ceiling light cables Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[elliot]

HI CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME I AM TRYING TO PUT NEW CEILING ROSE UP IN LIVING ROOM DOWN STAIRS.I HAVE GOT THREE GREY CABLES COMING THROUGH CEILING EACH CABLE AS THREE WIRES COMING OUT OF THEM. COLOURED RED / BLACK / GREEN / I WAS TOLD BY D.I.Y. PERSON TO PUT THE THREE REDS IN MIDDLE SECTION OF ROSE THEN CHECK WHAT BLACK OUT OF THE THREE BLACKS ARE LIVE AND PUT THAT ON THE BROWN WIRE ON ROSE . THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS TWO BACKS THAT ARE LIVE .SO I AM LOST/CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME

MANY THANKS

[thedoctor]

See the projects section Replacing a light fitting and lights and switches

[ericmark]

Switch off all the other lights in the house and only one black will be live. It should have a sleeve on it. Other way is try each of the live wires in turn going to lamp. One will work lamps dim the other full brightness the one which only works them dimly is the neutral feed to next lamp.

[elliot]

hi there thanks for your interest ericmark

i forgot to mention i have got to ceiling lights on one double switch. i tried what you said about testing the wires to see which is the brightest did you mean the black wires or the red ones my problems are with the the two live black ones if i put one of the live black wires in with the brown that comes from the lamp that leaves a live black and a none live black can i put these to wires together i thought not the two live blacks are the same in brightness :?: :? if you you or some body else could help me this problem

many thanks

[ericmark]

Do not put blacks together. Put reds together but not to your light these connect to switch and next light not the new light. The black that is not live connect to neutral and one of the ones that is live goes to lamp. Once you have found correct wire out of two black lives i.e. the one that makes them come on bright then and only then put the other one in neutral. If you put wrong one in it will blow fuse.