Hi Guys

I turn my hands to most things but never had to wire house lights (wall lights and centre ones). Have boguht some new lights and have cables in the wall taped up ready for me to install lights, can anyone provide some instructions/decent websites to tell me what to do

thanks
J

if you have to ask then best bet to get someone in to be honest, or post in the diy section as there are loads of sparkies in there. Maybe an idea to post what wires you have taped up (red, brown, yellow/green, black, blue etc)

You need to be careful that you don't run foul of Part P regulations firstly. If you're not sure what this is about, you need to either contact a qualified sparky or your local council. You can do electrical work yourself as a "competent person" but your work does need to be checked out afterwards.

What you need and how it all connects depends mainly on how you plan to switch it all. If you want to switches it is slightly more complex than a single one as you should use triple and earth rather than twin to connect the 2 switch boxes. This should give you some help though: Lights & Switches UK : Diy Hints, Tips & Advice : Diy Doctor (http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/lights_and_switches.htm)

Turn off everything before you do anything - especially in older houses.

Don't trust fuse boxes that have fuses with labels that say "downstairs lights" etc. Could have be labelled by another DIYer ;).

I agree with what somebody said earlier, if you have to ask for this kind of job you probably shouldn't be doing it. I wouldn't worry about the 'P' requirement for simple switches but do make sure you isolate the circuit before grabbing any wires, test you have isolated it rather than just assuming (been there done that).

The only way to tell if the wires are indeed dead is by holding them against your ball sack.....

Should the wires not be dead you will feel a slight tingling down below :) and this test will of saved you from a rather nasty electric shock :thumb:

thanks for the post guys maybe a job for a pro then..
cheers
j

"If in doubt, avoid a clout, get yo-self a pro..............out"
Or some other mystical wonderful saying that I didn't just make up:thumb:

Seriously though, installing like for like doesn't fall under Part P, and that particular job isn't hard if you know what you're doing. But if you're unsure at all it's best to get a sparky in.

That said though, the wall lights should be simple enough.
Red (or) Brown joins to Red (or) Brown
Black (or) Blue joins to Black (or) Blue
and the middle unsheathed cable needs Green and Yellow sleeving put onto it, and that attaches to the Earth terminal.

As a general rule I connect the earth first, that way it's done, dusted, and all the safety features are in place before things get fiddly.

And don't forget that the wall light cable probably runs UP the wall, so no drilling right above the fitting!!!.

Centre lights are a little more complex however, so let me know if you're still going ahead, and I'll explain those in more detail.

The only way to tell if the wires are indeed dead is by holding them against your ball sack.....

Should the wires not be dead you will feel a slight tingling down below :) and this test will of saved you from a rather nasty electric shock :thumb:


:lol1: :lol1:

Also saves on viagra! :lol1:

I always thought it was Red to Red, Black to Black, Blue to Bits :D

I have a problem with one of my switches, it is a 3 switch unit, and all the wires are red, so how the hell am I supposed to know which wire is for which

I did keep experimenting and now I get one switch that switches either the conservatory lights on, or the outside light on, depending on which way the switch is

the other two switches dont do anything at the moment, and it is all wired to a fused spur from what I have found out, but why the hell would you use all red wires !!!

Because at some point they ALL become live, therefore they have to be red, or encased in red sleeving:thumb:
The colours are to identify their polarity, not which light they go to:)
Start up your own thread fella, and I or one of the other sparkies will be happy to help :thumb:

[QUOTE=John@TunerUK]"If in doubt, avoid a clout, get yo-self a pro..............out"
Or some other mystical wonderful saying that I didn't just make up:thumb:

Seriously though, installing like for like doesn't fall under Part P, and that particular job isn't hard if you know what you're doing. But if you're unsure at all it's best to get a sparky in.

That said though, the wall lights should be simple enough.
Red (or) Brown joins to Red (or) Brown
Black (or) Blue joins to Black (or) Blue
and the middle unsheathed cable needs Green and Yellow sleeving put onto it, and that attaches to the Earth terminal.
]

Apreciate the advice many thanks
James

John has already given you the basics.

My recollection of part P, for those who know a little:

Apart from kitchen/bathroom/outside, you are allowed to:
- change sockets / switches /fittings without running new wiring
- run a single fused spur from a socket etc in a ring main (which can be to a double socket), provided there is not already a spur running from that socket
They don't allow you to run single spurs into kitchens/bathrooms/outside as permanent installations as there is potential for damp ingress. I'm not 100% sure, but I'd assume therefore that installing a new outside light (as opposed to replacing an existing one) will fall under part P.

Sonic - depends on what you've got as to how you should wire things up, start a new thread with more info, even as an unqualified sparky I'd be able to tell you what to connect where. The reds are either always liveor switched live.

Ooops - nearly forgot yellows for certain specific kinds of switched live . . . .

Wall lights simple..Red to Brown on light fitting
Black to Blue on light fitting
Center light is bit different
All reds(3) together in a connector(not connected to light at all)
Blacks(2) together with Blue on light fitting
Black(1)(should be marked) to the brown on the light(return wire from switch)
Greens(3) to the earth terminal making sure to put green sleeving on
Make sure the mains is turned off first and test.
Make sure all connectors are insulated with tape
Use 5 Amp connectors and if nessary push the excess wiring up into the cieling slightly
This method applies to what is called the loop in Method
if it is wired with single cables it is simply reds to browns and blacks to blues
Good luck

Get hold of the DIY book by/from B&Q and have a look in the electrical section. If you don't understand it, spend a few quid getting a pro in instead, as poor joints or faulty wiring can cause heat and eventually a fire. Seen the ads on TV about the bloke lamenting he didn't spend a few quid on a smoke detector? Same effect with dodgy wiring and not worth the risk for the sake of a few quid...