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Discuss Junction box- 3 core & earth conundrum in the The Welcome Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net
Very strange box, yellow connected to nothing, black could be N or SL, hard to tell without being on site with test gear
Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. ATM, I'm not doing anything except scratching my head! The story so far is as follows: After a brief interlude of occasional delays between flipping the wall switch and the lights coming on, the ceiling lights in half my house packed up completely. Assuming that a wire had escaped from one of the terminals, I thought it would be a simple matter to reattach the escapee, and re-establish the dropped connection. Not so.
I hoped it would be obvious, by its proximity to a particular terminal, which of them the errant wire had escaped from. Sadly, I displaced the loose wire when I removed the top of the junction box.
Having never met 3 core & earth before, I am confused by the non-standard configuration, and I can't work out which terminal the wire escaped from. The idea of finding out by trial and error- attaching it to each in turn and seeing what happens- doesn't appeal, hence my plea for guidance.
Kind regards, Denise
I thought it was a shadow at first glanceI missed it the first time, but if you look closely, it appears the black from the T+E on the left is actually linked to the yellow.
I removed the screws one by one to check the underlying connections, and, arse backwards as usual, took the photo before replacing the last one.There is a screw missing... did you remove it?
Unfortunately at this time I think the only real sensible advice we can provide is to engage the services of a local electrician. I would seek recommendations from family and/or friends for someone they've used.
I seem to recall all the terminals are within reach of the black wire, but I'll check and report back.I'd love to see a side pic of the loose black wire, so I can see what terminals it is long enough to reach..
And as already mentioned, what happened to the missing screw?
Just to be clear, SparkyChick, are you saying the unattached black belongs on the same terminal as the lonely yellow? Sounds like a marriage made in heaven.I missed it the first time, but if you look closely, it appears the black from the T+E on the left is actually linked to the yellow.
Update: with a bit of persuasion, black can reach 'em all.I removed the screws one by one to check the underlying connections, and, arse backwards as usual, took the photo before replacing the last one.
I seem to recall all the terminals are within reach of the black wire, but I'll check and report back.
Just to be clear, SparkyChick, are you saying the unattached black belongs on the same terminal as the lonely yellow? Sounds like a marriage made in heaven.
Got it. Hoped it would be a simple DIY job, but I know when I'm beat. Thank you all for your time and your expert advice.As previously suggested, I believe the best advice is to engage the services of a local electrician. This type of issue requires appropriate test gear and a presence on site.
Probably wouldn't help. The damned thing is suck right under the eaves, so can't alter the camera angle. Not to worry- I'm resigned to getting someone in with the requisite rest equipment.View attachment 45867
You can just see the black cable curving under where the 2 earth sleevings meet. It basically is under the earths. Too much shadow to see it going into the terminal properly.
Maybe the OP will take another pic for us..
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