I pulled the string and the light came on but it didn't click. When i tried to pull it again to turn it off nothing happened. I gave it a big tug and the light went off but it didn't click and now i can't switch it on again. I twisted off the base and it had an earth and 2 red wires. One red wire came out of the hole it was going into but the other doesn't seem to come out. Im hesitant to take the base unit completley off the ceiling incase it's something that can be fixed without it but i doubt it. Would i need to replace the base unit altogether and buy a new one?

Marty, October 2009

I see what you are saying T and I am forced to concur. But is it a pro installation or a cowboy one ????

Harry., October 2009

Harry, this is a switch not a loop-in rose. Plus the OP only has two wires (and an earth) and so one must be the permanent live and the other the switched live.

In other words, Peccavi's answer stands.

T, October 2009

Just as a rider to Peccavi's excellent answer; when you take the wires out of the switch,be sure to mark which wire the 2nd wire is attatched to as this will be your permanent live and the 2nd wire a loop feed to the next light in the chain. If you get it wrong, the next light in the chain will only work when the pull switch is operated.

Harry, October 2009

Go to the shop and buy a new complete switch - while you're there you can get a new cord and a fancy knob if you want.

Isolate the electricity to make it safe - take down the old switch and fit the new one - BOTH wires are Live - one is live all the time and the other one is live when the switch is on - they fit in any way round.

If you're not in any way confident about doing this then get a sparky in to do it for you. In the UK some electrical work in bathrooms is notifiable to the local council - replacing an existing light fitting does not fall into this category.

Good luck... take care...

Peccavi, October 2009