Electrics

fenwick458

WorkHealth said:

I know very little about electrics but he said there are three combined wires together - blue and red together, brown black together, and green and yellow together plus two other seperate 2 grey wires as well with red so 5 combined wires.

New light fitting just has live, earth, neutral, its got 3 bulbs in a circle and attaches to ceiling.
Just wondered if anyone knows how to solve this - I'm very nervous about my husband trying things - thanks for any help. 

the answer to that question is no, not from the explanation you have provided.
first there are 3 combined wires, then at the end there are 5 combined wires? i've studied your explanation for minutes and all it's done is make my head hurt
you either need to clarify, or post a picture to explain

verybigchris

Why are people still asking for a pic? Surely nobody in their right mind is going to give wiring advice to someone who doesn't have the patience and common sense to check if things are live before poking around.

I'm 95% certain I understand what the OP means with the "combined wires", but I'm not taking responsibility for her reckless husband zapping himself or burning down the house.

FreeBear

You *might* have a live feed in (the twin+earth), and the two single wires going off to the switch... BUT without the appropriate test equipment (and that does not include a wet finger), it would be impossible to say for certain.

An experienced electrician should be able to sort that out in minutes, and leave you with a safe installation.

TELLIT01

This reminds me of a friend of my parent's.  Many years ago he decided to completely remove a 2 way switch in the hall when decorating, rather than just loosening the screws.  He came back from the pub somewhat inebriated and thought it wouldbe a good idea to put it back together.  Deciding some of the wires must be spares he connected back up the wires he wanted to and then switched the mains back on.  He actually blew up the fuse box.  Not just the light circuit - the entire thing had to be replaced.

pmartin86

WorkHealth said:

Thanks very much - I'm not sure if he knows how to test - he'll certainly claim he does but he just turned off the light switch before he started and then got a small electrical shock. I had told him to switch it off at the trip and thought he had (though I know nothing about electrics). I then told him to turn it off at the trip and he did but he didn't seem to have a clue what he is doing and our roof is thatched. Our son though is isolating for covid (case in his year at school) 

I've noticed this forum usually quickly jumps to the "get a sparky" idea in, and to be fair most of the time its right - There's a fairly simple rule I (and a lot of others here it seems) follow, and that's "If you have to ask, you're not competent"

The "just turned off the light switch before he started and then got a small electrical shock" bit genuinely worried me, that's not even displaying a basic understanding of how electrics work and I'd genuinely be worried about him changing the bulb let alone the fitting!

Alanp

Just a thought, are there 2 light fittings?, in which case it might be a joint box and looped off from the light in the pic to the other light...

Homer_home

Alanp said:

Just a thought, are there 2 light fittings?, in which case it might be a joint box and looped off from the light in the pic to the other light...

It doesn't matter ,the forum cannot help with the wires he has , he needs a spark to sort

If only he had taken a pic first.......

Alanp

Yes, as others have said, you need a sparky, remember, with electrics, if in doubt, get someone out...

Apodemus

...or does the light have two switches?

fenwick458

Apodemus said:

...or does the light have two switches?

If I were to guess, (based on the description of the wires in the firs post, and from looking at the picture, and assuming the light is 2 way switched)
Red from T&E connect to one of the red singles in a connector block (not in the light, unless theres a spare terminal for it)
Black from T&E connect to N of the light
and connect the earth into the earth terminal on the light