I just bought a new house. One of the bedrooms had a strip light in it
(it had been used as an office). I want to replace this with a ceiling
rose.

I removed the strip light. The wiring to it was basically three wires,
two of these wires were joined together.

Unfortunately, like a fool I've disconnected the wires, but I don't
know which ones were the two which were joined together.

Is there an easy way for me to tell which are the two wires which
should be joined together?

Thanks

Frank

In article ,
Frank P wrote:
I just bought a new house. One of the bedrooms had a strip light in it
(it had been used as an office). I want to replace this with a ceiling
rose.

I removed the strip light. The wiring to it was basically three wires,
two of these wires were joined together.

If it was a fluorescent fitting, it should have three wires, line (red or
brown) neutral (black or blue) and earth (green/yellow) None of these
should be joined together.

Unfortunately, like a fool I've disconnected the wires, but I don't
know which ones were the two which were joined together.

Is there an easy way for me to tell which are the two wires which
should be joined together?

It would help if you gave the colours of the wires, as what you're saying
doesn't make sense.

--
*Virtual reality is its own reward *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Frank P wrote:
I just bought a new house. One of the bedrooms had a strip light in
it (it had been used as an office). I want to replace this with a
ceiling rose.

I removed the strip light. The wiring to it was basically three
wires, two of these wires were joined together.

If it was a fluorescent fitting, it should have three wires, line
(red or brown) neutral (black or blue) and earth (green/yellow) None
of these should be joined together.


I presume he meant three straps?

Unfortunately, like a fool I've disconnected the wires, but I don't
know which ones were the two which were joined together.

Is there an easy way for me to tell which are the two wires which
should be joined together?

It would help if you gave the colours of the wires, as what you're
saying doesn't make sense.

Heh! there's only three colours anyway red,black & green/yellow or
brown,blue,green/yellow.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

On Sat, 27 May 2006 11:28:22 GMT, Frank P
had this to say:

I just bought a new house. One of the bedrooms had a strip light in it
(it had been used as an office). I want to replace this with a ceiling
rose.

I removed the strip light. The wiring to it was basically three wires,
two of these wires were joined together.

Do you really mean three wires? Or three cables?

--
Frank Erskine

On Sat, 27 May 2006 14:21:24 GMT, "The3rd Earl Of Derby"
wrote:

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Frank P wrote:
I just bought a new house. One of the bedrooms had a strip light in
it (it had been used as an office). I want to replace this with a
ceiling rose.

I removed the strip light. The wiring to it was basically three
wires, two of these wires were joined together.

If it was a fluorescent fitting, it should have three wires, line
(red or brown) neutral (black or blue) and earth (green/yellow) None
of these should be joined together.


I presume he meant three straps?

Unfortunately, like a fool I've disconnected the wires, but I don't
know which ones were the two which were joined together.

Is there an easy way for me to tell which are the two wires which
should be joined together?

It would help if you gave the colours of the wires, as what you're
saying doesn't make sense.

Heh! there's only three colours anyway red,black & green/yellow or
brown,blue,green/yellow.

There were three wires which went into a wiring block. Two of these
went into the same hole in the block and therefore were joined
together.

Two wires from the flourescent light fitting went into the other side
of the block.

There is no earth!

Each wire has a grey outer flex.There are three of these grey wires.
One contains a red wire, the second a black wire, the third a black
wire.

I've checked the other bedrooms' light fittings and these all have one
black and two red wires - the two red ones being connected.

I hope this makes sense!

By the way, the house was built in 1963.

Cheers

Frank

IF as you say there were 3 wires, each with one coloured core and an
outer
covering of grey.

Then it is Black N in, Black N out and a red switch wire. Standard
practice in the 60's. 2 blacks to neutral, red to live in. Small
point; what are you
going to do for an earth connection??????


Only my opinion, yahda yahda yahda blah blah disclaimer blah. IF you
aint confident in the outcome then don't do it! Get a man in


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

On Sat, 27 May 2006 17:40:18 +0000 (UTC), "Grumpy owd man"
wrote:

IF as you say there were 3 wires, each with one coloured core and an
outer
covering of grey.

