I require instalation solution for my ligting?

Question

I have a low voltage light i have bought and I am trying to install it in my Unit/flat. the problem i have is that from the ceiling I have 4 wires coming out. Red (3 of them combined), black (3 of them combined), green/white/earth (3 of them combined) and one single white wire. With my light i have connector that has 3 wires. Blue, brown and earth. I require help to connect the rigth wire to the right colour. what i did was that I connect the red(from ceiling) to brown, black to blue and earth to earth. the lighs do turn on but i can not turn them off from the switch. I dont know where the single white wire goes.

Answer 1

you have a mess, i 'm not  sure what country you are in, but it don't sound like the good ole u.s. of a.  call an electrician before you burn something up, or get hurt!

Answer 2

This is for education purposes only, you need a Registered Electrical Contractor / Electrician and a Certificate of Electrical Safety for any electrical work around your home.

All  - red wires in a single s***w connector.Active loop

All  - black wires connect to -blue (light)

All  - green/yellow connect to -green (light.)

Single white wire/switch wire connects to -brown (light.)

please be careful,

Answer 3

There are many people who are quite panicked about working with anything electrical... and then there are those who should be panicked about it but they aren't.

It is safer to call an electrician. It is even true if you "know" what you are doing. But that does not mean that it is impossible to understand or learn just that mistakes can be deadly even if something "seems" to work. (initial shock hazzard, later shock hazzard, eventual fire hazzard.)

Electrical systems differ in different countries. In the USA we commonly use 110 or 120 and 220 or 240 volt systems, but in our system the voltage from any power leg to ground is commonly 110 or 120 whereas in other countries it is 220.

In the USA we refer to "low voltage" as a system that typically uses a transformer to convert our common voltage to something much lower like 24 volts (common in HVAC applications or 8, 12, or 16 volts for doorbells and the like. In other countries where the normal voltage is 220 (or 240) "low voltage" can refer to the silly stuff the Americans put out that runs on a mear 110 (or 120). In the USA we would refer to a 110 or 120 voltage circuit as "line voltage."

From my short time in the UK and my curiosity about how wiring is done there I know there are what are called "ring" circuits which are contrasted with another type that I don't presently recall. I also saw outlets there which were individually fused. We have little of that (residentially) here.

I would agree that it sounds like you have an unswitched circuit and a switched circuit. The reason why you cannot turn the light off is that you are connected to the unswitched line. I would further GUESS that the single white wire is actually a "pig tail" that is going to another group of wires locally and actually should be connected to your light.  (But in any event it came to your junction box bundled with at least one other conductor and that might prove to be a clue.  It has been a very long time since single conductors were run individually in houses (In USA it was called k**b and tube wiring.)  

Regarding the colors... I NEVER would wire based upon the color of wires that I did not install. Yes there are codes etc. but I have seen too many many times where it was wired wrong. It is also true that an electrical meter/tester can be faulty. So I hedge my bets by testing my meter every time before I start using it and always use the tester to confirm the color coding of existing wiring. (And it is still a far cry from the "old timer" I knew who almost failed his electrical examination due to a faulty meter and from that point had a way of testing voltage with his fingers!)  While in the USA the powered line can be "any color but white gray or green"1, "In AUSTRALIA, black is the neutral, red is permanent active, white is the switched active and green is earth.2)

With the tester and a little deduction you should be able to confirm what lines are grounded/neutral/earth/green/w... (not all the same thing) and which lines are power/switched and power/unswitched.

It is too bad you did not notice how the old fixture was installed. (Though there is no guarantee that it was correct either.)

If we knew which country where your "flat" (= USA "apartment") was located, we might be able to provide more assistance. You might refine your question or look for online sources relative to your countries conventions or talk to your local supplier where you picked up the light or a local technician from a similar establishment.

I hope I have helped with what might be many confused, anxious, or confusing responses and pointed you in a bit of a direction.

Answer 4

Sounds like you have a switch-leg, hot, neutral, and a ground. Who knows which is which so don't assume the red or black is the hot.  Be careful because as you probably know electricity can kill you. While being careful try and figure out where the wire go and what they control.  This may take hours to days but can save you money if you don't want to call an electrician.  They'll all tell you that it's such a delicate art that no one should even use a receptacle unless their a journeyman electrician.  That's garbage, your not wiring and entire house.  Your changing a light.  good luck

Answer 5

you said low voltage right. STOP get an electrician . If you have to ask You  cannot do it. You are not insured because of you doing the installation. You have no qualification or registration

Answer 6

I don't know where you are; or if you are dealing with a 120 Volt system or a 240 Volt system. All I can tell is that: A) You are confused enough to need a qualified licensed electrical contractor to help you out; and B) you mentioned a "low voltage" installation without mentioning where you are installing the transformer; for this I refer you back to ") A".