two lights on one switch with the power at the fixture

The customer would like dimmers put on a two way light instead of a switch, is this possible? Just pushing all the wires in, like many have done before, can mean you have a higher risk of fire due to unsafe and incorrect connections. Problems regularly occur when you want to switch to a modern lighting system with 3 connections and a connector block, but when you take down your old lighting pendant down, you find there may be as much as 6 wires.Ĭertain lights need to be fitted in a certain way and homeowners face a tricky and dangerous job by doing it themselves. When changing any lighting fitting in your home, it is best procedure to call in an electrician for help. I want to change my pendant light to something else, what can I do? VDE screwdrivers protect you with up to 1,000V and with 230-240V there that can potentially harm you, it’s important that the right tools are used. Standard screwdrivers are not enough to protect you! VDE screwdrivers are required for safe tightening of screw terminals. If you find your screw terminals are loose, don’t be tempted to just tighten the screws with a standard screwdriver. If you really need to remove the covers, it is best to get an electrician in afterwards to check and test the circuits to ensure they are okay. If you’ve got an intermediate light in the room and you do this, because of the amount of cables, it can be quite confusing. If you want to completely remove the switch covers from the wall to decorate behind, you must also safely isolate that light circuit first and also note where the conductors go. Make sure the covers are back on securely before turning the lighting circuit back on. To do this simply turn of the circuit breaker for that circuit. Now it is safe to unscrew the covers and pull them slightly away from the wall. If you are simply unscrewing the switch cover, pulling the cover away from the wall, and not removing the conductors, then it is important you first safely isolate that circuit. I’m decorating my home, can I remove the switch covers? The cable from my ceiling rose is coming loose and I can see cable, what should I do?ĭue to cable being fiddly to replace, an electrician will need to come in and replace your whole lighting fixture to ensure it is safe for you to use. It will need replacing, as the light bulb cover (the shroud) is there to protect you from touching any live parts. My lighting pendant case is damaged? What should I do? As soon as you start to hear a click sound, call an electrician. Electricity is like a balloon and it expands and collapses in a cycle of 50 times a second, which means it’s slowly undoing the small screw terminals because they get hot, cold, hot, cold, and expand and contract each time.Īs soon as they undo a certain amount, the cable inside the screw terminal wobbles and you get a clicking sound, as it is jumping with the electricity. If you hear clicking that means there is a loose connection and it’s arcing. If the ceiling rose starts to smell, it could have burning inside. This loosens the cable and leads to wire colours showing through and connections loosening inside. Danger 3Ĭheck the top of the cable leading to the light, from the ceiling rose, as when changing a light fitting, people often hang on it. Danger 2Ĭheck the cable end that connects to the light fitting to see if any of the wire colours are showing. visible cracks, burn marks, signs of wear. There are three main types of switches: a single that has one switch and goes on and off, a two way switch is one or more lights from two positions (top and bottom stairs), and an intermediate switching switches 1 or more lights on from 3 or more positions (open plan room with 3 or more entrances).Īs seen in the diagram above, the cable that controls the switch contains the switchline, line and earth wires.Ĭheck the collar of the bayonet for any signs of damage, e.g. The light cable is connected to the switch line and neutral wires, which gives the power to make the light work. Power comes into the light via a cable from the consumer unit, containing line, neutral and earth wires. Inside the ceiling rose of a pendant light there are four terminals: loop in, neutral, switchline, earth. Loop in allows you to carry electricity from one lamp to another lamp. The line conductor is used in the switchline and loop in terminals.

Earth is identified by green and yellow sheathing, neutral is blue and line is brown. Important parts of the pendant light are the ceiling rose, the cables that connect within the ceiling rose, the shroud that protects you and the light bulb fitting.Ĭabling used for lighting circuits is two core and earth, which include a line, neutral and an earth core. The most common light in homes is a pendant, from which you can hang a variety of lamp shades, fixtures and chandeliers.

Two lights on one switch with the power at the fixture