Newbie with a domestic wiring conundrum

[mmcardle]

I'm no electrician, but I've tried to figure this it out and not done too well with that approach.

I recently bought a house and in the extended kitchen there is a double switch which I guess is supposed to control the ceiling light and an extraction fan.

Of the two switches, only the right one does anything, which is turn the fan on.

I unscrewed the fixture from the wall and it's a tangle of wires in there that I can't make sense of.

The guy I bought the house from WAS an electrician and he left it this way. Go figure.

Looks like a mixture of old and new colour coding. So, in the picture, this is what is happening:

- Two brown live wires go into the com and 1-way sockets in the left block from the main circuit (which controls the right-hand switch that currently turns the fan on I guess).

- One brown live wire hanging from com socket in right block, going nowhere.

- One red wire (live?) from main circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- Blue neutral wire hanging out of the 1-way socket of the right block, going nowhere.

- Two blue neutral wires from the main circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- One black (neutral?) wire from circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- Two green/yellow earth wires from main circuit just loose, going nowhere.

- Almost out of sight is another green/yellow earth wire that is connected to the metal switch junction box.

How do I sort this out so it controls the ceiling light and fan without blowing myself up?

Any advice would be very useful.

Regards,

Mark

 

[MJPD29]

Looks like the red in the connector might have been connected to the switch at some stage so that could be whatever it was, maybe disconnected for a reason

 

[littlespark]

I'm afraid to say you will need the services of a professional electrician.
The cables need tested to see what goes where.
Obviously your brown/blue pairs are a live/neutral coming in and switched live and neutral going to the fan. (if the fan is working as you say)
The red/black pair appears to be a switch live and neutral going to the light, BUT the fact that these are disconnected means there may be a fault on the cable that the previous homeowner just left like that.
All the earths need to be covered in green/yellow sleeving, joined together and connected to the metal box.

There is always the BANG method of testing, but please don't attempt it

 

[telectrix]

what he said^^^^^.

 

[Octopus]

Just because its blue doesn't guarantee its the neutral

 

[telectrix]

agreed.^^^^^.i once watched a blue film. it was not porno, it was wales in the southern ocean.

 

[Pete999]

agreed.^^^^^.i once watched a blue film. it was not porno, it was wales in the southern ocean.

Thought Wales was just part of the UK, not in the Southern Ocean Tel, Oh Whales as in Blue, Humpback etc, sorry being a pain in the ---.

 

[telectrix]

don't apologise pete. forum needs pains in the asses. why do you think i'm here?

 

[snowhead]

I'd say that was work in progress, that didn't.

 

[telectrix]

word association time.... asses..... assegai..... at rourkes drift, michael cain got a spear in the gut. ....


"who threw that"? says MC.

pointing at the zulu chief, "assegai" says his sergeant.

 

[Pete999]

don't apologise pete. forum needs pains in the asses. why do you think i'm here?

You aint a Pain Tel an Itch maybe, but a pain never.

 

[diyterry]

I'm no electrician, but I've tried to figure this it out and not done too well with that approach.

I recently bought a house and in the extended kitchen there is a double switch which I guess is supposed to control the ceiling light and an extraction fan.
View attachment 44209 Of the two switches, only the right one does anything, which is turn the fan on.
View attachment 44210

I unscrewed the fixture from the wall and it's a tangle of wires in there that I can't make sense of.
View attachment 44214
The guy I bought the house from WAS an electrician and he left it this way. Go figure.

Looks like a mixture of old and new colour coding. So, in the picture, this is what is happening:

- Two brown live wires go into the com and 1-way sockets in the left block from the main circuit (which controls the right-hand switch that currently turns the fan on I guess).

- One brown live wire hanging from com socket in right block, going nowhere.

- One red wire (live?) from main circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- Blue neutral wire hanging out of the 1-way socket of the right block, going nowhere.

- Two blue neutral wires from the main circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- One black (neutral?) wire from circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- Two green/yellow earth wires from main circuit just loose, going nowhere.

- Almost out of sight is another green/yellow earth wire that is connected to the metal switch junction box.

How do I sort this out so it controls the ceiling light and fan without blowing myself up?

Any advice would be very useful.

Regards,

Mark

It looks like it was disconnected on purpose, I'd get an electrician to check it out.

 

[Pete999]

I'm no electrician, but I've tried to figure this it out and not done too well with that approach.

I recently bought a house and in the extended kitchen there is a double switch which I guess is supposed to control the ceiling light and an extraction fan.
View attachment 44209 Of the two switches, only the right one does anything, which is turn the fan on.
View attachment 44210


I unscrewed the fixture from the wall and it's a tangle of wires in there that I can't make sense of.
View attachment 44214
The guy I bought the house from WAS an electrician and he left it this way. Go figure.

Looks like a mixture of old and new colour coding. So, in the picture, this is what is happening:

- Two brown live wires go into the com and 1-way sockets in the left block from the main circuit (which controls the right-hand switch that currently turns the fan on I guess).

- One brown live wire hanging from com socket in right block, going nowhere.

- One red wire (live?) from main circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- Blue neutral wire hanging out of the 1-way socket of the right block, going nowhere.

- Two blue neutral wires from the main circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- One black (neutral?) wire from circuit in a plastic connector, going nowhere.

- Two green/yellow earth wires from main circuit just loose, going nowhere.

- Almost out of sight is another green/yellow earth wire that is connected to the metal switch junction box.

How do I sort this out so it controls the ceiling light and fan without blowing myself up?

Any advice would be very useful.

Regards,

Mark

 

[littlespark]

The 2 blues connected together must be a neutral, or the fan wouldn't be working when its switched on. I don't know why there's a blue coming from the unused switch though. The copper doesn't look like its ever been connected to anything.
If the OP would like to comment on anything?.. just so we know he hasn't gone down the bang test route.

 

[mmcardle]

Many thanks for all the replies.

Yes, the fan definitely works when the right switch is flipped.

The previous owner of the house was an electrician, so I will assume he knew something I don't and I will contact another electrician to investigate for me.

I like to figure things out for myself, but I also want to live a bit longer, so I appreciate your solid advice.

Thank you again.

Regards,

Mark