a simple job (changing a celling light) that wasn't so simple (for me)

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  • Simon_MSimon_M Frets: 542
    markblack said:
    @Barney @Simon_M @spark240 Cheers lads!

    Got it sorted. The wire with the tape on it threw me, most forums say thats how you mark the switch live wire... guess the guy who did mine had other ideas.

    As you all said I this is how I got it working.



    Cheers

    Mark
    That's a great drawing! Best way to figure stuff out sometimes.
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  • Simon_MSimon_M Frets: 542
    Paul_C said:

    You did better than me on my last attempt - to the best of my knowledge I wired everything up correctly (but as you'll see, clearly not) having (thought I had) noted where everything went, but when I turned the light on it blew everything in the house.

    As it was 9pm and I was in the dark I called out an emergency sparky who replaced a huge fuse in the meter box (I didn't even know there was one in there) and wired my light up correctly.
    Taking out the distributors fuse with a lighting circuit is impressive.
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    A case of Red to Black - Blue to bits.


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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    Well done for sorting it out. That’s quite an odd set up... firstly having a cable with two red conductors and earth is pretty confusing. Secondly, marking up one of the neutrals for no apparent reason. Normally the marked neutral is the switch, but maybe as someone else mentioned it was just a bit of tape covering a damaged wire, just to add to the confusion.  ;)
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    boogieman said:
    Well done for sorting it out. That’s quite an odd set up... firstly having a cable with two red conductors and earth is pretty confusing. Secondly, marking up one of the neutrals for no apparent reason. Normally the marked neutral is the switch, but maybe as someone else mentioned it was just a bit of tape covering a damaged wire, just to add to the confusion.  ;)
    A twin red is what should be used really for a switch wire...but sparks laziness means they use the same Red and Black ( as was) for everything and mark up accordingley ;-)   


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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    Don't mess with electrifickery if you don't know what you are doing!!

    Dat's my advice.
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    spark240 said:
    boogieman said:
    Well done for sorting it out. That’s quite an odd set up... firstly having a cable with two red conductors and earth is pretty confusing. Secondly, marking up one of the neutrals for no apparent reason. Normally the marked neutral is the switch, but maybe as someone else mentioned it was just a bit of tape covering a damaged wire, just to add to the confusion.  ;)
    A twin red is what should be used really for a switch wire...but sparks laziness means they use the same Red and Black ( as was) for everything and mark up accordingley ;-)   
    I didn’t know about the twin reds and I’ve never seen it used, either in domestic or industrial. You live and learn. ;) Doesn’t it mean though that you have to tap out one of the reds first with a meter and then mark it up, rather than just marking the black as the switch? Seems an odd  way of doing things tbh. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    I did this sort of job for a friend a while back. I made the mistake of not checking what the wires were when I took the old fitting off, and it turned out that someone previous had used the wrong colour coding so when I wired it all up 'correctly' and turned on, there was a loud bang from the fuse box :).

    On the bright side, she hasn't asked me to help her with any wiring again... ;)

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357
    I think the  best thing to do is don't take anything for granted, especially in a house where anyone could literally bodge anything. Don't assume a neutral coloured wire is neutral until you've measured it to earth in both switch positions. I wouldn't touch anything myself without confirming it is what it's supposed to be with my Fluke. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    Danny1969 said:
    I think the  best thing to do is don't take anything for granted, especially in a house where anyone could literally bodge anything. Don't assume a neutral coloured wire is neutral until you've measured it to earth in both switch positions. I wouldn't touch anything myself without confirming it is what it's supposed to be with my Fluke. 
    I know... I was helping her out without having my tool kit with me so I had no means of testing anything. Never really a good idea. I did get it right the second time, based on the logic that live had been connected to neutral the first time!

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Paul_CPaul_C Frets: 7671
    Simon_M said:
    Paul_C said:

    You did better than me on my last attempt - to the best of my knowledge I wired everything up correctly (but as you'll see, clearly not) having (thought I had) noted where everything went, but when I turned the light on it blew everything in the house.

    As it was 9pm and I was in the dark I called out an emergency sparky who replaced a huge fuse in the meter box (I didn't even know there was one in there) and wired my light up correctly.
    Taking out the distributors fuse with a lighting circuit is impressive.
    That's what I thought :)

    It was expensive too.
    "I'll probably be in the bins at Newport Pagnell services."  fretmeister
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  • Sorting electrics out is a lot harder than laying down laminate flooring.

    Bye!

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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12314
    Sorting electrics out is a lot harder than laying down laminate flooring.
    Quicker though.  ;)
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  • Simon_MSimon_M Frets: 542
    Twin reds and twin browns do exist but a bit rare. I come across them occasionally when inspecting. Considering three plate isn’t the done thing anymore anyway there’s very little desire for the cable.
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  • thomasross20thomasross20 Frets: 4423
    I did my whole house when we moved in, all the fittings and wiring. All dimmable LED, too (not in the toilets lol). TBH I prefer using lamps now so it was wasted effort d'oh
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