DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi,

A friend of mine! Changed my ceiling landing light yesterday. All seemed good until the power was switched back on.

As soon as the power was back on, the light lite up. The hallway light and my landing light are operated by a dimmer switch down stairs. Upstairs those lights are operated by a standard switch.
Neither the dimmer of the switch have allowed me to turn the light on or off.
I have taken the liberty of taking a picture as to how it's currently connected. He assured me, that's how it was? I've now removed the bulb until the issue is resolved?

Your friend has obviously wired it up to perm live rather than switch live.
Your picture has not been visible. But you may now need some test equipment or an electrician.

Thank you.

What tends to happen with friends or someone down the pub, that claims they can do stuff, that they cannot!
Is that they see red or brown wires and think they are all live ones and see black or blue wires and think they are neutrals. Which when it comes to lighting is not strictly true, as you will have reds/browns that are part of a loop and reds/browns that are part of the switch line, you will also have blacks/blues that are not only neutrals but also some maybe also part of the switch line.

It is not rocket science but once some has messed with it, that does not understand the basic principles of lighting circuits, it can the become a headache and test equipment is required.
And without pictures or a more detailed description of your set-up, impossible to advise any further.

You must also be very wary of the earthing of the lighting circuits, if installing class I or metallic fittings, a path to earth must be verified, this is something that needs to be measured by testing, a visual does not prove this.