I want to change a flush ceiling rose to a metal light fitting with 3 lights. I notice that the connections to the flush fitting are brown and blue to 1 terminal, yellow to a second terminal and the earth to the earth terminal. Any ideas what the yellow wire is? The house is about 6 years old and the light which is at the botton of the stairs operated from a double switch with the 2nd switch operating the light upstairs. The light fitting that I would like to fit has 1 brown and 1 blue wire for each of its 3 lights. This should be a fairly simple job but I could do with a bit of advice.

Yes I know electricity is dangerous and all that but you have to learn somehow.


Brendan

Sounds a bit wierd, but let's see:

Start with the obvious, IS IT TURNED OFF AT THE DISTRIBUTION BOARD! http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/rolleyes.gif I don't wish to be patronising but you never know with some people http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif

The ceiling rose has an earth connection, good - as that is <B>essential</B> if you are to use a metal light fitting!

Brown & blue to terminal 1...? Well normally brown is Live and blue is Neutral so they shouldn't be connected together...?

Yellow to terminal two? This sounds strange as yellow is usually only used to indicate the yellow phase in 3 phase 415V stuff (or yellow/green striped cable for the Earth connection)

How old is the wiring?

Has someone, other than a qualified electrician, put this light in?

Are there 2 cables into the ceiling rose (not counting the light fitting itself)? if so what colours are on each cable?

What colours are on the cable at the switch end? (any markings on switch NC, NO, SW, L, SL??)

Is there only one switch for this light?

If in any doubt get an Electrician in!

Brendan,

if you are unsure, then definitely get a qualified electrician in!!!

In modern houses (like yours?) the wiring in the <B>walls</B> is RED for live, BLACK for neutral and bare copper (but normally sheathed in yellow/green at the ends) for EARTH. Your description doesn't seem right http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/eek.gif

Household <I>appliances</I> use the brown, blue, yellow/green convention.

You <I>could</I> simply wire up the new fitting in the same way as the old one, but that may not fix the "problem" - so please have things checked first!

mb

Brendan


Give me a call.

07958 425508


Luke

Is It a two way switch, the yellows from a 3 core don't panic it's not 415

M8 it sounds a bit funny to me brown and blue together?? Blue usually being neutral and brown being live.

Sound like yellow is gonna be your live m8, but to make sure get a electrical screwdriver with a neon put the driver on the yellow wire (with power on) and get someone to switch it on and off if it lights it's your live for sure.

your other brown/blue will be your neutral(though this is strange to me)

group all the blues off your light and put them in a connector block and put them to your brown/blue

Put all the browns in a connector and put them to the yellow

Same with earth

Hope this helps (have had a few beers)

I am a qualified spark. http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by cryptwalk (edited 18 September 2001).]

Thanks for the replies, it seems to make sense now, I'll be giving it a go at the weekend.

Brendan

BHORT - I know you want to learn about 'leccy but starting with a non-standard two way installation is probably not the best idea. If you decide to go ahead with it, go and buy a few 5A distribution board fuses before you start. You will need them.

p.s. Crypt - could the brown/blue to one terminal be live in and two core switch feed, with the yellow being the other switch wire. Switch on and all three will be live. Must be another wire somewhere anyway. You need one live, one to the switch, one from the switch, one neutral and one earth. (Unless the live feed goes straight to the switch, which you can do, but would be a bit strange)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by fast bloke:
<B>p.s. Crypt - could the brown/blue to one terminal be live in and two core switch feed, with the yellow being the other switch wire. Switch on and all three will be live. Must be another wire somewhere anyway. You need one live, one to the switch, one from the switch, one neutral and one earth. (Unless the live feed goes straight to the switch, which you can do, but would be a bit strange)[/quote]

He said in his post there were 3 connections and i assume this light was working already therefore there must be a neutral connected or it wouldnt work. I think the brown/blue it actually blue of a 3 core and earth he'll probably find all the perm live's buched in a connector if he pulls on the cable. Just test it with a electric skrewdriver and this will tell you which is the switch wire. If no go give up and get a spark in, it's hard to sort it without seeing it. http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/smile.gif