DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi there,

I have a variation on the pendant fitting wiring problem. I am replacing the previous owner's fitting with a standard pendant. Wiring is one three-core black, red and earth, two separate blacks and one separate red.

There is another pendant operating from a common dimmer switch. Wiring for this is just a standard three-core. The dimmer switch has three single reds.

At the moment I have taken black from three-core to N, red from three-core to the loop, and Earth to Earth.
The separate red goes to the loop.
Black1 goes to N and Black2 to L.

I get no light at this pendant but the other one produces a dull glow.

If I reverse Black1 and Black2 I still get no light at this pendant but the other one gives full light.

I'm pretty sure that on the previous fitting all reds were wired in together to a connector block and the same with the blacks. Does this mean that I should take the separate red to live and wire the black in to the neutral?

I'm reluctant to try that without advice because the wiring method I'm using at the moment is not blowing bulbs or fuses.

I'd be very grateful if anyone can explain what is going on here.

Thanks in advance.

To further complicate matters I have just noticed that if I switch on the light in the next room that light only glows faintly but the light on which I have been working lights correctly.

I guess from this that I am wiring them in series but I don't know how to correct this.

I'd be very grateful for some advice.

Thanks in advance.

Hi, First if posting leckie stuff it's important to use correct terminology or mistakes can happen; if you have red/blk/earth in a cable that's a
'twin & earth' not a 3core. A 3 core (/E) will be red/yel/blu + E.
Don't want to be 'picky' but it matters.
I believe what you have at fitting is a looped twin/E between fittings, so second light does same as first one.
Having drawn out what you say you have i believe the 2 reds at light go together to flex brown sw.live,
the3 blacks go together to the flex blue,
and at your dimmer sw. 2 reds go together in com. term and other one goes to L1, the problem is knowing which red at sw. is on its own as it needs to be the one going up to the light. I think you may need help with this as circuit testing involved, it can't cost too much to get someone in, regards SPARX

Thanks, Sparx. I'll give that a go.

Everything working fine now, Sparx. Thanks again.