Need advice with a "complex" light fixture

[rzarhm]

I'm trying to install a pendant (single bulb) in a ceiling light fixture. I've run into an issue with the wiring of the fixture box.

Here's the setup of the wires:

• 5 green wires (never hot, I suspect ground)
• 5 white wires (never hot, I suspect neutral)
• 5 brown wires (one is hot but they are bundled together)
• 1 orange wire (hot)

It appears this fixture is part of a circuit with a bunch of outlets in the same room. I tried to split the cables (removed the nut for whites and the nut for browns) and then used a multimeter to find out which two pairs of wires (white and brown) are in a closed loop with the switch for this light fixture. Unfortunately after testing all 25 permutations, none appeared to be in a closed circuit. Not ruling out I made a mistake but I did try twice.

When I try nutting the single always hot brown wire with any other single brown wire, part of the room (specific outlet) gains power, though the neutrals (whites) are still split so nothing turns on. I labeled the brown wires based on which outlet they bring power to.

Kind of at my wit's end so I'm wondering if this could be a solution: Since I will put a smart bulb in the pendant, I don't mind if the power to the pendant is always on. Can I just add the live and neutral from the pendant to the nutted white and brown cables, and of course ground using green? Would this be 'bad' in any way?

Any advice appreciated.

And here is a picture of the setup (labels are mine as I tried to figure each wire out):

 

[littlespark]

Did this not have a fitting connected before you started? Should have checked how it was done with a photo.

I suspect the browns to be live or hot… one will come in from the supply, then spread out to outlets from here. Same with the white/ neutral.

I also think the orange will be the hot from the switch. One of the browns being the supply down to it. This should go on/off with the switch
You could take the switch off the wall to see what colours are there.
Please turn off the power before doing this.

Greens must be ground.


So browns all together, but no connection to pendant. Permanently hot.
Whites all together with another pigtail wire to pendant on neutral.
Greens all together with another pigtail to pendant, IF there is a ground terminal on the pendant.
Orange on its own to hot/live on pendant.


I will advise that I am UK based, and I am merely guessing at Canadian wiring colours