Connecting a GU10 where a strip light was - advice needed

[copygold]

After scouring this forum (including the reference topic) for the last couple of days I have learned a lot, but so far haven't found the answer to my problem. It's there of course, but not simple enough for me to comprehend. I'd really appreciate some advice.

I took down a strip light in the kitchen because I want to replace it with a GU10 with four pendants. This GU10 has a three terminal connector marked Live - Earth - Neutral.

The wires coming from the ceiling are 3 Red - 1 Green/Yellow - 3 Black. One of the blacks is the switch cable (it is marked red).

Can anyone tell me how to connect the wires to the GU10 with this information?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

see //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62674

The G&Y is the earth.

 

[copygold]

The earth wire is the one wire I don't have a problem with - it's what to do with the others that's the problem. Any ideas JohnD?

 

[Pensdown]

If you follow the link in Johns post all will become clear

 

[copygold]

Sorry JohnD - I spoke to quickly. I am now studying the link you gave me.

 

[copygold]

I followed the instructions exactly - 3 reds terminated and not connected to anything - earth to earth - switch cable to live terminal on light fitting - two blacks to the Neutral on light fitting.

It doesn't work and I suspect the light fitting is faulty. The problem is bigger than first revealed though!

Upstairs and downstairs lighting is on one circuit - I assume this because one trip switch controls all of them.

We have only one light working - the living room downstairs. None of the upstairs lights are working. This was the situation yesterday when we first tried to fit the GU10.

The wiring for the GU10 was yesterday the same as per the link (as above) and it actually worked. When we then attached the fitting to the ceiling, doing nothing more than screwing it in, it worked no more, and we had no more lights from it or upstairs. (We checked all the bulbs to make sure they weren't blown)

We are now at the point of calling an electrician, unless of course someone knows what's going on.

Thanks for your patience here and any further advice would be most welcome

 

[JohnD]

Lighting circuits are connected in a daisy-chain.

If only one of your lights is working, then there is probably a bad connection either at the last lamp in the chain that works; or in the first lamp in the chain that doesn't. Sometimes this happens when an old connection fails, because it was installed loose, more often after someone has made a change, or put a nail through a wire. If you take connections or fittings apart, and re-connect them wrong, you can make it more difficult to know where the fault lies.

Have you got a multimeter? If you are not used to this kind of work it may take you some time.

Unless you have more of time and aptitude, than you have money, then your quickest solution may well be to call in an electrician. try to get someone recommended by a friend or neighbour. It will probably not take him long to find the connection fault and fix it.

 

[copygold]

Thankyou JohnD.
We are going to look under the floorboard above the kitchen light to see if there's anything obvious, that being the first lamp in the chain that doesn't work, as you mentioned.
If there's no joy there then I think it will have to be an electrician, as it would take me more time to learn how to know what I am looking for with a multimeter etc than we could handle living with a torch and candles.

Your help and advice has saved us a lot of time and probably grief.

Thanks again.

Vic and Ali