Help with Ceiling Light fitting please Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[gazfocus]

I have bought a new 3 light ceiling light to replace the standard light in my study (and if I get this working I'll be changing the lights in the living room). Anyway, the cables I have coming down from the ceiling are two cables with 1 x red, 1 x black and 1 x earth and one cable with 2 x red and 1 x earth.

The light fitting I've bought says to not use the earth so I have put those in a terminal block to join them together, but there is only 2 wires on the light fitting (blue and brown).

I followed the instructions from the manufacturer and from both cables with red/black/earth, I put the 2 reds and 2 blacks in to the terminal block to connect to the cables in the fitting and the light works but the switch doesn't.

What do I do with the extra 2 red cables and how do I get the switch working?

[kbrownie]

Hi gazfocus,
Right! you have done the correct thing with the earths, you may need them if you decide to change light again and it will keep earth contintuity in the circuit by having them connected together in terminal block.
By sounds of it this is what you should do; (you have done the earths so i'll forget about them)
First we will deal with the two cables with red, black, earth. So connect as follows;
both blacks to neutral on light fitting (blue flex side)
Terminate the two reds in a seperate terminal block connected together and also one of the other reds from the 2 x red & earth cable.
You should now only have one red left from the 2 x red & earth cable terminate that at the live (brown flex side of light).

I'll explain how it works you have an incoming and outgoing live, earth and neutral (the two cables with red,yellow/green(earth),black) These cables offer a supply to the light from the light previous in circuit and a supply to the next in circuit.
The cable with the two reds and earth are switch wires so they take a live from the incoming live(red) to the switch and when the switch is closed (on) the other red takes that feed from the switch across your lights returning through the neutral.
Hope this did the trick, good luck and remember to be safe and isolate circuit prior to working on it.
KB

[bd3cc]

Need to know what colours you have at the switch, but am guessing that you have 2 reds. Ignore earths, but put put them all together in a dummy terminal so that you have earth continuity throughout.
If I am correct, one of the reds that you have connected to the brown of the fitting is a permanent live, which is why the switch doesn't work.
You should have, two blacks connected to blue of fitting, 1 of the 2 reds in the double red cable connected (doesnt really matter which one). to the brown of the fitting, and the other 3 reds connected together in a dummy terminal.
Hope this helps