Messed Up Wiring :(

[kerching]

As Badger and Sidey have said before +1

There can be other "issues" that cannot be "seen"

Just because it is working does not mean that it os correct and/or safe.

Cheap meters can and do explode if , for example, you put the meter across a supply when set to "ohms". Or use the 'current setting' when across a voltage.

It may be better to get someone in....and be cheaper!

If you really want to DIY then buy/hire/borrow the correct testers and we will try to talk you through it.

Seriously though, think about getting someon in...might be a member on here who is close to you

No offence

 

[Sharpend]

hi guys, hope someone can help me out here, just got a new house, with old dangly lighting,have swapped most of them with no problems, 

but got to the last 1, and surprise surprise, didn't take a picture of the wires, nothing is marked, and in a right state now,

ok it has 4  twin and earth cables coming into it , red . black , and earth, 1 of the reds is live, so i have done what i have done to the others, and connected them all together, , so far so good, so that leaves 4 black cables, 2 lives, 1 switch live, and 1 dead cable, i have put the switch live into the new light, and the other 3 into the other side of the new light, , however, downstairs, there are 2 switches that control 2 lights, and can also be controlled from upstairs, so 3 switches controlling 2 lights, now the problem starts, i cant turn the damn lights off, nothing happens at the switch, so yes yes yes, i have clearly made an error somewhere, can someone point me in the right direction, as to what wire i have put in the wrong place, and to make matters worse, the smoke detectors, are spurred off the lighting, so when i pulled the old rose off, all the wires moved, so i have no clue as to where they go anymore

regards

  

the smoke detectors are trunked and easy to see. still have 4 twin n earth cables coming in, 

so how would you wire this ?

all 4 reds together ? like all the other ceiling roses,

 and how to split the 4 blacks ? ,

in the dark at the moment, lol

ok with all the reds together, and the blacks all separated, we have downstairs lights in 2 bedrooms,

but not in the hallway, bathroom, or 1 of the bedrooms, 

why didnt they mark em up

  

ok, have turned off all lights at switches, and still showing 2 blacks as live, and if i seperate the reds, then only 1 of the 4 is live, which i guess is the loop in, dont know if this makes any difference, but the light that wont switch off is at the end of the loop i guess, as it only has 3 cables live neutral and earth

You say that the smoke alarm cable is trunked can you follow it and see where it joins into the light circuit? Is it at the light in question?

You say that the light at the end of the loop will not switch off and has three cables? Lights at the end generally have two cables, is this where the smokes feed from?

Do you have a battery operated door bell that you could use to identify the switch cable?

On a two way switching light it is common to have a small voltage on the second leg from the switch a neon will not distinguish between a small voltage or a mains voltage.

If we can identify the switch cable then the rest is straight forward.

The light that you've removed is this one of the two that are in downstairs hall?

Open the pendant of the second hall light how many cables?

 

[kerching]

For clarity do not confuse "cables" with "cores"

Cables....grey or white sheath

Cores coloured insulation..brown, blue, black, red, yellow, white, according to age

 

[Anthony Butler]

You say that the smoke alarm cable is trunked can you follow it and see where it joins into the light circuit? Is it at the light in question?  YES
You say that the light at the end of the loop will not switch off and has three cables? Lights at the end generally have two cables, is this where the smokes feed from?  no it has 1 cable , 3 cores
Do you have a battery operated door bell that you could use to identify the switch cable?  mains operated im affraid to say
On a two way switching light it is common to have a small voltage on the second leg from the switch a neon will not distinguish between a small voltage or a mains voltage. 
If we can identify the switch cable then the rest is straight forward. 
The light that you've removed is this one of the two that are in downstairs hall?  yes
Open the pendant of the second hall light how many cables?  4 cables in the troublesome one , and 1 cable in the other 1( the one that wont turn off)

 

[Murdoch]

here we go...

brown to brown

blue to bits!

 

[Anthony Butler]

i so wish i could turn back time , and take a photo,

i guess my problem is,to  identify  the 3 cores that go the 2nd light, 

and to find the switch wire 

easier said than done 

could pull floorboards up, but seems a bit extreme  :innocent

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

The blacks may appear to be live due to the 'return' voltage on the neutral. Take the light bulb out of the light that wont switch off, Now that black should not appear live so after isolating take the red thats with that black and connect it to the switch of the other light.

So you should connect as follows,

The 2 blacks still are connected together + the light bulb at that position

The 2 reds are connected together and nothing else.

The black you identified as the switch goes with the red you found at the start of my post + the light bulb at that position.

This does not include the smokes which connect to the 2 blacks & the 2 reds. I do hope all cables also have an earth which all should  be connected together.

 

[Andy™]

i so wish i could turn back time , and take a photo,

i guess my problem is,to  identify  the 3 cores that go the 2nd light, 

and to find the switch wire 

easier said than done 

could pull floorboards up, but seems a bit extreme  :innocent

might be easier to get someone in. they would have a much better idea where they would expect the cables to go and have the correct test equipment to confirm that and hopefully have it done in a short time. although it did once take me almost 3 hours to figure out all wiring to a 3g light switch that someone removed but didnt mark anything... would have taken <10 minutes if they hadnt tried themselves...

 

[Anthony Butler]

floorboards up. sorted lol, could see exactly where the cables went, and sorted in minutes

learnt a hard lesson,

if theres 2 or 3 way switches, leave the danglies in place

If theres another light ...( the one that won't go off)    thats what I meant by saying are there two lights that work together ?    If so then you have simply put a permanent  L & N  to it .    The red that goes to that light needs to be with the Switched wire in the first light  ( So  two reds in the light  & three blacks ) 

Sorry but have to leave you in the dark ,  can someone pick this up ?    Good luck . 

moved the live from that light to the switch, and now it turns off, 

now time to tidy it up , and rewire in the smoke detector

Thanks for that

 

[Badger]

next time get a spark in

 

[kerching]

Lesson learnt....that is why god but cameras in phones.

I still,take pictures...just in case...( they are not ALL of RR! )