wiring a ceiling pendant light fitting

[bladesglory]

Can someone please give me some advice. my tenants have left my house in a bit of a state and one of the many problems i am trying to resolve is an issue with a broken light fitting.

I have bought a new pendant fitting and am not sure where to connect them. i have 2 black wires with earth wires and 1 red wire.

I have been in the loft and identified that the red wire is for the switch.

 

[jj4091]

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

 

[bladesglory]

Thanks for that. however i am still a little confused. i have a single red wire from the switch to the fitting. do i connect this to the available connector marked L.

If so i then have two black wires. each with an earth. i have sleeved and connected them to the earth connector.

Do i join the black wires and connect them to neutral? or does one or both go to the loop connectors.

I really struggle with wiring diagrams. sorry if this comes across as a bit stupid but the tenants basically left the bare wires hanging out.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Only one wire from the switch to the fitting.

Surely there are TWO wires in the switch

 

[bladesglory]

There is an earth in the switch but only the red wire leaves the switch.

There is a red wire into the switch and a red wire out.

Do i put both black wires to the neutral connectors?

 

[Iggifer]

do your cables look like

or

or just

(obviously replacing blue for black and brown for red)

Option 1 would make sense

 

[sparkwright]

It would seem so yes.

It appears the house is wired in one core and earth cable, which seems to be more common up north for some reason. This arrangement is rarely shown in books and the internet.

To confirm this, you could trace the black cables. I would expect one black to go to the neutral of a light in another room. I would expect the other black to go to the neutral of a light in yet another room (failing this it may come from the consumer unit/fuse box).

 

[rjm2k]

can you post photos?

 

[Iggifer]

It would seem so yes.
It appears the house is wired in one core and earth cable, which seems to be more common up north for some reason. This arrangement is rarely shown in books and the internet

My house is wired in T+E yet for some unknown (I still have yet to figure it out / been bothered to investigate) the upstairs circuit has a S+E neutral and the DS has a S+E line, both in addition to the T+E that feeds the circuit.

No borrowed neutral as I'm on all RCBO board.

 

[Taylortwocities]

OK,

Try putting the red from the switch onto the live (brown) side of the lamp
both blacks to the neutral side.

Not sure why two blacks. One obviously a neutral, but the other....?

I guess all the other lights in the house work OK, with the blacks disconnected from each other?-

 

[bladesglory]

The black cables look like option 1 the red cable option 3.

i am at home now and Will be back at the other house on Monday. Will hook them to the neutral as suggested.

Because the wires are disconnected none of the upstairs lights are working at the moment .

Thanks to all

 

[securespark]

Surely with two blacks, one is the incoming neutral and the other outgoing, no?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Because the wires are disconnected none of the upstairs lights are working at the moment .

That seems to confirm it. Those are indeed neutrals in and out.
Switch feeds and returns in singles is unusual, but its been done like that in the past.

I look forward to a conclusion.

 

[bladesglory]

Attached the neutrals and everything working okay now. thanks all