Wall Light Removal & Wiring Query

[orangetango]

Removing an old wall light in a downstairs toilet and and want to make wiring safe in terminal block, dry wall back box and blanking plate.

The light has it's own small pull cord to power, as well as a 2-pin shaving socket. The wiring is crowded. It's presumably on a ring so I can pair off the cables I can identify, but there seems to be an awful lot of wiring coming into the fixture.

Is anyone able to help identify/make sense of the wiring and advise on making safe? Have of course isolated power. Thanks.

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• orangetango
• 27 Feb 2021

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• orangetango
• 27 Feb 2021
• 1

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• orangetango
• 27 Feb 2021

 

[Sureitsoff?]

it looks like just disconnectingthe red and black from the main terminal block and the earth from the nut will allow the fitting to be removed. reterminate the exposed cable ends in the block taken from the old fitting and tuck it neatly into the back box. you shouldnt need to disturb any of the purple multi crimped connections

 

[JohnD]

is there an extractor fan in the room?

I can't make out all the wiring, but it looks to me like there are (at least) three incoming cables, and some of them are 3+E (have red, yellow and blue cores) which is usually when there is an extractor fan with timer in the room, but might have some other purpose, perhaps a heated towel rail or something.

Lighting circuits in houses are not usually on a ring.

Don't disconnect them without marking each cable, and each core within it, with an indelible marker, and noting what terminal they connect to. you may have a very long job trying to get everything working again otherwise.

 

[orangetango]

is there an extractor fan in the room?

There is, yes (triggered by ceiling light and turns off with timer, no separate breaker switch).

 

[JohnD]

OK then, it looks like the extractor fan will be fed by a cable having the red, yellow and blue cores.

There will be another cable that will be the incoming supply, probably red and black

And possibly another that goes to a switch, again possibly red and black.

Are there any more?

Does the switch in this wall light turn the fan on and off?

Don't connect the two reds together and the two blacks together unless you have tested them and found out what they do.

 

[orangetango]

The wall light doesn’t trigger the extractor fan at all, that’s done by a pull-cord ceiling light. The wall light has it’s own mini pull-cord which just turns its bulb on or off (shaving socket built in on right too).

There’s at least 4 or 5 separate sets of cabling in grey casing coming into fixture (attached couple more photos). Although much is crimped off as seen.

Do you believe it is ok (and sufficient to be able to actually do so) to disconnect the live and neutral from the block on left, the earth from right, secure separately in a block and then remove fitting?

 

[EFLImpudence]

It doesn't matter.

Just pull the wiring out straight, then disconnect and make safe all the wires connected to the light.

 

[orangetango]

Did this this afternoon. Cables were fed through a stud which meant a bit of faff feeding them back through and above in the cavity. Otherwise all fine.