outside light (2 way switch) Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[renwaldo]

I am trying to connect up an outside light. The mains cable is 3 core and earth (black, brown, grey & bare) and is connected to 2 switches inside the house. The light fitting has 3 connections - blue, brown and green / yellow.

I know I need to connect the bare wire to the green / yellow i.e. earth. But how should I connect the remaining wires ?

Inside the switches themselves the black is connected to C, the brown is connected to L1 and the grey to L2. Both the black and grey have brown sleeves.

Many thanks in advance

[BLAKEY1963]

[quote="renwaldo"]I am trying to connect up an outside light. The mains cable is 3 core and earth (black, brown, grey & bare) and is connected to 2 switches inside the house. The light fitting has 3 connections - blue, brown and green / yellow.

I know I need to connect the bare wire to the green / yellow i.e. earth. But how should I connect the remaining wires ?

Inside the switches themselves the black is connected to C, the brown is connected to L1 and the grey to L2. Both the black and grey have brown sleeves.

Many thanks in advance[/quote]

RENWALDO
SOUNDS THAT THIS 3 CORE IS CONNECTED AS TWO WAY
OFF YOUR SWITCH AS YOU DESCRIBE. THERE IS ONE POINT
THOUGH . YOU NEED A NEUTRAL FOR THE BLUE MARKED CONNECTION ON THE LIGHT, AND I AM WONDERING IF YOU HAVE
EVALUEATED THIS ! , THERE PROBALY ISNT A NEUTRAL AT YOUR SWITCH.
THE OTHER THING IS PLEASE GO TO DOC PROJECT SITE AND LOOK AT
PART P. THIS WORK IS NOTIFIABLE, AND THIS LIGHT MIGHT HAVE TO BE
WIRED IN BY A REGISTERED SPARK.
BLAKEY1963

[renwaldo]

Thanks, however, it is a brand new house and the developer indicated that everything was ready for us to put up the light. I am just unsure how to connect the cable provided (3 core & earth) to the light fitting.

[renwaldo]

Thanks, however, it is a brand new house and the developer provided the wiring for the outside light and said that we would be able to attach the light fitting ourselves. So I'm not really any further forward.

[BLAKEY1963]

[quote="renwaldo"]Thanks, however, it is a brand new house and the developer provided the wiring for the outside light and said that we would be able to attach the light fitting ourselves. So I'm not really any further forward.[/quote]

RENWALDO
I THINK ITS WORTH CONTACTING THE DEVELOPER
AND ASKING HIM TO CONTACT THE ELECTRICIAN WHO WIRED THE HOUSE TO EXPLAIN THE WIRING THEN !
YOU WILL THEN KNOW THE CONNECTIONS. THE OUTSIDE LIGHT THOUGH
AS BEEN AS THE WIRING IS NEW SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BY ELECTRICIAN IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEVELOPERS PLANS.
U WOULD NOT NORMALY LEAVE A WIRE UNCONNECTED PROTRUDING OUT OF A WALL ONCE SUPPLY HAS BEEN PUT INTO SERVICE.
BLAKEY1963

[renwaldo]

But what if it was an old house and I was unable to contact the original electrician. I can't believe it is this difficult to put one light up. The mains cable and light fitting are both standard.

[sparx]

Hi renwaldo, you make the assumption that the wire at the sw. is the same one as is at the light, It probably is not! it just has same colours, chances are the leckie has given you a 3 c+E in case u put up a PIR operated light which would need a permanent Live as well as sw. live for override.
If I am correct then u have blu (n) brn P-Live, blk sw-Live. OR
Blu (n) blk P-Live, brn - sw. Live,
will need a test lamp or meter to prove,
if you have a 2 gang sw. inside then the 3 core u are seeing is for a different light, the other sw. will be for your outside light, only a tw/e as gets its Live from elsewhere, good luck SPARX

[renwaldo]

Thanks, there is no blue wire in the 3 core & earth. However, if I understand you correctly if I test each of the wires (grey, black & brown) I should find 2 live and 1 neutral.

[sparx]

Hi agn , yes & grey is most likely to be used as Neutral,B.W.
SPARX