To make you fully aware, the ASA requires me to advise you that this page is considered an advertisement because it contains links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Safety first!
Just to start, this is written regarding UK wiring systems. If you're in another part of the world I'm afraid I can't vouch for the way your wiring is done. And if you're in the UK this is only a guide to what's common, I can't guarantee your house will be wired this way so take care.
I also don't propose to discuss the law on these things. I'm not a lawyer. The law is covered in the IET Wiring Regulations (18th edition at date of writing this) and also Part P of the Building Regulations you might also find it useful to read the Electricity at Work regulations along with other relevant parts of the Building Regulations particularly with reference to things like downlighters and fire rating. Check the HSE website here. and some advice on fire rated down lights here
Only you can decide if you have the knowledge, tools and abilities to work on electrical items and you have to decide whether you can comply with the regulations noted above. This is an explanation of what I did. Not an instruction on what you should do.
Let's continue
I TURN OFF THE POWER
If I'm messing with electrical stuff, simple, I turn the power off. That means turn it off at the main supply in my consumer unit or fusebox.
Big red switch at the end
Why?
Because the cables in my light fittings will always be live if I don't.
So I turn off the power to protect myself.
I appreciate I'm labouring the point here but there are some misconceptions like "oh an electric shock won't kill me", sorry but there's every chance it might. There are many people who think switching off the light switch means the light fitting is safe, it definitely isn't. There is mains power in many UK ceiling light fittings when the light switch is off.
Note: There will be people who will say I only need to turn off the circuit breaker for my lighting circuit. That’s not wrong but if I didn’t have a tester can I be sure there’s no power where I'm working? If I can be safer by turning it all off, why not do it?
Once I turn off the power, I take the cover off the ceiling rose (so I can see the terminals) and if I have a tester or voltage indicator, I check there’s no power on the wires. I CHECK MY TESTER AGAINST A TEST UNIT OR KNOWN LIVE VOLTAGE BEFORE I START!!
Need a voltage indicator? Something like this might help:
Safety warning done, let’s talk about practicalities.
If my work involves removing the existing light fitting, I make careful note of where each individual wire goes. I mark them if necessary, just because there are maybe 3 reds and 3 blacks in there doesn't mean the reds all join and the blacks all join together.
The above photos are a standard UK ceiling rose terminal block. There are many different varieties, you may have something different or nothing like this at all. It’s the basic connections that are important though. The connector blocks are divided into 3 sections, it’s important to keep these three sections separate. So even if you don’t have an identical setup, take a good look at the way the wires are connected and keep them that way.
It’s also important to know the 3 red wires (in this case in the centre) are live unless I've turned off the power (not the lightswitch, the main power).
Now I get my marker pen and put one mark or line on each of the wires in the first section, two marks or lines on each of the wires in the second section
I can't mark the black wires but if I can identify them by the fact they’re not marked, that’s the same thing.
If you’ve got a different arrangement, like a couple of terminal blocks covered in insulating tape or something, the way they’re connected is still just as important so still mark them up.
And one last time before I unscrew the terminals and pull the wires out, I check the power is off.
Now I can change or move the fitting.
If I've changed the fitting completely I often find the new one doesn’t have all the terminals in it that the old ceiling rose had. That means I have to join wires up some other way.
These are good
Now I reconnect all the wires properly, and by properly I mean better than shown in the pictures above because there was waaaay too much bare copper outside the terminals on the blue and the brown which I fixed before I replaced the cover.
I put any covers back on, I put the power back on and I check it works! If it doesn’t, I turn the power back off before I try to figure out why.
If you’re interested why you might well have 3 cables in your light fitting, take a look at the website below
Comments