Electrical dilemma

[kev007]

Just finding my electrical feet with some simple ceiling rose replacements and have run into a bit of trouble I'm sure someone will be able to help with.

I have changed 3 standard ceiling roses for 3 spotlights in my kitchen. Two went according to plan. The third however had 2 incoming cables each with live earth and neutral. The spotlights only have one input so i combined earth with earth live with live etc. Now both lights on that circuit do not work although the other one was working before I fitted the third and final light. Now only the light which is on its own circuit works.

The wiring of the original rose has the two earths combined, the tow lives combined but the neutral went into separate inputs - I'm guessing this is where the problem lies.

Hope this makes sense - any thoughts?

[Lurch]

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:26:19 -0700, kev007 mused:

Leave it alone. Just because the cable is black doesn't make it a neutral.

You are clearly inept.

[dom]

Brutal, but unfortunately true.

Read this:

sure you thoroughly understand it.

Never ever make any electrical connections unless you fully understand the function of every single wire.

You were very lucky that the effect of your random connections were merely non-working lights.

[kev007]

Thanks, that's very helpful. spreading of sterling advice like this is what makes this goup so rewarding.

[Stuart Noble]

There are people that nobody listens to in the real world, so they throw their weight around in newsgroups.

[John Rumm]

Sounds like it...

You have mistaken the switched live wire returning from the switch (which is usually black and not red (although it ought to be marked with a red sleeve or tape) for a neutral.

See the second picture here:

you connect this to a neutral, the the fuse or breaker will open when you switch the light on (if you are lucky!)

[John Rumm]

Lurch is is training as our diplomatic liaison officer ;-)

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:26:19 -0700 someone who may be kev007 wrote this:-

How do you know? Perhaps one cable is the switch cable?

What did you do to educate yourself before launching into this project? Did you inform yourself about the various ways such circuits can be wired up? Did you get a book out of the library to study? Did you use a search engine?

Once in a while someone who hasn't educated themselves properly suffers a fatal electric shock while working on electricity. It makes sense to find out what to do before launching into electrical work.

If this and another posting frightens you into learning then it will be worth the abrupt approach.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Electricity can be dangerous. And you really have displayed you haven't enough knowledge to be playing with it, I'm afraid. The fault you've caused is one of the most common ones when people start playing with ceiling roses. A few minutes spent drawing out the ceiling rose and wiring to the switch would show you where you've gone wrong. As would any DIY book which includes basic wiring.

[The Medway Handyman]

When does the course start?

[Lurch]

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:40:18 GMT, "The Medway Handyman" mused:

Well I'm not telling you if you don't know.

Some people......

/wanders off muttering

[The Medway Handyman]

Sounds just like SWMBO....................................

[robgraham]

was 5 because *he* wanted to play with it or whether he saw it as an educational toy; if it was the latter, then it was entirely successful as electricity is just natural to me.

It is certainly apparant from the original posting why the 'authorities' had material enough to think it necessary to bring in Part P - maybe it is Part Prat, but sadly there are enough prats around, as we see, to perhaps make it necessary.

Rob

[Lurch]

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:50:05 -0700, robgraham mused:

There is indeed enough stupidity about to warrant _a_ part p. The problem with it is the current implementation of it.

[Owain]

she's probably better in bed, though ;-)

Owain

[James Salisbury]

How should have part P been implmented?

[Lurch]

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 22:24:53 +0100, Owain mused:

I resent that remark.

On second thoughts.....

[John Rumm]

You could tell us just how handy Dave really is ;-)

[The Medway Handyman]

I'm open to offers. Women are good, bu you can't beat the real thing as they say ......................................

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 22:43:46 +0100 someone who may be "James Salisbury" wrote this:-

If they were interested in safety then they knew enough from the CORGI con to know that organisations which are only interested in fees and not in competence make no difference to safety. As well as a money making exercise such organisations only add a box to tick for nervous legal types.

What they should have done was put the Wiring Regulations into the Building Regulations with one sentence. They should have left the money making and box ticking out completely.