Under cabinet and plinth lighting off mains light switch

[littlecookie]

Just fitted a kitchen and I'm having problems with the cabinet lighting which are 12v with transformers. The house has been fully rewired but the sparky who did it is abroad on his holidays so I can't ask him ,what I've got is 2lives n earths unconnected in the main kitchen light switch ready to connect to a 2 gang and the main lighting is live coming out under cabinet is live n earth and a loop of neutral from what I remember this is so it also the plinth lighting neutral when cut, the transformers have the normal line n neutral but when connected the lighting does not work ,I've connected both earths in the switch and also the live ,but the lights do not turn on,but I've tested the live and neutral and they are both live ,I'm no totally stumped and hope you clever sparkys can help me solve it plz,I can't wait till he's back or get in touch with him .cheers

 

[bernardgreen]

but I've tested the live and neutral and they are both live

Well there is the reason the lights do not work.

If the wire you refer to as a neutral is in fact live then there is no effective neutral. The lamps need both live and neutral to work.

In fact if the neutral is showing live then there may be a serious fault in the wiring.

Maybe a good idea to get another electrician to sort this out.

 

[riveralt]

Just fitted a kitchen and I'm having problems with the cabinet lighting which are 12v with transformers. The house has been fully rewired but the sparky who did it is abroad on his holidays so I can't ask him ,

My head is hurting already.

what I've got is 2lives n earths unconnected in the main kitchen light switch

Are you sure you have two lives - perhaps a live and a switch live?

ready to connect to a 2 gang

is this the wall switch for the main lights and undercupboard lights?

and the main lighting is live coming out under cabinet is live n earth and a loop of neutral

Do you mean that this mains lighting live and neutral is coming to the switch or going to the under cupboard lighting - to a?????? junction box of some kind???

from what I remember this is so it also the plinth lighting neutral when cut,

AH!! now this makes absolute - no sense

the transformers have the normal line n neutral but when connected the lighting does not work ,

Which is hardly suprising.

I've connected both earths in the switch and also the live ,

which live would that be?

but the lights do not turn on,

I know you said earlier.

but I've tested the live and neutral and they are both live ,

which live and which neutral?

I'm no totally stumped and hope you clever sparkys can help me solve it plz,I can't wait till he's back or get in touch with him .cheers

You may have to unless you can present a more accurate picture of what is going on.
A drawing of what you have - pictures of the current wiring set up - anything that will give us a clue about what you have.

Your 'Holidaying Sparky' should have left the switch already set up and run the cable to junction boxes above the cupboard - then all you would have to do would be to connect your cables from the transformers to the junction boxes.

 

[EFLImpudence]

You cannot have a live neutral.

If it's live it's not neutral.

Hope this helps.

 

[littlecookie]

Il av a look when I go back to the house and see if I can give more information ,won't be using him again that's for sure it's all been passed but getting back in touch is a joke I thought it was ready to connect until I looked in the switch [/list]

 

[littlecookie]

Your 'Holidaying Sparky' should have left the switch already set up and run the cable to junction boxes above the cupboard - then all you would have to do would be to connect your cables from the transformers to the junction boxes.[/quote]

Last 2 sparkys I've used have done that for me but where too busy when I needed them so I found this young sparky who a builder reccomended he didn't want to do what ive had done before,maybe going av to get a different sparky In

 

[littlecookie]

Ok ignore most of my first message as its confusing as hell ....Right ive just had another look ,in the kitchen light switch there is 2 brown wires and both have a earth these are just tucked in loose not connected ,the light switch is ment to turn on both the cabinet and plinth lights at the same time ,and the kitchen ceiling light works independently ...under the wall cabinets he has a brown wire with earth coming out and also a loop of cable which is neutral ,which he mentioned would be for both the under cabinet and plinth lights.... At floor level there is a brown cable a blue cable and a earth cable these 3 are in a chock block

 

[riveralt]

Ok ignore most of my first message as its confusing as hell

Agreed

....Right ive just had another look ,in the kitchen light switch there is 2 brown wires and both have a earth these are just tucked in loose not connected ,

Unusual to have a brown wire and earth together- is this cable twin and earth grey outer sheath with(brown and blue wire insulation and copper earth?) or is it conduit wire - single with brown insulator for live - single with green/yellow insulator for earth and single with blue insulator for neutral.
Like this:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/6491x-2-5mm-conduit-wiring-cable-brown-100m/31673

the light switch is ment to turn on both the cabinet and plinth lights at the same time ,and the kitchen ceiling light works independently

Is the main kitchen ceiling switch wired and working and how is it wired - photograph would help.

...under the wall cabinets he has a brown wire with earth coming out and also a loop of cable which is neutral ,which he mentioned would be for both the under cabinet and plinth lights....

This bit is confusing unless he is using conduit wire - photograph would help here.

At floor level there is a brown cable a blue cable and a earth cable these 3 are in a chock block

So they are not connected to the plinth lights yet?

 

[littlecookie]

No not twin n eqrth ...The cable he's used is grey outer and brown inner and also I bare copper wire running next to the brown,the bare wire is what he's put an earth sleeve on in the light switch,the kitchen light is wired and working fine and the plinth lights are not connected at all

 

[littlecookie]

Also the neutral is a single cable grey outer blue inner sheaf,I've not seen it done this way before

 

[riveralt]

No not twin n eqrth ...The cable he's used is grey outer and brown inner and also I bare copper wire running next to the brown,

Again not come across that arrangement of cabling before - are you sure it isn't Twin and Earth and he has (for some reason) cut the blue insulated wire back?

the bare wire is what he's put an earth sleeve on in the light switch,the kitchen light is wired and working fine and the plinth lights are not connected at all

Okay, as I said earlier we need photographs of the inside of the switch to see how the main kitchen lighting is set up. I.e. does it have a live, neutral and earth or does it have live/switch live and earth.

My concern is that he has set up the latter at the switch and is bringing a live/neutral and earth to the switch from the plinth/cupboard - which could mean you have un protected live/neutral cables floating around your cupboards given your earlier comments.

At the end of the day - it is going to be very difficult to sort this out from afar and you will more than likely have to get someone in to help sort out this mess.

 

[RF Lighting]

The wiring is DI singles. Very common in the eighties. It's not as common these days, but nothing wrong with it.

http://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/categories/10496-6241y-flat-single-core-earth


Back to the OP's problem, I bet the neutral is not connected at the ceiling light in the kitchen.

 

[JohnW2]

The wiring is DI singles. Very common in the eighties....

That's what I thought, but can you make sense of ...

...there is 2 brown wires and both have a earth ...under the wall cabinets he has a brown wire with earth coming out ... ...The cable he's used is grey outer and brown inner and also I bare copper wire running next to the brown

A bit difficult to understand, but it almost sounds as if he is describing some sort of "single+earth".

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

See my link above

 

[JohnW2]

See my link above

Ah, I see - so I was actually right in my speculation for once! I hadn't bothered to look at the link because you had described them as 'DI singles', and I knew what they looked like. I must say that I've never seen single+earth before. Thanks.

Kind Regards, John