Please help me wire my kitchen lights.......

[swayzak]

hi

I've just bought some new kitchen lights.

The old ones were removed during a flood damage redecorate and the decorators left the cables hanging.

2 cables have black wires and were tied together.

A 3rd had a red wire (presumably LIVE).

Unfortunately I've no idea how they connected to the original light.

Now my new lights have to be earthed - but none of the above wires correspond to normal earth colour code.

It seems as if there are 2 neutrals and a live !

I don't really want to experiment (although my circuit board has trips so it wouldn't be too much hassle).

Can someone advise ?

thanks

dave p

[BillR]

It will be a hassle if you wire L & N to the pair that goes to your light switch! The trip might work but the switch will be a bit poorly afterwards. You need to identify this cable. The other two may be loopin/out for the lighting circuit. Although if they aren't connected together at the moment then some other lights in the property should not be working. The earth wire should be a bare copper conductor in the outer pvc cover with the other insulated wires. If not required before it may have been cut back and you need to peel back some more outer sheath. Or there never was an earth.... If the wires are not pvc insulated/sheathed, but maybe even rubber then its time for a re-wire.

[LOZ34]

it could be that single cables (double insulated have been used and that whilst the neutrals loop at the lights the lives could loop at the switches. therefore you would only have 1 live at the light.

loz34

[ARWadsworth]

That sounds more like it, and I would hope the red cable has got an earth somewhere behind the grey PVC

Adam