripped. When i removed the new wiring, it didn't.

 

[Spark123]

I hope it isn't from your ring final circuit (sockets)
The switch live from the switch isn't neutral, it is switch live and should be sleeved to indicate this.
The earths should always be sleeved with green/yellow.
Your lights should be wired between switch live and neutral, if you have an earth fault on the new wiring then it will trip. Also if there are two circuits present in the JB and you have connected to the wrong neutral it can trip. Can you post a photo of the JB?

 

[industryspark]

iammartian wrote

I'm confident i'd wired up the junction box correctly

Ok, if you say so..........

iammartian wrote

When the new wiring was in place, the mini rcd in my main fuse boc tripped. When i removed the new wiring, it didn't

You sure its correct?


Seriously, its almost certain you have connected something up wrong and the tripping is kind of a give-away. Your terminology isnt inspiring confidence either- you talk of lighting circuits and then mention ring mains - lights aren't on a 'ring main'.

Any chance of a pic and maybe we can help more.

Regards

 

[sparkwright]

If you have bare, unsleeved earth wires possibly they are touching a live or neutral connection somewhere within the new wiring?

 

[Chri5]

 

[imamartian]

ok guys... i accept the ribbing... and i also appreciate the importance of getting this right. I use "ring main" incorrectly.... i do mean the lighting circuit.
And i strongly suspect i have an earthing fault.
I will try to get a phooto sorted.

The things i thought might have caused a problem... spurring off a bulb holder? maybe having too many wires in a junction box, and possibly trapping wires with the lid?