Continuity check??

[spanner]

Hi guys,
Could anyone educate me as I'm no way near as good as ok..!
Had a problem which I've previously posted on your forum, about GU10 downlights, my question is..
If you were to be doing a connection check on the terminal strip of the downlight( earth to common earth to live )?
What reading would you get (open or closed)???

 

[Hawk81]

I am a bit confused in what you are trying to do. But i think i am reading your question right and the answer is open.

 

[bugsy]

Are they connected into a circuit eminating from the DB

 

[spanner]

Man you've lost me already here. Been reading about continuity ok but I could not make out how the fuse in consumer unit kept flippng. I had bought 6 downlights GU10s £20 including bulbs and fittings off the internet and wired them into the switch live on the old ceiling tube light we have in the kitchen How I wired them were all in tandem, with two wires in, including the earth then on to the next and round to the existing old ceiling rose, then "clip" it went dark again and again..!!(Also the only colours were the Y/G earth)

Anyways the gooder news were I went to toolstation and bought low voltage downlights which seems to be brighter and the flippn problems don't seem to exist,with (br)live and (bl)neutral
Please any answers mate..
Cheers

 

[Hawk81]

i am going to be honest here and say from reading your posts you really should not be doing any electrical work. and your english does not make your posts easy to understand

 

[DurhamSparky]

Been reading about continuity ok but I could not make out how the fuse in consumer unit kept flippng
stop reading and pay a sparky
I had bought 6 downlights GU10s £20 including bulbs and fittings off the internet and wired them into the switch live on the old ceiling tube light we have in the kitchen
from what you are saying is that you carried out notifiable work in a kitchen with out been registered or having any intention to notify the LABC, oh and £20 + bulbs probably means they were crap and not fire rated!
(Also the only colours were the Y/G earth)
eh!! eh!!
Anyways the gooder news were I went to toolstation and bought low voltage downlights which seems to be brighter and the flippn problems don't seem to exist,with (br)live and (bl)neutral
nail on head , say no more!

 

[spanner]

(DB) is something board, as I,ve said here before you guys are the NUTS here(brilliant) and I,m a plumbing student so please bear with us please.
Our place has recently been refurbed (about 3-4 yrs ago sos its pretty up 2 date) and we have (BR)(BL)(YG) just love to get behind the knowledge of blue wire when and what it means when its sleeved with an outer casing What does that mean
Must say I'm quite enjoying it here at the electrical forum
, a bit worrid about my outgoing expences, on another fotune on doing an electrical course LOL..

 

[spanner]

Man you've lost me already here. Been reading about continuity ok but I could not make out how the fuse in consumer unit kept flippng. I had bought 6 downlights GU10s £20 including bulbs and fittings off the internet and wired them into the switch live on the old ceiling tube light we have in the kitchen How I wired them were all in tandem, with two wires in, including the earth then on to the next and round to the existing old ceiling rose, then "clip" it went dark again and again..!!(Also the only colours were the Y/G earth)

Anyways the gooder news were I went to toolstation and bought low voltage downlights which seems to be brighter and the flippn problems don't seem to exist,with (br)live and (bl)neutral
Please any answers mate..
Cheers
​

 

[Guest123]

Plumbing Forum | Plumbing Advice | Plumbers Forums | A forum for plumbers advice in the UK

 

[Hawk81]

seriously stick to the plumbing and stop doing electrical work.

 

[spanner]

Ok hope I'm in!!! No not fire rated but the loft has a hardboard ply about 41/2 inches gap in which Ive installed LV downlights eh..!!

 

[J@mes]

when one cable is sleeved it usually means that it is a switched live, or that it is a permanent live and the electrician before ran out of the correct coloured cable.

but as others have said, get someone who knows what they are doing in to do it. It might cost you an hours labour, but you won't get killed and nor will anyone else.

 

[DurhamSparky]

PART P And PLUMBERS is like ROCK and HARD Place...!!!

are you doing you plumming with OLICI!! i heard they are the best around...! thats what the sales chap said..! be gas safe in 3 weeks!

 

[Mark_Burgess]

Who put the poll up there?

 

[Mark_Burgess]

Its great, threads like this make smile.

 

[Guest123]

That'll do!

