Help hanging a ceiling light (diy noob)
Discussion
Ok, so i've never hang a light or done anything with electrics around the house, but we've bought a new lamp and i need to hang it up now.
This is the ceiling it's suppost to go onto :
And this is what the lamp looks like.
Apart from switching the electricity off to that part of the house i have no idea what i need to get, and how to make those two things fit, and which wire to connect to which etc so any help would be greatly appreciated.
This is the ceiling it's suppost to go onto :
And this is what the lamp looks like.
Apart from switching the electricity off to that part of the house i have no idea what i need to get, and how to make those two things fit, and which wire to connect to which etc so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Two blacks together = Neutral
1 lone wire = Live (switched)
Earths look to be stuffed up inside ceiling.
3 reds are permanent live, not used in the fitting
Easiest way is to use a 4 way connector strip and neatly re do all the connections, then run a short piece (6") of 3 core flex to the connections on the fitting, this is far easier and a *much* better job than trying to stuff several solid core cables into the nasty awkward poxy little fixed connector block on the fitting.
1 lone wire = Live (switched)
Earths look to be stuffed up inside ceiling.
3 reds are permanent live, not used in the fitting
Easiest way is to use a 4 way connector strip and neatly re do all the connections, then run a short piece (6") of 3 core flex to the connections on the fitting, this is far easier and a *much* better job than trying to stuff several solid core cables into the nasty awkward poxy little fixed connector block on the fitting.
dickymint said:
Medic-one said:
Ok, so i've never hang a light or done anything with electrics around the house..........
Be afraid - be very afraid. 
Just remember to switch off the mains before you start.
Also, hairyben has provided some decent advice above, and is probably correct, however he has assumed that the wire colours used are correct (they should be, but aren't always - I have seen some fitting where they've used any colour wire they had to hand....)
Edited by monthefish on Wednesday 17th August 15:31
How heavy is the light?
If its reasonably light, you could mount it using plasterboard fixings.
If its fairly substancial, I'd recommend getting at the ceiling above and wedge some timber between the joists to provide a solid fixing.
Buy and familiarise yourself with a multimeter, can get a half decent one for £10.
If its reasonably light, you could mount it using plasterboard fixings.
If its fairly substancial, I'd recommend getting at the ceiling above and wedge some timber between the joists to provide a solid fixing.
Buy and familiarise yourself with a multimeter, can get a half decent one for £10.
monthefish said:
dickymint said:
Medic-one said:
Ok, so i've never hang a light or done anything with electrics around the house..........
Be afraid - be very afraid. Just remember to switch off the mains before you start.
Also, hairyben has provided some decent advice above, and is probably correct, however he has assumed that the wire colours used are correct (they should be, but aren't always - I have seen some fitting where they've used any colour wire they had to hand....)
Edited by monthefish on Wednesday 17th August 15:31
Not scaremongering at all. My advice is, yes have a crack but do it with a mate who knows how to. Do NOT follow some fools advice that is sat at a computer 100 miles away that has already stated "I have seen some fitting where they've used any colour wire they had to hand"Best of luck
dickymint said:
I rest my case Not scaremongering at all. My advice is, yes have a crack but do it with a mate who knows how to. Do NOT follow some fools advice that is sat at a computer 100 miles away that has already stated "I have seen some fitting where they've used any colour wire they had to hand"
Best of luck
It's a basic light fitting FFS. Get stuck in there. Not scaremongering at all. My advice is, yes have a crack but do it with a mate who knows how to. Do NOT follow some fools advice that is sat at a computer 100 miles away that has already stated "I have seen some fitting where they've used any colour wire they had to hand"Best of luck
ETA Dickymint - I hope you get a professional to put petrol in your car for you - it's a highly flammable liquid don't you know, and people have died in the process...
Edited by monthefish on Wednesday 17th August 17:53
monthefish said:
dickymint said:
I rest my case Not scaremongering at all. My advice is, yes have a crack but do it with a mate who knows how to. Do NOT follow some fools advice that is sat at a computer 100 miles away that has already stated "I have seen some fitting where they've used any colour wire they had to hand"
Best of luck
It's a basic light fitting FFS. Get stuck in there. Not scaremongering at all. My advice is, yes have a crack but do it with a mate who knows how to. Do NOT follow some fools advice that is sat at a computer 100 miles away that has already stated "I have seen some fitting where they've used any colour wire they had to hand"Best of luck
k out of me 
Ok, so i've taken those little white blocks from the ceiling connection off, and i now have 3 red wires (different lenght), 2 black ones, and that small one in the middle that goes in between those two apperently.
Do all the red wires have to go into the new connection block of my new lamp ? As the new connector block is smaller then the ones that were still on there original, so i struggled to get all 3 wires into it.
Also, the red and black wires are much longer then the little one in the middle, do i just cut them down so they all match lenght or is that a big no no ?
And on the new light, the connector black was originally attached (clicked on) this litte silver bit but i moved it to try and get the wires in, does it have to go back onto that silver bit or does that not matter, as that is the one the small earth cable from the ceiling goes into isn't it ?
Really - you should have left the 3 red wires in the original single connector block.
Connect the two back wires that were together to your new connector with the blue
Connect the single black wire to the new connector with the brown (if you have some red tape, put a bit round the black to show it is a switched live)
Connect the green earth to the earth on your light fitting.
Connect the two back wires that were together to your new connector with the blue
Connect the single black wire to the new connector with the brown (if you have some red tape, put a bit round the black to show it is a switched live)
Connect the green earth to the earth on your light fitting.
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