Help.. no lights downstairs in my home

[jrt]

Hope someone can please help with strange (to me) issue

I turned lights in last night in my home & they came on & then went off. But all apart from 1 light downstairs in my house doesn't work. At first I thought fuse, but it's ok. The 1 light that stays on is on same fuse as the ones that won't. None are linked with same switch so none of the lounge, kitchen, dining room, hall or lower toilet are working. Any ideas on where to start to remedy ?

Thanks

 

[telectrix]

that's more than 1 post for every possible bad connection.

 

[jrt]

Success !!

I couldnt take flooring up as I did too god a job laying it, so I drilled a hole, cough, two holes lol, found ceiling connection & as per pic, all looked good, I disconnected live & rewired. Tested & all back working, must of just been missing the connection. Down side is as I was rewiring light, I crossed over & touched live from upstairs, arms still vibrating !!!

 

[jrt]

Duplicate

 

[freddo]

Why is the CPC cut out of that grey cable?
The wiring in your house is terrible.

 

[jrt]

Dark grey cable is first connection to spotlights

 

[telectrix]

so good he did it twice. . well done for perseverance and finding the fault rather than bodging a repair.

 

[Pete999]

Success !!

I couldnt take flooring up as I did too god a job laying it, so I drilled a hole, cough, two holes lol, found ceiling connection & as per pic, all looked good, I disconnected live & rewired. Tested & all back working, must of just been missing the connection. Down side is as I was rewiring light, I crossed over & touched live from upstairs, arms still vibrating !!!

View attachment 37573

Thats a right old cock up joint box

 

[telectrix]

Thats a right old cock up joint box

yep. looks like fred flintstone wired the lights.

 

[jrt]

 

[Lee42]

I would have some fun doing eicr on that installation.
Would need a couple of pages to write down faults me thinks.
What do u mean by u crossed over and touched upstairs, giving u an electric shock?

 

[Toneyz]

Read all posts !!!! so what was the cause of the lights not working live cable come out of junction box ?. well done for getting to the bottom of it how come you got a shock !.
I suggest now that you have made all these holes that you get an electrician in to rewire some of the lighting circuit as possible to get rid of all those junction boxes that are inaccessible sadly this is the problem with laminated flooring installed upstairs, use a M.F. Wango box above a light fitting as Tel posted at least you could still get to the connection by removal of fitting /make the connections at one of the downlights in a Hager 501 junction box but take this opportunity to improve the accessibility.

 

[Amateur]

Well done for sorting it. You could have done that about 6 pages ago though!

 

[Amateur]

Dark grey cable is first connection to spotlights

Same amateur mistake as i made few years back there. I also thought double insulated downlights with no terminal for earth as not needed on the actual light fitting so why not just cut it off...... Didnt consider about cable protection so the earth (CPC) should be externally jointed at each downlighter providing earth continuity protection along the length of the cables.

The pro's can elaborate on this though and correct my terminology, as i always state, im just a DIY'er!

That is why i like these forums for picking up more knowledge from the professionals.

 

[Wilko]

I'm going to do the Dad bit : While it's a success that you've sorted it, you put yourself in a place where you could have been killed. And there may be some damage done from what you've said. So please get help when you need it ... including now ?

 

[jrt]

I was told by another electrician to cut earth off as the actual spotlight do not have an earth terminal

Shock was my stupidity, switch in hall can control upstairs light, I didnt pull fuse on that & when rewiring back up, I touched live on upstairs switch !

 

[Toneyz]

I was told by another electrician to cut earth off as the actual spotlight do not have an earth terminal

Shock was my stupidity, switch in hall can control upstairs light, I didnt pull fuse on that & when rewiring back up, I touched live on upstairs switch !

Remember safe isolation if there is a next time.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Success !!

I couldnt take flooring up as I did too god a job laying it, so I drilled a hole, cough, two holes lol, found ceiling connection & as per pic, all looked good, I disconnected live & rewired. Tested & all back working, must of just been missing the connection. Down side is as I was rewiring light, I crossed over & touched live from upstairs, arms still vibrating !!!

Bloody well doesn't to me.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

double post.....it keeps doing that.

 

[telectrix]

so... another electrician told you to cut the cpc off. thats in the JB with the fault. yes?so the fault was of your own making. hope you've not left that abortion of a "JB"as in the pic.

 

[telectrix]

so... another electrician told you to cut the cpc off. thats in the JB with the fault. yes?so the fault was of your own making. hope you've not left that abortion of a "JB"as in the pic.

 

[telectrix]

bloody 'ell 4 for the price of one.

 

[Toneyz]

Truth of it all coming out now.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

So 2 electricians couldn't find a fault and another told you to just cut out a CPC? I'm moving to Southampton to make my million, clearly full of idiots!

 

[Amateur]

So 2 electricians couldn't find a fault and another told you to just cut out a CPC? I'm moving to Southampton to make my million, clearly full of idiots!

I thought with the prices electricians charge that you were all millionaires anyway?

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

I thought with the prices electricians charge that you were all millionaires anyway?

Christ not with the way our trade is getting de skilled and a high number of untrained 'Electricians' trying to undercut!

 

[Amateur]

Christ not with the way our trade is getting de skilled and a high number of untrained 'Electricians' trying to undercut!

Not to mention all these amateur DIY'ers having a go themselves and then asking for free advice from you to fix their mistakes!

As an amateur myself I thought i might as well get that in before someone else does!

Given my time again I would tell my young self to train as a spark as i find it really interesting. Actually, no i wouldn't, i would say buy a house, then another one, and another one............ I could be a property millionaire by now!

 

[Lee42]

I was told by another electrician to cut earth off as the actual spotlight do not have an earth terminal

Shock was my stupidity, switch in hall can control upstairs light, I didnt pull fuse on that & when rewiring back up, I touched live on upstairs switch !

You're very lucky then. Could of ended up alot worse.
Cant call him an electrician if he told you to cut the cpc. He wasnt the same guy who came to do some fault finding.

 

[jrt]

Putting the number of posts adds to the count, numpty

 

[Octopus]

So what cable do I need ?

You can't go around slapping in a 2nd cable UNTIL you know what and where the problem is.....

Anyway, how do you plan to run this cable? cut holes in ceilings or floorboards?

ANY decent spark will be able to sort this out if they are used to fault finding.....

 

[Pete999]

Putting the number of posts adds to the count, numpty

And???