Installing Wall Lights Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[Gerry07]

When the house I'm in was reovated there was provision left for wall lights to be installed either side of the chinmey brest in the main sitting room. The sparks left the wiring in place. I have now got the lights but am unsure about the wiring. The way the wiring i:

1. On the left side of the chinmey brest there are two grey wires coming out of the wall. One is a 2 core and earth cable(blue, brown and bare wire), the other is a single grey cable carrying a brown wire that is live when the light switch is turned on, the 2 core and earth cable carries no current when the light switch is on.

2. On the right side of the chinmey brest there are 3 separate wires, a 2 core and earth cable(blue, brown and bare wires), a single grey wire carrying a blue wire and another earth wire(green and yellow). With the light switch turned on there is no current in any of these wires.

The only wire that is presently carring a live current when I turn on the light switch is the single brown wire on the left side of the chinmey brest. Can anyone advise how I might go about ionstalling the 2 light fittings.

[ericmark]

Trying to guess how an electrician has wired lights could result in mistakes and if he has not left a detailed diagram then the circuits would need ringing out.

The normally way would be to wire to a socket of some type. Clock outputs are small and neat, Click do a special ceiling rose with plug and MK do 5A shuttered three pin sockets I have seen all used for wall and free standing lights.

I would hope no electrician would leave live wires sticking out of a wall and I would hope some box was used to terminate into. I use conduit boxes as most wall lights I have used have same screw spacing although I have needed to use boxes without any entry and use knock outs or screw holes are at 45 degs not horizontal.

So reading your post it seems to be Heath Robinson affair so one can expect to find all sorts of non standard methods used.

[Gerry07]

Well all I can go on is the fact that the wiring is for 2 wall lights. Both wall lights as bought have a 3 pin plastic block with brown(live), blue(neutral) and green/yellow wires attached each to one of the pins. The other side of the 3 pin block is where the wiring coming out from the wall attach to, I'm just not sure what goes where. The wires coming out of the wall were not terminated into a box just bare wires taped with electrical tape. The wall switch to bring power to these wires is already in place.

My guess is on the left side of the chimney brest, the live brown fron the wall and the brown from the 2 core and earth both attach to the brown pin on the lights plastic 3 pin block. Then the neutral and earth from the 2 core and earth attach to the other 2 pins, blue->blue, earth0>earth.

On the right side of the chimney brest the brown and blue wires from the grey 2 core and earth cable attach to their coresponding colors on the plastic 3 pin block with the earth from this cable being taped back(not attached to the plastic block). The blue single wire attaches to the neutral on the block and the single earth wire to the earth on the plastic block. I am however not certain about this hence my request for assistance.

[ericmark]

This is a guess but I would if I was wiring take the supply to a switch then wall lamps so likely the two cables at one lamp are the link to second lamp and supply cables.

However also it could be live and switch wires.

So if I came to connect up for you I would be ringing out all cables first and I would not take anything for granted.

I would also expect the supply would be disconnected somewhere. Likely the wires have not been connected at the switch. Again no good guessing it's a case of getting out the meters and testing.