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wall lights dont switch off

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 6:24 pm
by suzieb0501
Want to fit new wall lights to wall where some have been previously.

I have 2 places where there are wires coming out of the wall, both of these areas have 1 red, 1 black and one uncovered copper wire.

However, one of the areas also has some other wires close by - they are
1 green
1 black
1 black and 1 red twisted together
1 brown.

Do this second set of wires need to be incorporated into this to enable me to turn ights off at switch - if so how do i do it. The light fittings have a 4 block terminal with a blue, brown and green and yellow wire fitted.

What do I do?

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:19 am
by ericmark
At some point there needs to be a junction between the power in, power out, and connection to switch. There are three options.
At the switch
At the Lamp
In a junction box
In the UK the at the lamp option is most popular but where transformers or inverters are used this gives rise to problems so there has been a move to using the switch box as a junction box. Where it has been converted then only option is often a junction box.

It is likely that this is what has happened in your case. In a perfect world a junction box likely of the maintenance free type where wires push in held by spring clips would be added when the lamp has not got the room for the junction to be made within the lamp. However it is common for the wires to be joined together and shoved into the ceiling space.

But the wire colours you list don't really make sense as only one green. Plus normal every red will have either a black or a blue and yellow and every brown a blue or black and grey with them. Since yours does not seem to follow convention it would need testing to find what you have so sorry can't really help.