Re-wired bathroom ceiling rose causing bathroom and hall lamps to glow 'half' power

[DavoUK]

Background
Elderly relative asks neighbour to change the bathroom ceiling lightbulb.
Neighbour starts to change lightbulb, drops and breaks fancy lampshade so fits a replacement ceiling rose.
(Old rose wouldn't take a standard lampshade fitting.)
After fitting the ceiling rose and checking the bathroom light now works, neighbour disappears.

Today
Relative switches on hall light just outside bathroom. The hall and bathroom lamps both glow at what appears to be half power.
Then switches the bathroom light on and the bathroom light is normal brightness, the hall light goes off.
The bathroom light works normally without the hall light being on.

Connections
The connections, as I can work out, are in the attached diagram.

What has the neighbour done? What needs to be done to get things working normally?

 

[UNG]

If your diagram is correct it looks like the hall switched live is actually the neutral to the hall light and just needs moving to the terminal with the other black wire. Switching the hall light puts the two lamps in series causing them to light at half brightness switching the bathroom light bypasses the hall light

 

[DavoUK]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I've disconnected the two connections I've shown as switched lives and checked that one goes live when the bathroom light is switched on and the other goes live when the hall light is switched on.

You say that the hall switched live could be the hall neutral. Where should this be connected?

 

[littlespark]

You need to check continuity of all those cables before going any further. Swapping cables around willy nilly not knowing what is a neutral or live is going to lead to a loud bang and a fried switch!

Sorry to be blunt, but there’s too many configurations of lighting methods for any of us to say 100% what goes where. After the neighbour makes one mistake, that’s any logical ideas out the window.

I see you know electricity from your profile, so you know about loud bangs, but I would, this time, suggest you get an electrician to look at it. 30 minutes tops.... 10 minutes to fix, and 20 for a cup of coffee.

Where in UK? Maybe a forum member nearby

 

[ipf]

Read the previous post, the 'blacks' are mixed up. Connect the neutrals together. Then a bit of checking and advice.
Any recompense for the fancy lampshade?

 

[telectrix]

try taking it out of the left terminal and stick it in the right side one. worst scenario is you trip the MCB. commonly known as the bang test, used mainly in USA. .

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Am I the only one wondering why he’s put a ceiling rose in the bathroom?

 

[ipf]

try taking it out of the left terminal and stick it in the right side one. worst scenario is you trip the MCB. commonly known as the bang test, used mainly in USA. .

.....and just north of the Wirral, don't forget.

 

[telectrix]

.....and just north of the Wirral, don't forget.

gerrof. we use a wet finger.

 

[DavoUK]

Thanks all for your comments.

Thinking about this, given that the hall switch is lighting (half lighting) the bathroom and hall lights, the switched hall live must be going through the hall light first. In which case, it's not actually the true switched live but a floating live expecting a neutral?
It would seem that the apparent switched hall live should be moved to the other side of the bathroom lamp i.e. the neutral.

Thoughts?

 

[MDJ]

Thanks all for your comments.

Thinking about this, given that the hall switch is lighting (half lighting) the bathroom and hall lights, the switched hall live must be going through the hall light first. In which case, it's not actually the true switched live but a floating live expecting a neutral?
It would seem that the apparent switched hall live should be moved to the other side of the bathroom lamp i.e. the neutral.

Thoughts?

Get an electrician to look at it, clearly your struggling with a basic job and you could end up in a hole you cannot climb out of

 

[ipf]

'return'...................to #2.
OP, take some advice regarding safety.
You're thinking along the right lines, terminology astray. Remember, getting something to work correctly is minor when compared to safety issues.

 

[UNG]

Thanks all for your comments.

Thinking about this, given that the hall switch is lighting (half lighting) the bathroom and hall lights, the switched hall live must be going through the hall light first. In which case, it's not actually the true switched live but a floating live expecting a neutral?
It would seem that the apparent switched hall live should be moved to the other side of the bathroom lamp i.e. the neutral.

Thoughts?

You are correct remove the lamp in the hall and the hall switched live will no longer be a switched live when you turn the hall light on, connect to the neutral job sorted

 

[DavoUK]

UNG, I realise now you were spot on in your original post. I just needed to work that through. Thank you.

And thanks everyone else. I take the safety first comments on board.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

It's nice when someone hits the nail squarely on the head in post #2, which in two sentences not only says what happened but also how to fix it and why it behaves as it does. We often go all round the houses with 'what testing have you done' etc. and quizzing for lots of extra info, but when just one (highly probable) scenario exactly fits the symptoms, it's worth offering up sooner rather than later.

 

[joeymromao@msn]

sometimes going back is the only way to go forward

 

[telectrix]

however, the current wiring allows OP to have 2 lights on for the running cost of one (albeit dim).