Ask The Trades - HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress

shell

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HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress
Feb 1^st, 2009, 5:56pm

hi. right my hubby as been trying to fit new lights in the loft. he has taken the live from the landing light because he is unable to find a live in the loft. The muppet put the floor down first lol lol .. He is fitting a two way switch, one at bottom of the loft stairs and one at top. he is able to get power to the light and switch it off and on but when you switch the landing light off the loft lights also goes out!!!!! please help me to help him cos he is doin my head in PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE? x he keeps asking me to come upstairs every two minutes, ( I wish!!!) to turn the power on off!!! THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR TWO DAYS .......

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Zambezi GDPR opt-out	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #1 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:00pm He has connected into the switched live rather than the permanent live. He needs to find the permanent live. Good luck
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Zambezi GDPR opt-out	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #2 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:09pm If you take a picture of the light fitting that he has connected into then we may be able to help. If he has put the floor down already, hopefully it can be done from the light fitting below but need more detail.
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Lectrician

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Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress
Reply #3 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:18pm

How many cables are in the landing light?

If you have a modern-ish home, chances are he can just alter the connections in the landing light. If your home is a little older, the landing light most likely only has a switched live available, hence the problem you have.

I am sure there is a permenent live available in the loft or from another rooms light fitting, or some other location.

Any chance of some pics? See the bottom of my post for info on how to do this!

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shell GDPR opt-out Total Thanks: 109 For This Post: 0	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #4 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:20pm OK. Thankyou. I will see if that makes a difference. I will take a pic and see if that helps you any futher.
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Lectrician Administrator Trade Member Author Offline Ask The Trades Posts: 8815 Total Thanks: 109 For This Post: 0 Braunton, North Devon United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #5 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:41pm Photo sent to me by "shell".....
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Lectrician

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Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress
Reply #6 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:45pm

It looks a bit of a mess.

This light has no permenent live available, the supply to your loft lights should therefor have been sourced elsewhere where a permenent live was available.

Can you take some pics of the inside of other upstairs lights, and we can then tell you which to use.

Rather than send the photos to me, just post them here yourself. I am not going to be online all the time Wink

Others can then still read your posts and this thread and help and advise (thats the great thing about a forum) Grin

.

I am guessing the disconnected blue is from the new cable your hubby installed?

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« Last Edit: Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:47pm by Lectrician »

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LSpark Global Moderator Trade Member Author Offline Posts: 8069 Total Thanks: 3 For This Post: 0 London, UK United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #7 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 6:55pm That's not a mess lecc, it's a bodge With respect, why not tell hubby to call an electrician in, £30 quid, job done, light works, no one gets killed!
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Zambezi GDPR opt-out Total Thanks: 3 For This Post: 0	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #8 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:05pm Yip, it looks like there is no permanent live there so you will have to find one elsewhere as Lectrician said. Can you still get single core and earth?
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Lectrician Administrator Trade Member Author Offline Ask The Trades Posts: 8815 Total Thanks: 109 For This Post: 0 Braunton, North Devon United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #9 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:15pm Two more pics sent to me.
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LSpark Global Moderator Trade Member Author Offline Posts: 8069 Total Thanks: 3 For This Post: 0 London, UK United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #10 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:18pm Oh dear god, the wiring get's worse. Is that a live with earth sleeving covering it?.. I guess it's impossible to know for sure without testing it. Looks like it though.
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Lectrician Administrator Trade Member Author Offline Ask The Trades Posts: 8815 Total Thanks: 109 For This Post: 0 Braunton, North Devon United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #11 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:18pm Neither of those lights look like a good bet either. It looks like the circuit has been wired in DI singles, which means you are not going to find a neutral and a perm-live at the same accessory. You need a perm live from a switch and a neutral from a light fitting.
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LSpark Global Moderator Trade Member Author Offline Posts: 8069 Total Thanks: 3 For This Post: 0 London, UK United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #12 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:20pm They look like DI singles, but how often do you find them?.. not very, and if you look at the other cables in the earlier picture they are clearly snipped T+E's.
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shell GDPR opt-out Total Thanks: 3 For This Post: 0	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #13 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:25pm LSpark wrote on Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:20pm: They look like DI singles, but how often do you find them?.. not very, and if you look at the other cables in the earlier picture they are clearly snipped T+E's. What is i a DI single, can i take a live from a plug socket ? ?
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Lectrician Administrator Trade Member Author Offline Ask The Trades Posts: 8815 Total Thanks: 109 For This Post: 0 Braunton, North Devon United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #14 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:28pm LSpark wrote on Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:20pm: They look like DI singles, but how often do you find them?.. not very, and if you look at the other cables in the earlier picture they are clearly snipped T+E's. I think they are actually DI singles and a single and earth.
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LSpark Global Moderator Trade Member Author Offline Posts: 8069 Total Thanks: 3 For This Post: 0 London, UK United Kingdom Gender: Trade: Electrician	Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress Reply #15 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:30pm I'm inclined to agree now on closer inspection. Shell - Perhaps it would be best to leave the fixed wiring alone and buy one of those clip on lights with a plug on the end to plug in downstairs and take up with you when you go into the loft.
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Lectrician

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Re: HELP HELP HELP Damsel in distress
Reply #16 - Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:31pm

Quote:

LSpark wrote on Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:20pm:

They look like DI singles, but how often do you find them?.. not very, and if you look at the other cables in the earlier picture they are clearly snipped T+E's.

What is i a DI single, can i take a live from a plug socket ? ? Undecided

Taken a feed from a socket is likely your easiest option - as long as you use a FUSED CONNECTION UNIT such as below. This will fuse your 30 amp (typical) socket circuit down to 3 or 5amp suitable for a lighting circuit.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/29775/Electrical-Supplies/Switches-Sockets/White-M...

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« Last Edit: Feb 1^st, 2009, 7:32pm by Lectrician »

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