MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I have two lights in my ceiling and one switch operates them both. The wiring goers from the switch to the first light and then from the first light to the second. Flick the switch and both lights come on.
There used to be traditional bulbs fitted and they were never that bright, but when one blew I replaced it with an energy saver and that is when the problems started.
One traditional bulb and old energy saver - The traditional bulb lights up until the energy saver starts and then the traditional bulb goes dim.
Two energy saver bulbs - One starts up and the other flickers. It is not always the same bulb that flickers and sometimes the flickering light will light properly and the other one starts flickering.
It seems to me there is not enough power flowing through the circuit to light them both. It is 1.5mm twin and earth coming up from the switch and 2.5mm twin and earth running directly between the two lights.
Any help welcome as we have no traditional bulbs left and it is awful sitting under flickering lights.
What a weird problem, does one bulb work fine on it's own?
It may be a good idea to get someone proficient to take a look at your electrics. Thinking back about a few threads you have started I would probably want to be wearing rubber boots, gloves and pants before flicking a single switch in your house 😀
Sounds to me like the bulbs are wired in series - does taking one bulb out stop the other from working ?
They are wired in series I think as taking one bulb out does stop the other working.
On a side note, I went to add a spur from and existing socket only to find out the guy who wired that part of the ring main used rubber coated garden flex! This has now been replaced with 2.5mm twin and earth.
Ok - should be reasonably easy to sort as long as one of the roses has the loop and switch wiring in it.
I'm presuming you know enough to work out which one is the switch wire so you can connect the bulb in the rose across the switch/neutral; or you'd have called a real electrician by now ... 😉
Oh and 😮 at the flex !
Hahahaha, what you have there is a lash up. I'd hope it will be possible to use the wires that are there to rewire the bulbs correctly but if I were you I'd be seriously worried about all wiring in the house.
Now Mr WorldClassAccident, how exactly did you get your username?
I reckon the previous owner thought that two light fittings was too bright so re-wired them in series instead of installing a dimmer switch or buying lower watt bulbs ...
should be reasonably easy to sort as long as one of the roses has the loop and switch wiring in it
It may be that the power is being routed around the switches with only a 'switch' wire to the rose(s).
I think the previous owner was a little bit silly to be nice about it 🙂
[i]as long as one of the roses has the loop and switch wiring in it.[/i]
That is the bit that is confusing me a bit. There is 1.5mm twin and earth coming up to the first light. There is 2.5mm twin and earth connecting the first light to the second.
Inside the switch on the wall there are simply the black, red and earth.
In the ceiling there is the switch wires and the wires going to the second light. These are connected as follows:
Switch earth - Other cable earth
Switch Red - one of the two wires leading to the bulb
Switch Black - Other cable black
Other cable earth - Switch earth
Other cable Red - the other wire leading tot he bulb
Other cable black - Switch black
In the second light there is the other end of the cable with red and black connecting to the two wires leading to the bulb.
I was kind of expecting another set of cables connecting this lot to the rest of the house. I haven't found anything obvious in the attic so far.
Yes, I am seriously concerned about the wiring in the whole house.
It just means that the loop/switch is done elsewhere - probably in a junction box - the "switch" cable is just switched live & permanent neutral.
To fix:
Switch Red: One bulb wire & Other cable Red
Switch Black: Other bulb wire & Other cable Black
(I take no responsibilty if we never hear from you again...)
Good luck !
From my position of zero qualification I think stevehine is correct, that will put the bulbs in parallel and solve your problem.
If not, at least there will be less BigBikeBash spam this year!
Success!!
Thanks. I possibly would have got there through trial and error but after fining some of the electrical nightmares I thought I would ask.
In the living room the cable leaving the first light was brown and blue but when it arrive at the other light it was three strands of orange/white, blue/white and green/with twisted together for one wire and a similar thing with three other skinny little wires for the other. Ended up lifting the floor upstairs to find them all connected together using a three pin plug as a junction box!
Ended up lifting the floor upstairs to find them all connected together using a three pin plug as a junction box!
😯 😆
I suppose you're going to deny any involvement ?
Hope your home insurance is up to date 😯
Your wiring sounds like a total mess