Ceiling light question

[Bunty]

Dear All,

I wonder of you can help me please? We have bought an ex display Laura Ashley ceiling light. It has three screws bulbs. The problem is that it has 3 wires in the flex plus the green earth. The 3 wires are clear coloured. I have wired in lights with the 2 blue and brown wires, but never seen 3. How do I wire this in to the ceiling rose please? Kind regards and thanks in anticipation.

 

[buzzlightyear]

welcome ,have you got a pic for us please .if x display there should be a manufactures instructions and on it it will say in doubt consult a qualified electrician .

 

[Bunty]

I hope this helps!

 

[westward10]

Hello Bunty welcome to the forum. From a distance it may not be possible to say which wire goes where, the clear cable may be dual fed, two lives for different levels of light or one maybe an additional earth. I don't suppose one of the clear wires has a green trace line on it.

 

[SparkyChick]

If this is one of the wine glass lights, if memory serves (I installed a couple for a client earlier in the year) I believe there is line, neutral and earth in the cable as I think the fitting that holds the lamps is metal.

Without appropriate test gear, you're not going to be able to tell which is which I'm afraid, unless you're lucky and there is some indication as @westward10 suggests.

Note - I could be wrong, I've slept a lot since installing them and have consumed beer

 

[Squid]

What model of light is it and did it come with any destructions?

 

[Pete999]

I hope this helps!

View attachment 45606

Where in the UK are you Bunty? someone on the forum may be near to youd able to fit it for you.

 

[buzzlightyear]

looking at the tails the op needs a spark in to do a continuity test , not know which is line or neutral or cpc. you always find that the stickers are normally on ,but in this case there is none .I have put a lot of them in the past .

 

[Fitzy]

Hi Bunty, the green fly lead is the earth cable for the metal fixing of the lights frame and the other 3 cables will most likely be line, neutral & earth, but as has already been said you need to find out which wire is which. You need an electrician to help you identify these wires & install it safely or you could take it in to a local light shop and ask them to identify the cables (May charge you a fee).

 

[snowhead]

It'll be this stuff;

Clear plastic 3 core round lighting cable/flex - https://www.lampsandlights.co.uk/moredetails-flex.php?colour=FXclear&core=3cp

 

[DPG]

It's a shame whoever disconnected it from the display took the labelled connector block off it.

 

[buzzlightyear]

It's a shame whoever disconnected it from the display took the labelled connector block off it.

their is no connector bock on some of these fitting just flying tails .

 

[DPG]

their is no connector bock on some of these fitting just flying tails .

Really? It surprises me that when they've used the clear flex

 

[telectrix]

that cable usually has L.N, and E tags on the ends. it may have been shortened. a quick test with a multimeter or ohm meter will determine which is which.

 

[SparkyChick]

As I recall, if they are the wine glass lamps, they had connectors on the end. Were a nightmare to terminate neatly.

 

[Midwest]

I've put a few luminaires up in my new pad with similar clear flex. As snowhead link suggests, if you strip the cores down to the wire, you may find a very fine coloured thread, that will identify the wires accordingly. It is a very fine thread mind, and you can easily cut it & discard it without realising. Magnifying glasses might be necessary.

Edit; I'm talking of stripping back the end that terminates with the installation wiring.

 

[telectrix]

quite easy really.L goes to the centre pin if the lamp/s, N to the screw thread, and E to the holder. a simple battery and a bulb with a bit of wire can determine this.

 

[westward10]

Doesn't matter on modern ES lamp holders they are polarity biased.

 

[Bunty]

Dear All, many thanks for your wise words. It sounds like the ex-display bargain ceiling light that my wife bought from Laura Ashley is beyond my skill level to install! It is a shame the individual wires were not labelled when it was taken down. It's not that I am trying to avoid paying for an electrician, honest! In fact my father-in-law was an electrician in Hove for 40 years but sadly now has Alzheimer's so all his knowledge is lost to us. We will probably give up on this project...

 

[Pete999]

Dear All, many thanks for your wise words. It sounds like the ex-display bargain ceiling light that my wife bought from Laura Ashley is beyond my skill level to install! It is a shame the individual wires were not labelled when it was taken down. It's not that I am trying to avoid paying for an electrician, honest! In fact my father-in-law was an electrician in Hove for 40 years but sadly now has Alzheimer's so all his knowledge is lost to us. We will probably give up on this project...

You haven't told us where you are situated have you one of us may be able to help