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[D20CM]

Why might this be done this way?

Hi All,
Hope this is the right place to post this. I was hoping somebody could shed some light on whats going on here. This LED strip (and switch) was installed this time last year as part of a package along with a retractable loft ladder and floor boards. It was working fine for a couple of months.
The house was then unoccupied for a few months over the winter. When we returned to the house in February I went to the attic for the first time and turned on the light switch: the light flickered and died. On further inspection I found that there had clearly been an amount of water in the attic at some point over the winter (I suspect during the storms of mid Feb). This turned out to be caused by a cracked ridge tile (now fixed).
I naturally assumed that the water in the attic had damaged the LED light, so started looking for a replacement. I found the exact same light at B&Q for around £35 and thought it would be a fairly simple job to do a like for like replacement, even with my meagre DIY skills. Turn the mains off, then wire it exactly the same as the one thats there, right? Anyway, when I had a look I found the arrangement shown in the picture. Surely this is backwards? Can anyone tell me why it might be done like this?

The grey cable here continues to a standard light switch which is fitted to the floorboards, and then onto the mains, somewhere in a dark corner of the attic. The LED is this one from B&Q;

https://www.diy.com/departments/colours ... 167_BQ.prd

If anyone can offer any advice I'd be most grateful, even if that advice is "get a proper electrician to look at it".
Cheers,
Scott.

[Mr White]

You are correct it does appear that the lamp has been connected the "wrong way round" but that is on the assumption that the incoming colours are correct.
You should get a meter to check, the other thing is, have you considered that the person installing it could not see .............as there is no light in your loft.

On the whole most mains lights will work no matter which way round they are connected.
"Most lamps" you can take it out, turn around 180 degrees, put it back and it will still work. Even old style fluorescent tubes.

As for why it was actually connected as it is, short of asking the person who did it, we will never know.

Another one of life's mysteries.

[D20CM]

Thanks for the reply Mr White - that's reassuring. I will go ahead and wire the replacement in the same way then, just in case there was a good reason for it.
Cheers!