 

[spanner]

Thats mad man, the plumbing parp (P) actually illustrates the elctrical circuitry of lighting and switching here c'mone!!!
Say if you were that much of an electrician yourself you'd know the ins and outs of wiring progrmmers to boilers etc??

 

[SirKit Breaker]

?

 

[DurhamSparky]

don't do boilers!! leave them to heating engineers who connect the gas up at same time..! too many cooks and broth come to mind! should be that way with plumbers and consumer units and lights!

but S and Y plan are you on about though!

not going to even attempt to get angry at you! with your wiring you wont need heating! good night!

 

[spanner]

Cheers if its "open" do I get a reading here??

 

[pushrod]

think spanner might be on a bit of a fishing trip seeing who he can wind in

 

[spanner]

No doing it at T4T trade skills, got a few more rungs to go eh!!

 

[DurhamSparky]

open circuit should give you a reading of >999 or what ever the max reading your test meter gives..

think you have a full ladder to go chap! not just a few rungs!

 

[spanner]

Thanks Steve, but say if you were to get a battery and put the +- together "spark"..
I got testing ok the earth negative and positive when crossed with probe all give a reading,(I mean the needle goes from left to fight all the way to zero on meter)
Is this open or closed reading ..
Actually I'm thinking of putting a logo at the bottom of my profile page that say!! I've got a lot to learn,IF IT AINT BROKE DON'T TRY AND FIX IT!!

 

[spanner]

Pushrod you're most definetley welcome with floating invitations ok. Thanks mate.

 

[ehs284]

Spanner, I agree you should be very careful at your stage of learning (that goes for all of us), but, to go back to your original question of continuity - as a plumber you'll be familar with water flows, so to the principle of continuity can be seen if you think of electricity as water - would it work if it was a piped system? The safety issues are more complex, but if you think of flows, capacities and pressures then analogies with electricity will make sense. Best of luck; but never take chances - water makes you wet, but electricity kills you.

 

[spanner]

Is it when checking for continuity..
Closed: You get a reading of zero or(999on digital multimeter)
Open : You get nothing (No reading or 'anything')

 

[DurhamSparky]

depends on what type of test meter you are using!! when i get an open circit i get >299
closed circuit i get Beeb and a reading of 0.00+ (depending how much cable im testing)

but i know some test Meters (B&Q style) show O/C or OL or words to that effect...!

 

[ehs284]

Yes, Durham is right - just check the meter instructions; they'll give you the limits for the meter readings, but no problem - your previous assumption is spot on. Closed may give you a 1 as out of range or <something (ie greater than the normal meter readings), but open will always give a result close to zero (no or little resistance to water or electricity flow when tap or switch is open).

 

[spanner]

The other wires were only yellow green, as this was what I meant that the brown and blue were just terminal strip no code connections here and when all connected blew fuse!! c'mon..
Pleaheeees>!

 

[brucelee]

hi mate
all the members would not want to risk giving you info as you are a bit out your depth
brown is the line conductor and if its running from switch this is a sw/line and is a live conductor
blue is the neutral also a live conductor
green /yellow is the cpc (earth)

as for continuity
with the test leads of your instrument connected together you will get a low resistance ohm reading and this is a closed circuit
a open circuit will as durham says give you a reading of 99.9ohm or greater depending on your tester
ie with test leads not touching each other try it then you may understand
as for telling you how to conect your lights this is because no one wants to accept responsibility if you do it wrong which you already have

to do a continuity test on a lighting circuit there is a lot you would need to understand first and how to carry it out safely in a competent way so to not cause you injury or danger to others

your descriptions are very vague and if you really want to know you would be better getting a copy of the Iee on site guide

your course should teach you how to wire basic lighting circuits properly and how to inspect and test them
what course are you doing

 

[spanner]

Hi Bruce thanks for response. I think I over exagurated it a bit . There is lighting in the kitchen now and since have installed 6x 12v downlights 50watt with 6x 65watt transformers, and all is fine.
But still can't understand why fuse had kept flipping.
Do you have make advance checks before connecting the live and neutral to GU10 downlights, as there were no instructions???

 

[spanner]

Thanks again, doing a plumbing course with T4T trade skills. Which involves learning via reading, and submitting se4narios and files for marking. All is good and thanks for a great illustration there.You sound like a good sparky???
And sorry if I'm out of my depths here, but your advise and help made a lotta difference..