Problem with strip light in kitchen

Norma_Desmond

DH has finally got around to ripping out the horrid strip light in our kitchen. So far so good, BUT when he came to put our new light in (one of those spotlights on a bar thingies) he found that the wires coming from the ceiling looked different to usual and he doesn't know what to do......are strip lights different in their wiring from 'normal' ones?

Sorry about the terminology, I'm a total Luddite and am now having to put up with a very fetching table lamp in said kitchen!

espresso

You should have a live, neutral and an earth to connect just the same as the strip light.

Tallymanjohn

No, they will be no different, however, in the ceiling rose you may have 6 wires - 2 go to the switch, 2 go to the previous light rose on the circuit & 2 go to the next rose. The live should always be 'live' but the other side of the switch, even though it's probably a black cable, can also be live if the switch is on.. This gets a bit more complicated if you have more than one light switch in the kitchen. Best advice is to look for a leaflet from your local DIY - B&Q certainly used to do them. Otherwise get a DIY book from the library which should explain with diagrams.

tr3mor

Isn't this something Nanny Blair thinks you shouldn't be messing with? I thought you'd have problems if lights weren't changed by a professional electrician.

(By professional I mean any spotty 16 year old that's done a couple of days at college )

Norma_Desmond

Thanks both - very helpful!

Norma_Desmond

LOL! You're right of course tr3mor, but (a) we're not planning on ever selling the house and (b) who's going to know?

espresso

This page should help clarify the wiring if the switch wiring connector block is not up in the cavity above the ceiling.

HTH

crossleydd42

tr3mor wrote:

Isn't this something Nanny Blair thinks you shouldn't be messing with? I thought you'd have problems if lights weren't changed by a professional electrician.

(By professional I mean any spotty 16 year old that's done a couple of days at college )

This work is not really putting in a new circuit and IS allowed by our nanny state (but maybe not for much longer!).

espresso

crossleydd42 wrote:

This work is not really putting in a new circuit and IS allowed by our nanny state (but maybe not for much longer!).

You mean like Prescott!

:rotfl:

crossleydd42

Hopefully!
Actually, it was bad English (unusual for me) in that I meant the act rather than the government! But if the cap fits..............!