urgent Plz...Wiring a switch!

[Martin_M]

Hi guys, I'm trying to wire a simple on off bathroom light switch but every time I turn the power back on, the light remains permanently on.

I have 3 light brown wires in the L terminal, the earth is in the correct place which leaves me with a black and dark brown wire with an L1 and L2 terminal.

I've tried both in L1, both in L2 and one in each and the light remains permanently on.

Could anyone advise?

Thanks
Martin

[Djtemeka]

it sounds like youre running the light through the ring main.

one of the brown (or red) cables will be permanently live. this is the main power cables that feeds various lights on that ring. you have connected the light switch cable directly to that and thus bypassing the switch completely.



http://fesconstruction.co.uk/Level%202%20Unit%2017...

[Martin_M]

Thanks, I assume the dark brown wire, is permanent live but in which terminal does it go? I'm pretty sure that the 3 light brown wires are correctly placed in L

[Salesy]

Djtemeka said:

it sounds like youre running the light through the ring main.

one of the brown (or red) cables will be permanently live. this is the main power cables that feeds various lights on that ring. you have connected the light switch cable directly to that and thus bypassing the switch completely.



http://fesconstruction.co.uk/Level%202%20Unit%2017...

Sounds like you haven't a clue about electrics, Lighting circuits do not run on "ring mains". Please please please do not touch electrics or give any advice. Sorry for being so harsh but i have just come from a house fire caused by an electrical fault.

OP can you post a picture of the cables and i will try and sort it for you.

[Martin_M]

Laptop broken and typing on phone sir.

I have 3 terminals L, L1 and L2 and an earth

Earth wire is sorted

I have a light brown wire, a black, a dark brown and 3 light brown wires

The 3 light brown wires were in L when I unscrewed the plug, the black and dark brown were loose so not sure where they go. Everything I try results in light permanently on

[Martin_M]

Sorry to clarify...a black, a dark brown and 3 light brown

[Djtemeka]

Salesy said:

Sounds like you haven't a clue about electrics, Lighting circuits do not run on "ring mains". Please please please do not touch electrics or give any advice. Sorry for being so harsh but i have just come from a house fire caused by an electrical fault.

OP can you post a picture of the cables and i will try and sort it for you.

Sorry. My terminology isn't spot on. It's been a long day It does sound like it's wired to the permanent live though. Whatever you call it 😊

[Salesy]

Do you have another switch for the room?

Are you 100% sure 3 browns were in together?

Do you have a Fan in the room?

[Martin_M]

No fan other switches working when black and dark brown in L1 and l2

[Salesy]

ok, It sounds like you may have mixed up one of the browns.



Disconnect everything and place in individual terminal blocks. Make sure all the other lights on the floor work. if they don't you need to link 2 browns together.

Then systematically link each other cable into the known main live and see what happens.

In theory you will probably end up with 2 browns in the L terminal and one other in L1

[Martin_M]

I have 4 browns in total. The three light coloured browns seem naturally clumped together and I'm 99% sure they were located in the L terminal. The earth wire is in the correct place but no matter what I do with the black and dark brown cables, the light remains permanently on.

[Nickbrapp]

ONe of those wires is the switch. Find the cable that has the black of ot
Covered with brown tape, put one of those into the clump of 3 others and the other direct into the light.

It sounds like you are just putting power straight to the light and by passing the switch,

You should have power in, power out with black and red or blue and brown and another cable which is 2 Browns.

Have you checked the light switch is off?

[Alucidnation]

pics

[Martin_M]

Nickbrapp said:

ONe of those wires is the switch. Find the cable that has the black of ot
Covered with brown tape, put one of those into the clump of 3 others and the other direct into the light.

It sounds like you are just putting power straight to the light and by passing the switch,

You should have power in, power out with black and red or blue and brown and another cable which is 2 Browns.

Have you checked the light switch is off?

Thanks for your input but I don't understand much of that I'm afraid. I understand what people are saying about me bypassing the switch function but what I'm hoping is that someone can tell me what to do with the dark brown and black wires given that I'm pretty certain the 3 light brown in the L terminal are in the correct place.

[Martin_M]

Using my phone - hopefully this is helpful:

[Martin_M]

I added the dark brown wire to the same terminal as the three light brown in the pic above to see what would happen but to no avail

[Alucidnation]

try putting the dark brown wire into l2 and leave the rest in place for now.

[Martin_M]

Alucidnation said:

try putting the dark brown wire into l2 and leave the rest in place for now.

I've tried that and the light stays on constantly. Likewise when I swap them over.

[Alucidnation]

ok, it looks like one of the brown wires should go to the light and the rest are circuit wires, however, seeing that the blue has been sleeved as the earth, it makes me wonder what else isnt as it seems.

Is there an extractor fan in there as well?

There should be a grey wire in there somewhere as well

Edited by Alucidnation on Tuesday 28th July 21:56

[Martin_M]

Alucidnation said:

ok, it looks like one of the brown wires should go to the light and the rest are circuit wires, however, seeing that the blue has been sleeved as the earth, it makes me wonder what else isnt as it seems.

Is there an extractor fan in there as well?

There is indeed but we have a separate switch for that.