The Poolie Bunker

I fitted two new lights in the kitchen today and having thought all was well we then realised that one of them would not turn OFF (ie its always on regardless of what the switch is)

I have spent hours (literally) trying to get it working but with no success. If anyone here is competent at suchlike or knows a decent sparky then please let me know.

Cheers

Sparkies favourite this one Grave
you have assumed that all the reds and all the blacks go together ??? they dont.
the only way to fix this is seperate all the wires, and then get a meter and test the black cables for voltage (flicking the switch on and off) then..........................ffs yeah you need a spark.

im back in the country in July!!!

I thought he said does anyone know a GOOD electrician?

Didn't you think to put the wires back the same as they were to start with.

I thought he said does anyone know a GOOD electrician?

Well he certainly didnt say "input or interference from Mechy's most welcome" did he

Cheers lol

The issue is made more complicated by the fact there are 2 lights in the kitchen, 1 switch (double switch for each light) and also an extractor fan which is linked to the light im currently having problems with, oh and a seperate swicth for this extractor fan. Originally there was a typical ceiling rose containing 2 grey 4 gauge? cables. Each having a brown, black (with brown sheath), grey (with blue sheath) and yellow/green. I disconnected a brown one to stop the extractor fan.We then bought a new light fitting which meant we got rid of the ceiling rose as it had a transformer arrangement. Everythign worked fine until the light failed. We have now gone back to a ceiling rose arrangement but im having the problem that i can get the light to work but the switch has no effect (ie wont turn it off).

PITA

hth

never ever fu-ck about with electrics is my advice. Too many house fires caused by it if it goes wrong

I got a sparky in to sort out the mess in my house when I first bought it 12 years ago. The upstairs and downstairs ring mains had been crossed over, such that the whole lot had to be isolated to work on either main!!! He separated them up again, then found that the kitchen was ran as a "spare" from the downstairs main!!! That could have caused serious overheating of the wiring given all the appliances in there - so he put that on its own ring circuit using one of the spare ways on the distribution board. Then we found that the idiot who lived here before me had tied extra cables into the upstairs lighting junction boxes, to provide ad-hoc sockets in the stud wall separating the two front bedrooms!!! So he stripped all that out cos I was pulling that wall down anyway to make one large bedroom.He tidied up all the wiring in the house and stuff, checked all the bonding on the water pipes, tested the earth leakage trips on each socket and lighting circuit. Cost me a couple of hundred quid but well worth it in the knowledge that,even though all the floorboards had been up and walls smashed to bits, that the wiring was in A1 condition and safe to use on all circuits.

Have you tried turning it off and then on again?

Give Peter Metcalfe a call, I think he's in the phone book, top household sparky, done loads of work for me and my family

have a look at this it might help
http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/two_way_lighting.htm

I'd come and have a look mate if i wasn't piised.

Cheers, thats a start! It seems a lot more straightforward than my kitchen like. I even popped into the neighbours house this afty and checked the wiring configuration. I copied his and the light doesnt even fecking work now! Bizarre