[Closed] Light - wiring help

Do you have a photograph of how the old light was wired? Colours of wires often signal nothing more than lazy / incompetent wiring in the first place.

And I am confused - there appears to be two twin and earth cables coming from the ceiling (ie, that should total six wires) but there are seven wires coming out? Do you have any more pics?

And what is happening with that 'spare' (brown?) wire on the left - you can't leave that like that - at the least it needs terminating but I assume it should be wired into a circuit somewhere?

Stupidly didn’t take a picture of the old.

Cable on right = grey + black + brown

Cable on left = blue + brown

What colours do you have connected up in the switch? The 3+e would usually be used if you were two way switching - or adding another light to the circuit from a switch. How many lights does the switch control?

Its the left switch on that set and just controls the one light

Having said that the far 2 switches are for table lamps the old home owner had. We never use them, they are odd socket things.

Could it be that if you switched the table lamp switches on then you could then switch them on and off using this one switch ?

Cable on right = grey + black + brown

So they are for different lines (brown L1, black L2, grey L3). I assume at some point there was a second switch controlling the light perhaps?

Do you have any recollection of how it was wired before? I think you are going to have to get someone in to test each circuit if you don't have the skills as it looks like you have wired in some of the switched lives (some combination of the L1, L2 and L3) into the same circuit which is clearly going to trip.

You need to identify which live(s) need to be wired into the light and which ones need to be terminated.

There is a 2nd light in ceiling. Which works off the 2nd switch on the run. That has only positive and negative coming out of the ceiling.

Could it be that is linked to this first fitting ?

Sorry being a right pain!

I've just had the same conundrum with replacing the ceiling light in my garage

I think I've worked out what needs to go where (It is an end of loop) but can't risk electrocuting myself if it's wrong

I'm sending my OH up the ladder instead

I am right out of my depth here (not a qualified sparky, just a DIYer) but I assume the first light (the one you are halfway through fitting) is closest to the switch then? And I assume the second is the end of the run.

When you say 'positive and negative' I assume you mean live and neutral? What colour are the wires, how many of them and where is the earth?

If it is indeed part of the same circuit it may be a process of elimination but you should be closer with the knowledge of the wiring colours on the second fitting.

I bet you take a picture before you start next time LOL! I learned that lesson once upon a time when I had to resort to getting my dad out (an electronic engineer) much to my embarrassment trying to prove I was the man in my new house LOL!!!

If it was wired well in the first place and they are connected, I would assume the live wires coming out of the second fitting are black and grey????

FFS. How many times has this subject come up , just on here?
If you are messing with your wiring, when you don't know what you are doing, take a lot of good quality detailed photos before you disconnect anything.
If it was me finding that mess, I'd be making sure the lighting circuit is off, then dead testing all of the wires to see where they go to.
Your pictures above do not give enough of a clue to even hazard a guess. Is the grey attached to the bottom terminal of switch 2?
If so, it will be a switched live.
But thats an educated guess.
Get them dead tested to see where they go.

All sorted now thanks. The 2nd lights power is taken off the first.

Just use simple ceiling pendants to work out what should go where

So we’re the live wires at the second pendant grey and black then?

Nope blue and brown

Doh sorry I didn’t read your post - you said a live and neutral DOH!