Ceiling Light Wiring

Bennie-Mac

Bennie-Mac

Bennie-Mac

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Joined
10 Sep 2008
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Bangor, Northern Ireland
Hey guys, I was going to replace the ceiling lights in my bathrooms with something a bit more snazzy than a bare bulb/rose, but I've become quite confused with the way its wired up. I thought it may have something to do with the fact there there is an automatic extractor fan, however upon checking my bedroom light, its exactly the same, despite there only being one switch to control one bulb.

I was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on why it is wired up this way, rather than one of each live/neutral/earth that I was expecting?

Picture of the bedroom light:

IGT67.jpg


For those who cant see the terrible quality picture too well, there are 3 main grey cables (why 3 ive no idea) coming from the ceiling, 2 of them have the normal live/neutral/earth wires, however the last grey cable has 2 live wires and an earth, no neutral at all :confused:


Picture of the proposed light:

XAGlq.jpg


Now im left with this light fitting, only 5 available connections (including the 2 blank ones at the end) and a grand total of 9 wires to connect.

Im stumped :(
 
Connect the blue to the (common) blues, the brown to the (common) browns and the earth to the earth.

All the additional wires do is provide continuity to the loop around the rest of the house, which is why you'll have a circuit breaker covering rather more than one light fitting. You might also have more than one switch for the same light fitting ie. top and bottom of the stairs.

Edit: Isn't that the original cable still attached? Admittedly only with a brown and blue, no earth? If so, then that is where you connect the new one with the earth simply going to the earth on the rose.
 
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The light fitting in the picture is wired in what's commonly known as a "3 plate system".

The 3 Brown's you see are in the "loop" termial of the ceiling rose. The purpose of this connection is to loop your lives from one light, to the next and so forth. That eliminates 2 of the cores. The final brown is a permanent feed or loop to your switch.

Notice that you have a twin coloured Brown Twin & Earth cable at the light fitting. This is what's known as a "Switch Wire". Feed goes from "loop" terminal down to switch, then through switch (when closed of course) and then back up to light.

This forms a circuit. Your Neutrals (blue) are common and are always put in the same terminal. You will always find 2 cores of Neutral conductor on a loop in system except where a 3 core cable is used to bring a neutral to a switch (for an outside light for example)

You still following :) Good.
 
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Ah what you're trying to do is connect a lickybumnozzle with a gravyadamsapple.

Take the lickybumnozzle and reroute the connections to the ones on the gravyadamsapple.

Its easy, just remember to pull the upsidedownconcorde switch down on the electricrobinsons.
 
I did all of mine in my house and mine was like that. All I did was connect as what is already stated.

Eames said:
Ah what you're trying to do is connect a lickybumnozzle with a gravyadamsapple.

Take the lickybumnozzle and reroute the connections to the ones on the gravyadamsapple.

Its easy, just remember to pull the upsidedownconcorde switch down on the electricrobinsons.
Click to expand...

I spat all over my screen with laughter.
 
Your Bathroom light fitting has a 4 terminal block (rated upto 15A). This is for your "Switched live" connection, Neutral and CPC or Earth. The spare terminal block is to put your 3 Browns in or the "loop".

Basically, follow the setup of your bedroom light and apply this to your bathroom light fitting. Substitute the flex going out to the lampholder for the 3 connections in your bath light fitting and you can't go wrong.
 
Doh cheers guys, I never even considered just connecting the existing ceiling rose cable to the new light. Herp Derp. May have to cut a hole in the ceiling to get it flush though but thats easily done.

Cheers for the explanation sparky (occupation perchance?) made a lot more sense than I was expecting :)

Eames...I dont even... :p
 
From the top photo put the 3 middle browns in a seperate connector block and poke slightly up into the ceiling hole. Put the 2 blues in your new light connector and the one remaining brown, also connect the earth.

TURN OFF THE ELECTRICS AT THE FUSE BOARD AS THE 3 BROWNS WILL BE LIVE DESPITE WHAT THE SWITCH IS SET TO. (For the pedant ******* only one is actually live...)
 
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