Two live wires in light fitting

slhqoue

I am connecting a new IKEA pendant light in place of an existing light fitting. I have connected the red wire in the ceiling to the brown 'live' terminal in the IKEA fitting, and the black wire in the ceiling to the blue 'neutral' terminal in the IKEA fitting. However, there is an extra exposed red 'live' wire. Should I connect this to the second available 'live' terminal in the IKEA fitting, or leave it loose as I found it?

Phones4Chris

Where was it connected on the old fitting/ceiling rose? Is there another light fitting in the same room?
It should certainly NOT be left loose!

slhqoue

It's on the landing. It wasn't connected on the old fitting but I wasn't sure this necessarily meant it was the meant to be like this.

Phones4Chris

So there's only one light fitting/ceiling rose in your landing/stairs area? At the very least it should be terminated with a choc-block, or taped if you don't have one. But make sure it's taped properly. If there is more than one light and the other(s) don't work, that "loose" one could be a feed to them. What wire is in the green crimp? Is it an earth wire? How many wires are in it?

tim_p

Could it have come adrift as you removed the original fitting?  I’d have thought it should have been taped over with insulation tape at the bare minimum. 

slhqoue

I think my options are 1) tape over it, 2) connect it to the same slot in the IKEA fitting as the first red wire 3) connect it to the second slot in the IKEA fitting (currently empty)

matelodave

Most lighting is ring fed, so the rose would have two live wires, two neutral wires plus the two wires that go to the switch. the old ceiling rose would have normally had a loop in connection. It's always a good ideal to sketch out how it was wired (or even take a photo) rather than just pulling it all apart.

Most aftermarket lights dont have a loop-in terminal so you need a bit of chocolate block for the odd wire

TBH if you dont know what you are doing you should get someone in who does - electricity kills

Have a look at this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjmC0qx1nrU. Beaware, he is describing a single fed lighting circuits, but many are connected as a ring so you end up with two live wires, one from the previous light and one to the next light.
Have you checked whether it is actually live.

Phones4Chris

slhqoue said:

I think my options are 1) tape over it, 2) connect it to the same slot in the IKEA fitting as the first red wire 3) connect it to the second slot in the IKEA fitting (currently empty)

@slhqoue you really need to answer the questions I asked if you are to get any further advise that is correct.
matelodave has described what is typical of more modern lighting wiring installations, but as your wiring is the old colours, it may be a ring, the end or the ring or not, it could be anything! As matelodave says, if you don't know what you are doing, get someone who does, electricity kills!
If you are desperate, tape it over and see what is working and what isn't, if anything!

Mouldymeat3

As it's on a landing, is it 2 way switched?

matelodave

two way switching has nothing to do with how the light fitting is wired - the switch wiring at the fitting is identical but the two-way wiring is between the two switches. Check the internet if you want to see how to wire it. (the video above has links to a two switching video)
Please avoid confusing the OP any more than he is already

Mouldymeat3

My apologies for clouding the issue. I only raised the subject because where we rented some years ago, someone had set up two switches in parallel, one each end of the kitchen, and it was necessary to turn both off to turn off the light.