Then it is Black N in, Black N out and a red switch wire. Standard
practice in the 60's. 2 blacks to neutral, red to live in. Small
point; what are you
going to do for an earth connection??????


Only my opinion, yahda yahda yahda blah blah disclaimer blah. IF you
aint confident in the outcome then don't do it! Get a man in

I actually wired the two blacks to neutral and the red to live
earlier, but when I flicked the switch it blew the light bulb and the
fuse.

That's why I thought I must have mixed up the wires.

Do the light fittings need an earth? none of the other ceiling roses
have them?

Frank P wrote:
On Sat, 27 May 2006 17:40:18 +0000 (UTC), "Grumpy owd man"
wrote:

IF as you say there were 3 wires, each with one coloured core and an
outer
covering of grey.

Then it is Black N in, Black N out and a red switch wire. Standard
practice in the 60's. 2 blacks to neutral, red to live in. Small
point; what are you
going to do for an earth connection??????


Only my opinion, yahda yahda yahda blah blah disclaimer blah. IF you
aint confident in the outcome then don't do it! Get a man in

I actually wired the two blacks to neutral and the red to live
earlier, but when I flicked the switch it blew the light bulb and the
fuse.

That's why I thought I must have mixed up the wires.

Do the light fittings need an earth? none of the other ceiling roses
have them?

Sounds like your house wiring needs to come into the 21st century. :-)

By the sounds of it your wiring is of the single type flex and that is
about the 70's mark wiring?

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

Only my opinion, yahda yahda yahda blah blah disclaimer blah. IF you
aint confident in the outcome then don't do it! Get a man in

I actually wired the two blacks to neutral and the red to live
earlier, but when I flicked the switch it blew the light bulb and the
fuse.

Sounds {BANG !} like you've got a bit of a problem there then!
In the good old days some people had a large light fitting that was fed
via two switch wires. The idea being that you could '...put Big light
on...' or only half of it. It could be that you have a black and a red
switch wire going to the fitting ? Strange as it is wired in singles and
you would expect 2 reds, but if that was all they had in the van,
then...who knows!Either get a man in or it's trial and error [not a good
idea]


Only my opinion, yahda yahda yahda blah blah disclaimer blah. IF you
aint confident in the outcome then don't do it! Get a man in



--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

Frank P wrote:
I just bought a new house. One of the bedrooms had a strip light in it
(it had been used as an office). I want to replace this with a ceiling
rose.

I removed the strip light. The wiring to it was basically three wires,
two of these wires were joined together.

Unfortunately, like a fool I've disconnected the wires, but I don't
know which ones were the two which were joined together.

Is there an easy way for me to tell which are the two wires which
should be joined together?

Thanks

Frank

Your best bet is...

If you have a loft? go into the loft and trace where the wires are going
to.

Then post your findings here as it sounds as though all the lights are
independant of each other and make all their connections via the fuse box?

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

On Sat, 27 May 2006 22:41:34 GMT, Frank P
wrote:

On Sat, 27 May 2006 17:40:18 +0000 (UTC), "Grumpy owd man"
wrote:

IF as you say there were 3 wires, each with one coloured core and an
outer
covering of grey.

Then it is Black N in, Black N out and a red switch wire. Standard
practice in the 60's. 2 blacks to neutral, red to live in. Small
point; what are you
going to do for an earth connection??????


Only my opinion, yahda yahda yahda blah blah disclaimer blah. IF you
aint confident in the outcome then don't do it! Get a man in

I actually wired the two blacks to neutral and the red to live
earlier, but when I flicked the switch it blew the light bulb and the
fuse.

That's why I thought I must have mixed up the wires.

Do the light fittings need an earth? none of the other ceiling roses
have them?

Have a look at the wiring at the switch that should show which colour
they used for switching. They mayeven have switched using the neutral
though. I cant see how putting 240v accross a light bulb in any
combination could blow it, blow the fuse maybe but not the bulb??

Your lighting at least needs a re-wire.

In article ,
Frank P wrote:
I actually wired the two blacks to neutral and the red to live
earlier, but when I flicked the switch it blew the light bulb and the
fuse.

Coincidence. You can't blow a mains bulb through wrong wiring.

I'd say you need to get a pro in.

--
*If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.