Wiring and lighting

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Hi there guys, hope anybody can help me to sort this out

Today I tried to replace an old fluorescent light in the kitchen for a ligthing track with three spotlights that I bought in IKEA.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/80031677/?query=KRÄMARE+Lighting+track+with+3+spotlights

The thing is when I dismounted the old fluorescent set, I didn't have a look at how the wires were connected and, on top of that, once it was removed instead of one cable (the thing I expected), it turns out that there are FOUR cables coming out of the ceiling with the following wires.

Cable 1 has 3 wires, one red one bare copper and one red

Cable 2 has 2 wires, one red and one black

Cable 3 has 3 wires, one red, one black and one earth (yellow green striped)

Cable 4 has 3 wires, one red one blue and one earth (yellow green striped)

As far as I can recall a lot of the red ones were together, this coming because when i disconnected the old fluorescent thing and took the red ones and separated them, i didn't have any electricity, nor in lighting neither in appliances. After that, I put all the reds together and left all the others unconnected and I now have electricity but lights don't work in any room of the house.

I was looking for information in the internet but nothing quite answered this query.

To add a little more thrill to the situation the wires in the ligthing track with three spotlights that i want to install are brown and blue, so which ones correspond to brown? black ones or red ones, and which one to blue??

In some websites I read that one of the red ones (not sure which or how to find which one) has to be left alone and capped, earths all together, remaining red together and the remaining black ones and blue also together

In another website they were saying something about a switch and that one red one had to be put together with the black ones. I have the feeling that is not the case for my situation.


So, as they say, I am now in the dark and would realy appreciate some word of advice to sort out this mess of wires.


Thanks in advance

An DIYer in distress
 
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Reading your post it sounds as if you have no idea about wiring so I'd suggest you get a sparky in to sort it for you. May be a bit more cost but at least you won't electrocute yourself or your family.
 
Look at the top of the DIYNOT/ELECTRICS topic list and find the STICKY on lighting circuits. It's all explained there.
 
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Quite a worrying post when you read it as it sounds as if you took the fitting down with the electric on, and now have live cables sticking out of the ceiling after turning trips back on.....

Your description of cables also sounds non-standard.

Photos would help, but a phone call to a local sparky may be the best.
 
I'm not sure how much we can (should?) rely on what he said, TBH - it's all very muddled.


Reading your post it sounds as if you have no idea about wiring so I'd suggest you get a sparky in to sort it for you. May be a bit more cost but at least you won't electrocute yourself or your family.
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whathesaidsmiley.gif
 
So you separated all the cables at a light fitting and all the sockets stopped working? :eek:

Get an electrician - now.
 
Guys, thanks for the help. it is clear that this is absolutely out of my reach, i am calling an electrician tomorrow to let somebody with skills do the job.
 
I am assuming it went something like this.....

Take fitting down, RCD trips, power to sockets and lights gone, trip turned back on, sockets now work, mannnny lights no longer do. Live lighting cables now sticking out of ceiling!

A sparky would be the best bet :D
 

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