I have recently changed my light.it has 3 brown, 3 blue and 3 earth wires coming out of the celing.i have connected the light and everytime i go and switch the light to off the fuse blows.can you help me?

Benita, April 2009

One of the blue cables is the switched live coming back from the light switch. Sounds as if you have this cable in the same connector as one of the neutrals, so that is why the fuse blows. Your light will be on permanently because it has a permanent live (ring main cable) and a permanent neutral.
Here's what you do. Turn off the power supply.
All three brown cables should be in the same connector.
All earths should be in the same connector.
Remove the three blue cables. Two of them are the neutrals and one of them is the switched live coming back from the light switch. The only way you are going to find which is the switch wire is to test with a mains tester screwdriver by putting the power back on ,turn on the light switch and then test each of the blue cables to find which one is live. If you are not competent or unhappy about this test-get professional help.
Once you have found the switch wire, TURN OFF THE POWER and put it in its own connector and put the two neutrals in a seperate connector.
You should now have 3 brown (live)
2 Blue (neutral)
1 Blue (switch return) now ideally with a red marker such as red insulation tape etc
3 Earths
Your room light should be connected as follows;
Brown wire from light to switch return
Blue wire from light to the 2 neutral blues
Earth wire, if fitted, goes with the three earths

cledlyn, April 2009

You have miswired the ceiling fitting - you have made the lamp to be permanently ON with the switch in the OFF position - when you think you are switching OFF you are actually switching ON and directly connecting Live to Neutral with no lamp as a load - a short circuit that will immediately blow a fuse or cause a breaker to trip...

Take a look at this picture to see how it should be...

http://www.flameport.com/electric/lighting_circuits/lighting_ceiling_rose_looped.cs4

Notice that none of the Brown wires at the ceiling connect to the light. Your first mistake.

Notice the Blue wire coming from the switch - it has a brown sleeve on it to show that it's Switched Live (i.e. Live when the Switch is in the ON position) - This is your second mistake - you have connected it to the other Blue wires.

You MUST identify Switched Live and connect it to a terminal strip together with the Brown to the Lamp - just these two on their own & nothing else.

You must connect the three Brown wires at the ceiling together in the same terminal strip - nothing else.

The two remaining Blue wires and the Blue to the Lamp all join together.

Good luck...Take care...

Peccavi, April 2009