Confusion with Re-Wiring Hall, landing and Stairs Lights Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[jwsswain]

Hi all, I'd really appreciate some help! I recently moved into an old house (Victorian era terrace) and I'm trying to update some of the lights. For the most part I've managed fine.

I'm now trying to replace the light in the hall/stairs/landing.

The set up currently is: downstairs is a 2 gang, 2 way switch. This controls a ceiling rose downstairs and one upstairs. Upstairs is just a two way switch controlling only the upstairs rose.

There are also 4 rooms upstairs, off the hallway. 3 bedrooms with simple ceiling rose, 1 one bathroom with 3 way light and fan. I've replaced to of the existing ceiling rose lights with no issue, though haven't touched the bathroom. All was working fine.

I wanted to replace the two ceiling lights in the hallway/landing. I started upstairs. I am trying to replace the ceiling rose with a multiheaded light (i.e. 3 small lights which can be angled - Ikea Hisinge 3 spot https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90257190/).

In a moment of madness, I unwired the ceiling rose without taking a picture. I cannot seem to wire up the new light properly.

Here's what I have:

from the ceiling 3 wires
1) red, black, yellow/green
2) red, black, yellow/green
3) red, yellow with red sheath, blue.

The light I'm trying to wire has connections for live, neutral and earth. (coloured brown, yellow/green, and brown).

My assumption is that the yellow with red sheath is the live/switch. If I wire that into the live of the light, all the earths together to the earth on the light, and the two black and the blue to the neutral on the light.

This gives me a functioning light, contollable by both switches. But it then leaves 3 red wires, and the rest of the floor is dead. I have no idea how to wire this together.

Anyone offer any advice?

[ericmark]

There is no laid out way that must be followed so no one can say red to A or black to B.

However normally a ceiling rose will have two or three cables.
1) Power in.
2) Switch wires.
3 Power out.
The last will not be there at end of radial. The switch wires should have a red sleeve on the black to show the black is line, but it is often missing. Working out which is the switch cable it's a case of belling out, or in real terms using the buzzer on the multi-meter. Power off and test each cable by switch light switch until cables to switch are found.

Two way switching is between switches the wiring to lamps stays the same. Instead of using com to L1 for switch wires you use L1 and L2 and the two switches are connected together like for like. com to com, L1 to L1 and L2 to L2.

There are other ways but if not using standard method then it's a case of drawing out what goes where there is no simple way.