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Electrical wiring.... bathroom light.?

I live in a property (in the UK) which is about 30 years old and appears to have the original electrical wiring. I have bought a new light fitting for the bathroom and am having problems working out how to get it working safely. The original light when turned on, operated a ventilation fan. Having taken the old light fitting off, I have... 3 reds (already blocked together tucked away) and the following were connected to the old fitting... 4 yellow/green, 4 black (to one side of the bulb), and another 2 reds (into the other side of the bulb)!!! The new light fitting has a Brown, Blue and a Yellow/Green. Anyone got any ideas where it should all go??? I've got one of those screwdrivers which tells you whether wires have power coming from them, on its way round here as I speak...

Public Comments

  1. yellow and green is earth red is live wire black is neutral the wires to the switch come from the fuse box the wires from the load side go to the light or fan there might be connections to other light switches ( ring main ). check and double check everthing
  2. your mixing the old colours with new, which are - red - brown black - blue and yellow green stays the same. you need to wire the two reds to the brown of the new light and the two blacks to the blue and remember to attach the earth. the reds in the block are the perminent live and the blacks you neutrals, but you won`t have to touch them at all. REMEMBER before you do anything isolate the circuit at the board, don`t assume it`s off just `cos you switched it off, as the perminrnt live will still be live!! any more questions and post again
  3. The brown should be connected to the red, the blue to the black and the yellow and Green to the yellow and green. Simple, you will find that the main wiring in houses conforms to that which you found and it is only new equipment that has the Brussels type colours.
  4. You need an electrician!
  5. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but for safety sake and for the safety of your family, please consult with an electrician, if you're not 100% sure of what you are doing, you could cause a fire to happen later on, or worse. Please don't try it yourself. Get professional help.
  6. YEAH 3 REDS BLOCKED TOGETHER ARE PERMANENT FEED (ALWAYS LIVE) 4 BLACKS ARE NEUTRAL AND CONNECT TO BLUE 2 REDS ARE SWITCHED LIVE AND CONNECT TO BROWN AND ALL YELLOW/GREEN ARE EARTH AND MUST BE CONNECTED TOGETHER . DO IT YOURSELF PEICE OF PI*S , JUST BE CARFUL .