We are currently fitting a new light fitting in the bathroom (it's the correct zone, etc). We removed the old fitting and now have 7 wires.

3 are red, 4 are black, although 1 black one stands alone and I guess it must be the switch wire. There is no earth.

Our new light fitting has only places to attach live and neutral (nowhere for the switch).

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Lara, March 2009

if the stand alone black wire is the switch wire(usually marked with red tape), connect this to the live terminal of the fitting, connect all the other blacks to the neutral, and connect all the other reds together in a piece of terminal strip

DH, March 2010

If you pull the wires out a bit are they sheathed in grey or white plastic, or are they literally just wires on their own?
Do the wires comprise one single core of copper, or several strands?

Adam, March 2009

My apologies - your description was so similar to the two other questions I assumed you were connected to Brian Scott and Dopey who both mention earth wires and the same colour combination at the ceiling.

I would still suggest a sparky because - It's a bathroom - There's no Earth - you have seven wires which I can't quite fathom. Power cables always have Black Red and Earth and you seem to be missing one Red and several Earths!

If the Three Reds were originally twisted together - this is the usual arrangement - Live in - Live Out and Live to the Switch. But three blacks twisted together is odd - I would suspect it to be just two black wires - Neutral in and Neutral out. I strongly suspect that the separate black wire is indeed Switched Live. You have a meter...

Have the black wires hanging loose and apply the power with the three reds connected - operate the switch and see if the lonely black is actually switched live - If it is - it turns the light on and off and should connect to the Live Terminal of the fitting.

You do not connect any of the Live wires to the light - just the switched live - these three reds together neeed their own connection block somehow somewhere and it would be easy for you to make an unsafe installation - bad enough with Earth protection but with no Earthing potentially lethal and very naughty in a bathroom.

The neutrals connect together and also to the Neutral of the light fitting. A 4 way terminal box tucked into the ceiling allows for Earth, Neutral, Live and Switched Live - you could run a short cable to the light fitting from the terminal box.

I think you have been "stiched up" by a previous poor installation - If I were in your situation I would bodge around and make it work but still call a sparky to make it safe as soon as I could - I am not advocating that you do as I would.

A light fitting with an Earth Connection really does need to have a decent earth for the safety of the people using the room. TAKE CARE

Peccavi, March 2009

Thanks Peccavi

I'm aware i have 3 neutral and 4 live wires. However i expected to find also an earth wire and a marked switch wire. There is no ceiling rose in the room, so the 7 wires all come in loosely , but not in any organised system. I have a multimeter which i can use to find if one is the switch wire, however i'm uncertain how to proceed given that previously 3 blacks were twisted together and one attached seperately, and all reds were twisted together.

WOuld you still suggest a sparky?

Lara, March 2009

Light fittings Never have anywhere to attach the switch - that's why regular ceiling roses have four terminal strips - to accommodate the switched live wire...

This problem is similar to those recently entered by Dopey and Brian Scott but has moved from a kitchen to a bathroom.

Given the bizarre arrangement of the wires at the ceiling my sincere advice is to engage the services of a properly qualified electrician - you clearly do not understand the basics of wiring a light fitting and don't appear to have any equipment to identify a live wire.

Electricity is dangerous stuff in any room and especially so in a bathroom.

Remember Lord Finchley...

Lord Finchley tried to mend the Electric Light
Himself. It struck him dead: And serve him right!
It is the business of the wealthy man
To give employment to the artisan.

Good luck...Please take care...

Peccavi, March 2009